Goucher College once again was included in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2014 Edition for “establishing itself as a capital of sustainability.” The guidebook, published in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, profiles 330 schools in the United States and two in Canada that demonstrate exemplary commitments to sustainability in their academics, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation.
The guide was compiled using data that were solicited from hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The survey asked administrators about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs.
Each college is given a “Green Rating,” a numerical score from 60 to 99 that is based on several data points, including percentage of food expenditures on local and organic food, waste diversion rates, environmental literacy requirements, and sustainable transportation options. The colleges profiled in the guide received scores in the 83rd percentile or higher; however, this year’s guide does not list individual institutions’ green ratings.
Goucher was cited for:
- Conducting comprehensive inventories of all greenhouse gas emissions on campus
- Implementing an institutional action plan to combat its carbon footprint and become climate neutral
- Spending 22 percent of its food budget on local/organic food
- Offering transportation alternatives, such as carpool systems and free bus services
- Purchasing 100 percent of the school’s energy from renewable resources
- Maintaining 100 percent of the grounds organically
- Having an interdisciplinary environmental studies major
- Providing guidance on green careers and internships
- Making environmental sustainability a core educational requirement
The college was praised for its policy requiring that all new buildings and renovations of existing ones be certified at least at the Silver level under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green-Building Rating System. Goucher’s Athenaeum is the campus’s first LEED Gold-certified building.
The Goucher Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council’s (GESAC) Climate Action Plan, written with the assistance of Environment Healthy and Engineering Inc., were also mentioned. EH&E is a Massachusetts-based environmental and engineering consulting firm.
To review Goucher’s complete profile in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2014 Edition, click here.