For many years early settlers of America went west seeking opportunities and Sierra’s 2011 list of green schools once again points west. According to Sierra magazine’s fifth-annual ranking of the nation’s “Coolest” schools, some of the most eco-conscious colleges are out West.
Sierra’s list indicates that many of the greenest schools in America are located on the West Coast (7 out of the top 10). The University of California has an astounding four schools in the top 10.
Due in part to the fact that they do not get any of their energy from coal, the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle was ranked as the best school overall. Hydropower provides 90 percent of the energy at UW. All of UW’s building constructed after 2006 are LEED Certified, all new appliance purchases are Energy-Star rated, and recycling is everywhere.
A special mention goes to number 9 ranked schoool, Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington, which plans to go carbon neutral by 2020.
Sierra’s rating system has nine categories: energy, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration, and financial investment, as well as a tenth miscellaneous category.
Here is the list of the top 20 green schools, as ranked by Sierra magazine:
1. University of Washington (Seattle, Wash.)
2. Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vt.)
3. University of California, San Diego (San Diego, Calif.)
4. Warren Wilson College (Asheville, N.C.)
5. Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)
6. University of California, Irvine (Irvine, Calif.)
7. University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
8. University of California, Davis (Davis, Calif.)
9. Evergreen State College (Olympia, Wash.)
10. Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.)
11. University of New Hampshire
12. Appalachian State University
13. Colby College
14. Western Washington University
15. University of California, Los Angeles
16. University of Connecticut
17. Clark University
18. Cornell University
19. Bowdoin College
20. University of Maryland
To see where your school ranked, go to Sierra’s list of Cool Schools.
© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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