SUNY New Paltz is once again listed among the most environmentally responsible colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, according to the latest edition of Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges.
The guide profiles institutions that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable practices and environmentally-conscious education in academic offerings, campus infrastructure, regional engagement and career preparation.
Princeton Review’s methodology evaluates campuses on a broad range of criteria, including school-reported data on topics like food sourcing, energy consumption, LEED certification and environmentally-focused curricula.
It also factors feedback from surveys of tens of thousands of students, with questions about how sustainability issues affect their educations and lives on campus.
Those same opinion surveys indicate that campus sustainability is an important factor for prospective students and families navigating the college decision process – Princeton Review reports that 63 percent of respondents said colleges’ commitment to the environment influenced their application and enrollment decisions.
SUNY New Paltz has scored a number of successes in areas of campus sustainability in recent years, including:
- The completion of a new, 217-kilowatt solar energy generation and storage system earlier this year, which not only enables the College to generate solar power, but also to store excess power for periods of peak usage or for emergencies;
- The renewal of the College’s STARS Silver rating for excellence in sustainability, placing it among the 255 best campuses in the country on environmental metrics;
- The creation of numerous sustainability opportunities for students, both in and out of the classroom, including the Sustainability Committee, the Environmental Studies Minor and a Sustainability Track in the School of Business’s Management degree program.
The complete Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges, including supplemental articles on methodology, programs and careers, is available online.
To learn more about Sustainability at SUNY New Paltz, please visit the Office of Campus Sustainability online.
