For Third Year Straight, Princeton Review Names UC a Top Green School

From UC News:
For Third Year Straight, Princeton Review Names UC a Top Green School

In time for Earth Day, UC was named among the nation’s top green schools by The Princeton Review due to strong commitment to sustainability in academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. This is the third year straight that UC earned a spot on the prestigious list.


Date: 4/18/2012 12:00:00 AM
By: M.B. Reilly
Phone: (513) 556-1824
Photos By: Dottie Stover

UC ingot   Because of its strong commitment to sustainability, the University of Cincinnati has been named among the best “green” schools by The Princeton Review. 

UC is among a handful of Ohio schools named to “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.” Partnering with The Princeton Review on the guide was the U.S. Green Building Council.
UC boasts a bike share program.
UC's Bearcat Bike Share program allows the campus community to check out bikes for free.



UC’S GREEN HIGHLIGHTS
In the national “green” guide, UC was recognized for
  • Incorporating sustainability throughout university operations and classrooms.
  • Studying and conducting research on sustainability issues in an urban context.
  • Buildings that meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
  • UC is working to reduce its environmental footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral.

Specific innovations and achievements on the part of the university include'
  • A UC urban garden provides hands-on education in sustainable agriculture.
  • Food served in campus dining halls is purchased from a purveyor that works with local farmers whenever possible.
  • The Bearcat Bike Share program allows anyone with a university ID to check out a bike and use it for up to three days to travel around campus and community. This serves as a means for decreasing carbon emissions produced by automobile use.
  • Student volunteers work on recycling projects around campus, including the student-led recycling of 11 tons (22,000 pounds) of plastic, metal, glass and cardboard at UC’s 2011 sporting and other special events, completed with the help of vendors, athletes and fans. That’s about a ton more than was recycled in 2010.  In addition, recycling is available in all UC buildings.
    Recycling from Calhoun Hall
    Student Vishnu Suresh places recyclables from two floors in Calhoun Hall into a bin.


The 322 green-leading schools listed in the guide are not in hierarchical order. It is, instead, organized state-by-state and alphabetically.

Other Ohio schools named in the green guide are Case Western Reserve University, Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio University, Ohio State University, University of Dayton and University of Mount Union.

Other national schools named among the green elite include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University and Yale University.

“College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president, publishing, The Princeton Review. “Among 7,445 college applicants who participated in our spring 2012 ‘College Hopes & Worries Survey,’ nearly seven out of 10 (68 percent) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.”

Download The Princeton Review’s free Guide to 322 Green Colleges.

See other UC news related to Earth Day, including
  • Find out about more UC Earth Week events, including presentations, workshops and the planting of about 100 trees starting at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 22, on UC’s Victory Parkway campus, 2220 Victory Parkway, Walnut Hills. Those trees will be planted at the rear of the campus buildings. 
  • Green Promise: UC Team Seeking to Turn Fryer Fat to Fuel Competes in National EPA Event