Students consider factors like tuition, academic programs, campus experience, and school ranking when choosing a college to attend. However, checking if the college is environmentally-friendly is another important question.
If your institution is keen on sustainability, it will affect how you appreciate nature and preserve the environment. Many colleges now incorporate sustainability as a key component of the university’s initiatives.
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In this piece, we’ll explore the ten best green colleges in the US and how they contribute to sustainability. Don’t forget that there’s no need to struggle with college homework when you can trust a professional academic writing service and get expert help with essay writing.
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is one of the US universities with a long history of integrating sustainability on its campuses. Colorado’s structures are built on over 5,000 acres of land and boast green academic programs and extracurricular activities all year round.
Some impressive records include food waste reduction programs, decreased water usage, and increased eco-friendly transportation. Unique Colorado’s mountain campus allows students to explore nature outside the hectic city life.
The university pledged to flag off a 100% renewable energy-powered Fort Collins campus by 2030. In the meantime, students can enjoy Colorado’s bike-friendly campus along with the electric car charging outlets.
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a pioneer green college in the United States. Besides offering degrees in sustainability careers, the university provides students and staff with internships, workshops, and volunteer opportunities to promote sustainability initiatives.
ASU came to the limelight when it launched The Carbon Project in 2018 to combat carbon emissions. Green programs like tree-planting, car-pooling arrangements, and transition to electric vehicles are other notable actions to engender zero-carbon emissions.
The school encourages student-based organizations that foster eco-friendly practices on campus. ASU also promotes faculty research on sustainability where students can actively participate and protect the environment.
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University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is recognized as a Green Ribbon School by the US Department of Education. The school lives up to its name by committing research and development to programs that enhance sustainability.
These programs include the Green Labs, Recycling and Waste Diversion, and the Green Workplace. They encourage students and staff to adopt zero-waste lifestyles and propagate definite steps to achieve sustainability on campus.
The University of Virginia also reaches out to the community to promote green living in the United States. Their programs educate people to choose sustainable ways of doing things to save the environment.
University of California-Berkeley
The University of California is another green college rooted in environmental sustainability on campus. UC Berkeley has ranked first in the world for environmental sciences and is driving towards a carbon-neutral campus by 2025.
It installed solar panels for some of its buildings and encouraged students to walk or ride bikes to school. An on-site natural gas plant provides energy to power labs in the university.
UC Berkeley’s vision for a carbon-neutral campus further ignited waste diversion programs, campus recycling, and sustainability research. Students can appreciate nature in the Eucalyptus Grove and the convergence of two branches of the Strawberry Creek watercourse.
Green Mountain College
Green Mountain College is the first college in the US to receive an EPA Energy Star Campus recognition. This eco-friendly institution aims to port over 100% renewable energy and become carbon-neutral by 2030.
Green Mountain projects include Cow Power – electricity powered by methane gas from cow dung, and Community Supported Agriculture. Its reputable biomass facility was designed and developed by students and graduates of the college.
It is one of the first US colleges to achieve climate neutrality and was named the 15th greenest US university by the 2017 Princeton Review. This green college also prides itself in hiking trails and a massive swimming hole on the Poultney River.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Massachusetts–Amherst is one of the US’s largest food-service providers committed to local, sustainable food sources. As a sustainability leader among university campuses, UMass Amherst is the first college to divest from direct fossil fuel holdings.
Some of UMass Amherst’s green projects include huge solar panel projects in New England, efficient recycling programs, and the School of Earth and Sustainability. This faculty is a full-fledged research hub for students and staff to study sustainability and environmental sciences.
Brown University
Built on several acres of green land, Brown University is not your regular urban campus but another US college committed to sustainability initiatives. It launched the ‘Brown is Green’ to reduce carbon emissions targeted at contributing to a greener life on campus.
BU has successfully reduced its carbon footprint from energy consumption to 24.7% below the levels in 2007. Students can enjoy the large expanse of green spaces linking the university’s two main campuses.
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill was recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects as one of the most beautifully landscaped areas in the US.
Sustainability projects like energy-efficient buildings, minimizing water usage, and eco-friendly transportation options are part of the college’s efforts to save the environment. The university also encourages students, staff, and the community to incorporate zero-carbon lifestyles.
Stanford University
Stanford has joined the league of universities to integrate green programs into its university experience. It’s listed in Princeton Review’s top 10 Green Colleges in 2017 and prides itself as one of the greenest aesthetically-appealing colleges in the country.
The university demolished the long-standing Meyer Library to initiate a landscaped open space for reading known as the Meyer Green.
Iowa State University
Iowa State University thrives on its Live Green initiative to make the campus and its students more green-conscious and energy-efficient. This initiative led to ISU’s insistence on sustainable infrastructure and active student and faculty participation in research.
ISU curriculum offers academic programs on sustainability as well as hands-on learning for students to practice energy efficiency beyond campus. Students can also take up opportunities for research, study abroad, volunteering, etc.
Conclusion
Green colleges are keen on innovative ways to preserve the environment. Students interested in sustainability and environmental science programs will get the best experience in these schools. Attending any of these green institutions will allow you to contribute your quota to sustainable living, and you’d graduate more green-conscious than ever.