Green Again

Millersville University has earned a spot in the “2015 Guide to the 353 Green Colleges” published by The Princeton Review.

“Millersville University is working hard to be a good steward of our environment — from joining the hundreds of universities across the nation who signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, to having a Center for Sustainability and our bike friendly campus,” said Dr. John Anderson, president of Millersville University. “We’re proud of what we’ve done and are pleased by the recognition from The Princeton Review. We will continue our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint in the years to come.”

This is Millersville University’s fifth year on the list of “green” colleges published by The Princeton Review. This year, Millersville University’s honored “green” facts include the campus shuttle service offered, the 25% of the food budget that goes towards locally grown and organic foods, the waste diversion rate of 26%, the sustainability-focused degree program available and more.

“Millersville University continues on its bold path toward carbon neutrality – it is a tall order, but we are poised and ready for the challenge,” said the director of the Center for Sustainability and chair of the Sustainability Committee, Dr. Nadine Garner. “An ever-expanding number of our courses, both in on-campus and study-abroad options, expose students to the impact that our daily actions have on the sustainability of our planet, society and economic conditions.”

The evaluation for “2015 Guide to the 353 Green Colleges” focuses on whether or not the students have a quality of life on campus that is both healthy and sustainable, how well a school is preparing students for employment in an increasingly green economy and how the policies of the school represent environmental responsibility.

“The campus itself is a microcosm of inspiration for students, preparing them to thrive as global citizens beyond its walls: the President’s Climate Commitment subcommittee, the Center for Sustainability, the Sustainability Committee, Dining Services and Facilities, regularly collaborate with one another to offer the campus community opportunities to actively participate in sustainability,” said Dr. Garner.

Millersville University and Slippery Rock University are the only PASSHE (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) schools represented in the 2015 list. In the Lancaster area, Franklin & Marshall College was also honored.

There were 861 colleges evaluated on various points of data including waste diversion rate, percentage of food budget spent on locally grown and organic foods, percentage of energy by renewable resources, whether or not there is a formal sustainability committee on campus and more. The 353 colleges named on the list have scored at least 83 out of 99 on the evaluation.

The “2015 Guide to 353 Green Colleges” selected schools based on a survey conducted in 2013-2014. It can be downloaded for free at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.