Stetson University Named Among Nation’s ‘Green’ Colleges
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Stetson University has been named to “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges” – a free online guidebook to U.S. universities and colleges with above average commitment to environmental and sustainability programs.
The guide, based on a survey of hundreds of colleges nationwide, profiles the nation’s most environmentally responsible campuses. It looks at an institution’s commitment to building certification using the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building certification program; environmental literacy programs; formal sustainability committees; use of renewable energy resources; recycling and conservation programs, and more.
Stetson, one of six schools in Florida named to the list, had the first LEED-certified green building in Florida – the Lynn Business Center. The guide recognizes Stetson’s commitment to LEED certification for new construction and renovations. The university’s new Rinker Environmental Learning Center, which features a rainwater collection system, recycled metal roofing and a geothermal heating system, is in the process of submitting for LEED certification.
The guide touts Stetson’s Environmental Responsibility Council and six-point plan to achieving the council’s mission “to function as a university in ways that will not compromise the lives of future human generations nor diminish the health of planetary ecosystems.” It highlights the university’s commitment to environmental education, environmentally responsible purchasing, efficient use and conservation of resources, minimization of solid waste and hazardous materials, and promotion of a green campus design that includes a native Florida landscaping policy.
“By landscaping exclusively with native plants, Stetson not only reinforces its natural heritage, but it cuts down on its use of fertilizers and pesticides, since indigenous plants require less maintenance when compared to traditional landscaping plants,” the guide said.
The Princeton Review released the guidebook just before Earth Day 2010 in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. The free guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/greenguide and www.usgbc.org/campus.
“Our research has shown that students and their parents are becoming more and more interested in learning about and attending universities and colleges that practice, teach and support environmental responsibility,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of The Princeton Review.
Inclusion in the guide was the second major environmental honor for Stetson in a week. On April 16, Stetson placed fifth in the nationwide RecycleMania competition, a 10-week recycling and waste reduction competition.
Post date: April 22, 2010
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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