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Week of 4.10.09

How Green is Your College?

Have you or someone you know recently decided on a college for the fall? After checking out your college's Sustainability Report Card, you may want to think again.

students gardening The College Sustainability Report Card grades 300 schools with the largest endowments in the U.S and Canada on their environmental practices.

Universities are judged by their policies across nine main categories: Administration, Climate Change and Energy, Endowment Transparency, Food and Recycling, Green Building, Investment Priorities, Shareholder Engagement, Student Involvement, and Transportation.

Key findings from the 2009 Report Card show:

  • Two out of three schools improved their grades from last year's Report Card.

  • More than half of universities have green building projects.

  • An increase in efficient transportation activity—66% of schools have a fleet of hybrid or electric vehicles available to students, while 35% offer a car-sharing program for students to commute or get around campus

  • A disappointing 57% of universities received an "F" in the Shareholder Engagement and Endowment Transparency categories.

  • The average overall grade for all participating universities across the nine categories was a B-.

The Report Card provides a useful tool where users can compare their school's report card from previous years as well as compare it to other participating universities.

Also, users can search for schools on a number of criteria including:

Colleges with the best Report Cards

Ivy League universities

Schools with a community garden

Schools with car sharing available

Colleges with green dorms

 
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