Green College Spotlight: College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine

Last year, Grist.org named College of the Atlantic it’s #1 greenest college in the nation, and it’s easy to see why.  Despite being a tiny school with just one major – human ecology – it’s a model for institutes of higher learning across America, with its progressive programs, innovative ideas and incredibly ambitious goals.  It was the first college in the U.S. to pledge carbon neutrality, and more than 270 other schools have followed its example.

Back in 2006, College of the Atlantic’s newly installed president, David F. Hales, announced the school’s intentions to cut back on their carbon footprint, stating at his inauguration, “Just as all greenhouse gas emissions adversely affect the atmosphere, all emission reductions benefit it,” Hales said in a statement. “What we put into the atmosphere in Maine can be offset by reducing emissions here and elsewhere, so that we are able to reduce our college’s negative global warming impact to zero.”

Considering that the school is dedicated to ecology, it’s no surprise that it’s often called ‘the greenest of them all’.  All 325(!) students are personally committed to making the college as green as possible, and not just by planting lots of trees. They actively work to reduce waste, maximize energy efficiency, use low fossil-fuel transport, eat local and organic and educate the public about sustainability.  A free bike program provides bicycles, helmets, lights and reflective vests to all students, faculty, staff and visitors, and the entire fleet is comprised of restored and repaired older bicycles.  The college’s small fleet of watercraft used in academic programs as well as for recreation run on ethanol. COA also operates an 81-acre farm called Beech Hill, which includes 5 acres of certified organic farmland, several acres of heirloom apple trees and 65 acres of forest.

Even the head custodian at COA is dedicated to environmental responsibility, making sure that all products used on campus are safe and natural.  Paper products are 100% recycled, low-VOC paints are used and even the brooms are made from dye-free corn fiber with removable bamboo handles.

College of the Atlantic has proven that even on a very small scale, it’s possible to achieve carbon neutrality by making smart decisions about even the littlest things in life.  It’s an example that all of us can follow, and clearly, they’ve already inspired many others.

Link [College of the Atlantic] + [Washington Post]

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