A student waters one of the 50 raised beds at Susquehanna’s Campus Garden, which harvests hundreds of pounds of produce a year for local nonprofit organizations. Behind her is Susquehanna’s solar array, the largest university-spondored array in Pennsylvania.Susquehanna University is one of the nation’s 399 most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review.
Susquehanna is featured in the 2018 edition of The Princeton Review Guide to 399 Green Colleges. The ranking can be accessed here.
The Princeton Review chose the schools for its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2017-18 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.
“We are honored to be recognized for the strides we’ve made in our ongoing sustainability efforts,” said Kathy Straub, professor and chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and director of the Center for Environmental Education and Research.
“From our solar array to student-first learning opportunities like our campus garden and Beekeeping Club, our commitment to environmental stewardship is stronger than ever and will only continue to grow.”
This is the fourth environmental recognition bestowed upon Susquehanna this year. The university was also:
- Awarded a bronze certification by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.
- The first university in Pennsylvania to be certified as an affiliate of Bee Campus USA.
- Named among the Sierra Club’s Cool Schools, marking the university’s first appearance in the “green” ranking.
“We recommend Susquehanna and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief, The Princeton Review.
College applicants and their parents are increasingly concerned about the environment and sustainability issues, said Madeleine Rhyneer, Susquehanna’s vice president for enrollment and student financial services. Among nearly 11,000 teens and parents The Princeton Review surveyed earlier this year for its 2018 “College Hopes & Worries Survey,” 63 percent said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school, Franek said.
