Springfield, Ohio – For the second time in three years, Wittenberg University has been named as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada in the recently released edition of The Princeton Review Guide to 353 Green Colleges.
The Princeton Review chose the schools for this sixth annual edition of its "green guide" based on data from the company's 2014 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools' commitments to the environment and sustainability.
The guide was published April 16, just days before the 2015 celebration of Earth Day. The free, 218-page guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.
“Wittenberg University aims to shape its students into concerned, conscientious and responsible global citizens,” reads the Wittenberg entry in the guide. “Fortunately, the administration realizes that, in order to accomplish this feat, it must set a strong example. To that end, the university has certainly picked up the “green” torch and has begun implementing some commendable environmental policies.”
"We strongly recommend Wittenberg and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges," said The Princeton Review's Robert Franek, Senior VP-Publisher.
Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. "Among nearly 10,000 teens who participated in our 2015 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61% told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college." (A complete report on that survey is at www.princetonreview.com/college-hopes-worries.)
The profiles in The Princeton Review's Guide to 353 Green Colleges provide information about each school's admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include "Green Facts" about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.
Wittenberg’s dedication to sustainability is evident through work done by the Sustainability Task Force, in addition to the administration’s commitment to reduce electricity consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020 and pursue LEED certification for all new construction and renovations, which began with the opening of Blair Hall in August 2010. Additionally, considerable sustainability-focused work has been done across campus in the past year through curriculum focused on environmental sustainability, waste diversion efforts, the light bulb exchange program and updates to the Eco-House, Hagen Center internships, the food co-op, residence hall energy conservation competitions, and more.
The Princeton Review first published this guide in 2010. It remains the only free, annually updated downloadable guide to green colleges. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 379 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, Mass. The company offers test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc.
