By Iris Stone
Published July 2020In this article, we examine best values in green colleges – colleges and universities who are at the forefront in environmentally sustainable practices.
In the past 30 years or so, many people have taken an interest in environmentalism and sustainability. This is in response to a flood of studies by scientists showing that climate change is a serious global issue. Information about the depleting ozone layer, melting ice caps, and our dwindling natural resources have encouraged many countries around the world to start taking action. Private corporations have gotten involved too, and we've all benefited from electric cars, solar panels, eco-friendly cleaning products, and more.
Most agree that there's still a lot of work to do in the United States before we can truly consider ourselves "green." Many U.S. universities have committed themselves to doing their part. Some schools in particular boast an impressive list of sustainable policies, student volunteer opportunities, and low-impact building practices that will appeal to environmentally-conscious students.
If you're getting ready to apply to college and consider environmental friendliness a priority, this list is a great place to start. Of course we always place emphasis on the schools the "best value," and so have considered their affordability when doing our research as well. The result is a list of the 30 Best Value Green Colleges in the United States.
Methodology
In short, we considered seven categories when ranking schools: Net Price; Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) Ranking; Number of "Green" Majors; Number of Research Centers and Institutes with a Sustainable Focus; "Green" Student Volunteer Opportunities; Outdoor/Nature-Focused Recreational Activities; and Quality/Quantity of Environmental Policies on Campus. For more information about the comprehensive methodology we used, click here. On our methodology page, you can also see a full list of the more than 300 schools we researched, as well as their scores.
In the mean time, read below to see the 30 highest scoring schools in our ranking. We start with #30 and leave you with the #1 school, and you'll notice along the way that we've included each institution's net price, total awarded points, and percent score for each institution.
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Featured Online Programs
Figuring out where to apply? These top, accredited schools offer a variety of online degrees. Consider one of these accredited programs, and discover their value today.
Sources:
College Navigator
STARS
College Stats
College XPress
Princeton Review 2014 Green Colleges Guide
Center for Green Schools
Princeton Review College Ratings Methodology
About the Author:
Iris Stone began her writing career when she started working as a freelance writer and researcher in 2011. Her freelance business soon took off and she now owns and operates a writing and editing firm that works with clients all across the country. Despite the time it takes to run a business she still does much of the writing herself, and her work has included a variety of content related to education policy, colleges and universities, academic programs, and graduates' careers. Her interests actually span far beyond writing, and she is currently studying to be a physicist! Check out her Google+ Profile.
