New Green College Ratings Website: GreenReportCard.org

Just a few years ago, finding information about sustainability at colleges across the U.S. and Canada was practically impossible.  Now, not only do we get green college rankings from sources like Forbes, Sierra Magazine, Grist and The Daily Green, we can also rely on The Princeton Review with their ‘Green Honor Roll’ as well as a new website, GreenReportCard.org.  Today’s college students have information at their fingertips that tells them how hard colleges and universities are working to be green.

The interactive College Sustainability Report Card at GreenReportCard.org is the first independent sustainability evaluation of campus operations and endowment investments, gathering information through research and surveys.  More than 300 schools have been rated.  Each is given a letter grade for overall ecological sustainability as well as letter grades in categories like ‘climate change and energy’, ‘green building’, ‘transportation’ and ‘investment priorities’.

When you type in the name of a participating university, you’ll see not just those letter grades but also an explanation for each.  For example, the University of Florida – Gainesville received an ‘A’ for food and recycling, and GreenReportCard.org explains:

UF purchases local dairy products and sources produce through two suppliers who, together, buy from 70 Florida farms. Organic, shade-grown coffee is purchased from a local roaster and dining services offers cage-free eggs and a variety of organic produce. Both dining halls use reusable china, and to-go containers are made from 100 percent sugarcane. UF initiated the Tail-gator recycling program for home game days in 2006.

Even better, you can compare schools to see how their efforts stack up.  It really puts power into students’ hands, and beyond that it helps motivate schools to work harder at being green.  The website is free and easy to use, and it even has a ‘get involved’ page where students can learn about how they can help their schools improve their green score.  Pretty awesome!

Link [GreenReportCard.org] via [ReadWriteWeb]

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Green College Spotlight: Wellesley College
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Green College Spotlight: Western Washington University
Green College Spotlight: Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont
Green College Spotlight: Dickinson College