Goucher College was included in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition for”establishing itself as a capital of sustainability.”
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 more than 50 questions about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs. Each college was 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.
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
- Developing a climate action plan, completed in spring 2011
- Spending 30 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
- Using cleaning products that are 90-95 percent green-certified
- Maintaining 90-95 percent of the grounds organically
- Having an environmental studies major
- 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) efforts in helping the college fulfill its requirements under the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment were also mentioned. The group advises the president and administration on environmental issues and policies raised by members of the Goucher community.
To see Goucher’s profile in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition, please click here.