North Central among the most environmentally responsible colleges in North America

For the fourth consecutive year, North Central College has been included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges: 2014 Edition.”

With a rising interest among students in attending colleges that practice, teach and support environmentally responsible choices, the guide began publication in 2010 in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools.

The 2014 guide highlights the 332 campuses that offer a holistic approach to sustainable living, from purchasing and building guidelines to green academic programs and preparation for sustainable careers. Selected schools display a willingness to be accountable for their commitments to sustainability.

Among the initiatives at North Central College cited in the guide are the College’s robust alternative transportation program, fleet of two electric vehicles and dual electric vehicle charging station, bike-sharing program, LEED-certified Silver Residence Hall/Recreation Center, refillable bottle program, Community Garden Project, campus dining efforts that include donating used oil and grease to green diesel research, composting program, faculty-student research in the area of sustainability, student clubs, and Career Center assistance with locating green jobs.
 
Schools were chosen based on “Green Rating” scores tallied in 2013 for 832 schools and reported in summer 2013 in school profiles and college guidebooks. Scores, from 60 to 99, were tallied using data from a survey The Princeton Review conducts annually among hundreds of school administrators about their school’s environmental and sustainability policies, practices and academic offerings.
 
The schools featured in the “Guide to 332 Green Colleges” for 2014 earned scores of 83 or higher; North Central’s rating was 84. To view the list of 322 schools visit princetonreview.com/green-guide.

At North Central College’s Earth Day celebration on April 22, Jim Kleinwachter of The Conservation Foundation presented Heidi Goetsch ’14, Will Rotunno ’15 and Brittany Graham, sustainability coordinator, with a Conservation@Work program certification. It recognizes the College’s installation of permeable pavers and rain gardens for stormwater management and sustainable plantings used in landscaping.

Rotunno, a biology major and environmental studies minor, applied for the certification. After the presentation, members of the campus community helped plant new gardens around Oesterle Library (pictured) as part of a grant Goetsch received from the National Wildlife Federation.
 
At North Central College, sustainability is the collective effort of students, faculty, staff and visitors working toward the development of a socially just, environmentally responsible and economically functional campus community.