By Lauren DiTullio, News Staff
The latest College Sustainability Report Card, which provides sustainability profiles of hundreds of colleges in the US and Canada, recognized Northeastern’s latest efforts to become a greener institution. Northeastern was given an A-, an upgrade from last year’s B+ in the survey, released yesterday.
Sustainability Manager Carol Rosskam attributed the higher grade to environmentally sustainable improvements at the university which were already underway last year, but incomplete at the time of the survey. For example, International Village (INV) received its Green Restaurants certification for the dining hall, Jamba Juice and Peet’s Coffee & Tea after the survey deadline in September.
Northeastern reported data more thoughtfully and thoroughly than in years past, Rosskam said.
“There were about 150 questions that we had to respond to,” Rosskam said. “It was our whole summer. We didn’t take any vacations, that’s for sure. The A- grade really shows how many people are involved and do different things to advance our sustainability work.”
The Report Card rates colleges based on nine criteria, including administrative efforts to improve sustainability, climate change and energy, and green building. They also consider food and recycling, a category in which Northeastern received an A. The individual grades on these nine components are averaged to find the overall grade.
Rosskam expressed pride in the university’s B in endowment transparency, up from the F Northeastern received last year.
“Part of it is that we are really working hard on our tracking system to make it more comprehensive and to expand it, so we were able to do a little more explanation of where the funds go,” Rosskam said.
However, the university received a B in student involvement, consistent with last year, whereas Rosskam had hoped the grade would be higher.
“There’s always work to do, and always room for improvement,” she said. “But it’s nice to be acknowledged for what we’re doing and what we have done.”
The Princeton Review also honored Northeastern this year as one of only 18 colleges to make its 2011 Green Honor Roll. The company surveyed 703 schools.
Students expressed enthusiasm at Northeastern’s efforts to go green.
“I think the little things help the most to spread awareness,” said sophomore English major Duke Harten. “Like the compost garbage cans and the coffee cups in International Village. It helps spread environmental awareness through unavoidable activities, like eating.”
Sean Reilly, a middler business major, said being sustainable makes a college attractive to both prospective and current students.
“I think it’s important that a university be headed in some sort of direction,” he said. “The whole country’s getting going on this whole green movement, and if your school isn’t doing it, I think it reflects poorly on their initiative.”
However, Reilly said he was not aware of the extent to which Northeastern has been honored for its achievements.
“I think they could do better publicizing,” he said.
Rosskam said she has high hopes for the future, and hopes that in the coming years Northeastern will receive an A.
“If we can all come together more as a community and promote sustainability in every aspect of our lives,” she said. “Then that’s really a big step forward.”
