SUNY Oswego again recognized as 'green college'

SUNY Oswego is rated among the nation’s top “green colleges” again this year, Princeton Review announced in time for Earth Day 2015.

The Princeton Review college-ranking service recognized SUNY Oswego as one of the world’s 353 most environmentally responsible colleges in the sixth annual edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Colleges.”

The guide notes the presence on campus of facilities for bicycle commuters (bike storage, showers and lockers) and campus shuttle and car sharing services. It adds that Oswego has a formal sustainability committee, a sustainability office, a waste diversion rate of 19 percent and spends 13 percent of the college’s food budget on locally grown or organic products.

A charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, Oswego offers an academic program in sustainability studies and has designed all new facilities since 2005 to meet at least the silver rating of the U.S. Green Building Council standards of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

The college’s residential complex of buildings known as the Village achieved LEED Gold certification. The new Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation and Rice Creek Field Station facility are designed to a comparable standard.

The Princeton Review selected colleges based on a survey conducted in 2013-14 of 861 four-year colleges to measure the schools’ commitment to the environment and to sustainability. The survey included questions on course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.

Based on survey responses, the Princeton Review gave colleges “green rating” scores from 60 to 99. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment. Schools with green rating scores of 83 or higher made it into the guide to green colleges. Oswego scored 92 of the possible total of 99.

Rob Franek, Princeton Review’s senior vice president and publisher, noted that the survey findings indicate significant interest among college applicants in attending environmentally responsible colleges. “Among nearly 10,000 teens who participated in our 2015 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61 percent said having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school,” he said.

The free 218-page guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.