SC Included in 'Princeton Review' Green Guidebook

“The Princeton Review,” in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has released the third annual edition of its free guidebook saluting the nation's most environmentally responsible "green colleges." 

Southwestern College is included in the publication.

“We are excited to be consistently recognized for our sustainability efforts,” says Jason Speegle, director of Green Team Southwestern.  “We are continuously building on the concept of sustainability and slowly changing the culture of Southwestern to one that is more environmentally conscientious.”

“The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition" profiles 322 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation. The 232-page book—the only free, comprehensive, annually updated guide to green colleges—can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide. 

The Princeton Review chose the 322 schools based on a survey it conducted in 2011 of hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and Canada to tally its annual "Green Rating" scores (scaled from 60 to 99) of colleges for its school profiles in its college guidebooks and website. The survey asks administrators more than 50 questions about their institution's sustainability-related policies, practices, and programs.  The company tallied Green Ratings for 768 institutions in summer 2011.  The 322 schools in the guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment.

The guide was developed with support from United Technologies Corp (www.utc.com), founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools. “The Princeton Review,” well known for its education and test-prep services, first created this one-of-a-kind resource for college-bound students in 2010 in collaboration with USGBC, which is best-known for developing the LEED green building rating system. In 2010, USGBC launched its Center for Green Schools (www.centerforgreenschools.org) to increase its efforts to drive change in how campuses and schools are designed, constructed and operated so that all educational facilities can enhance student learning experiences.