Pushing Boundaries: CU Boulder 10th among public schools in sustainability ranking
CU Boulder recently landed the No. 25 spot overall, or the No. 10 spot among public institutions, in The Princeton Review’s list.
Max Robbins, a senior environmental science major (left) and Thrombin Atwell-Donaghey, a sophomore chemistry major from Boulder, tune a bike at the UMC Bike Station.
CU Boulder snow interns Katya Hafich, left, and Kendal Gotthelf work at the Mountain Research Station near Niwot Ridge in the Indian Peaks Mountain Wilderness area.
“The Princeton Review ranking is strong validation of the good work, past and present, on the CU Boulder campus,” says Heidi VanGenderen, newly hired Chief Sustainability Officer. “We look forward to that ranking improving in the coming years.”
Tallied in the summer of 2017, The Princeton Review chose the sustainability-focused institutions based on the schools’ scores on sustainability-related policies, practices and programs, in addition to student survey responses.
Student survey questions focused on key factors, according to The Princeton Review: whether 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 environmentally responsible a school's policies are.
“We know CU Boulder’s decades of ‘green’ leadership influence top students to come here and engage in campus sustainability-related actions,” says CU Environmental Center Director Dave Newport. “And campus leadership continues to strengthen its focus on long-term sustainability, which will further enhance student achievement on campus and in their careers.”
The ranking represents CU Boulder’s half-century history of leadership in sustainability, a legacy that includes highly cited climate and energy research, increasing interdisciplinary environmental studies offerings and innovative green practices that impact campus operations and the larger world.
Examples of the countless sustainability-focused pursuits and initiatives led by CU Boulder include:
- A fan-focused zero-waste athletics program
- Research to develop a low-cost material that can cool roofs and structures with zero energy consumption
- The use of steam to control weeds in campus landscape beds
- Campus xeriscapes and pollinator garden installations
Visit the campus sustainability site for more information.
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