The Princeton Review named Puget Sound one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada.
The results and honors were awarded based upon a fifty–question survey completed by school administrators. The data collected covered topics ranging from course offerings to campus infrastructure and career preparation services to measure a commitment to the environment.
“We are truly pleased to recommend University of Puget Sound, along with all of the fine schools in this book, to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices,” Robert Franek, publisher for The Princeton Review, said.
The guide specifically noted the Sustainability Advisory Committee. The group focuses on ways to reduce waste through recycling, composting and the sponsorship of zero-waste events like LogJam, the Lu’au and others. SAC began appointing “Green Advocates” to each residence hall, last fall, hoping to foster peer-to-peer education about sustainability.
The guide found that Puget Sound offered 98 courses with a focus on sustainability, and 307 that are sustainability related. It found that of the 34 academic departments, 32 offer at minimum one class connected to sustainability.
The guide book only included schools that received more than a pre-determined amount. The guide’s profiles feature facts and statistics on each school’s demographics, admission and financial aid data in addition to facts regarding sustainability.
The free guide, which is available for download on the Princeton Review’s website, writes that at Puget Sound “green isn’t just a color, but a way of life.”
A press release on the University’s website states, “The campus has involved students, staff, and faculty in sustainability on multiple fronts, ranging from what is taught in class, to travel and food programs, to recycling, to constructing environmentally certified buildings, to education events, to nationwide climate awareness programs.”
The Princeton Review created its “Guide to 322 Green Colleges” with the center for Green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council with support from United Technologies Corporation.