Colleges Go Green

Many schools are blazing an exciting eco-friendly trail.

Read more about green colleges, and vote for the greenest college and the greenest university.

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harvard university campus, students on a bicycle

Photo: Justin Ide / Harvard News Office

By Brian Clark Howard

If you or your children are considering higher education, it doesn't hurt to give a thought to the environmental responsibility of the schools you apply to. The good news is many colleges and universities are on the cutting edge of the sustainability movement, powered by widespread support and interest from caring students.

Colleges were some of the first places to widely adopt recycling, and today many institutions take back everything from paper to batteries, electronics and more. Some even have "free stores" where students can swap gently used items, promoting reuse. Green building is proving popular on many campuses, where new or retrofitted structures not only enjoy lower energy and water bills, but also serve as showcases for inquisitive young minds.

Schools like College of the Atlantic, Duke, Harvard, Berea College, Warren Wilson, Oberlin and Middlebury are slashing (and offsetting) their sizable carbon footprints, serving local, organic fare in cafeterias, promoting biking and walkability, using non-toxic materials, cutting out waste and much more.

Most colleges these days provide information on their environmental initiatives on their websites. Also check out TDG's list of the 10 greenest colleges in America (luckily the trend is also spreading overseas).

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