In the past decade with the surge of popularity of hybrid cars, organic foods, and reusable shopping totes, the green movement has really taken off. Environmentally-friendly practices are the norm these days. Businesses are making it a point to become more green, whether through personal incentive or through legal obligation, and they are even using their environmental friendliness as a selling point for their brand and products. With so much change occurring to give businesses and homes everywhere an eco-conscious makeover, it was only a matter of time before universities began doing the same. Now, the green scene on university campuses has become a Keeping Up with the Joneses-style race to be the most energy efficient, waste reducing, recycling school in the country.
Many colleges have implemented the bare minimum of environmentally-friendly acts, such as placing recycling bins in convenient places around the campus and at the residence halls to reduce the amount of landfill-bound garbage hauled away each week. But some schools have gone above and beyond when it comes to being green. Such a school is the College of the Atlantic in Maine, where students must major in human ecology, which is the study of humanity’s relationship to its environment. It also is a zero emissions campus, which means that everything that produces carbon emissions is counteracted with something else that negates those emissions, such as planting a tree. The small school is also run entirely on hydropower and uses only sustainable produce when possible in its dining halls. The College of the Atlantic is also not the only school that has implemented extreme green measures. Middlebury College’s Franklin Environmental Center is a prime example of environmentally-friendly engineering at its best. The LEED Platinum-certified building is made entirely out of recycled or local materials, is fitted with energy efficient lights, and utilizes ground water for its cooling system, making it one of the most eco-friendly buildings in the nation.
Going green is a big selling point to potential students now, as many prospective students are searching not only for schools that provide the best academic programs, but also schools that can help them to make a difference in the world. Though it may seem like a small thing, being more environmentally friendly is a big deal in today’s society, especially as environmental agendas are being pushed to the forefront of politics. Schools can hardly afford not to go green when so many students are demanding it.
Leave Comments