By Amanda Cedrone, News Staff
Northeastern made the Princeton Review’s list of the 18 greenest schools in the country with a perfect score on the Green Honor Roll, and officials said they plan to continue sustainability development in the fall.
Northeastern was one of 703 schools that participated in the survey for the Princeton Review’s 2011 edition of its college guide. The top schools were chosen based on their environmentally related practices, policies and academic offerings. Other schools that made the list include Harvard College, University of California Berkley and Yale University.
“Our successes in energy conservation and efficiency for more than 20 years demonstrate our long-term commitment – both at a policy, implementation and staff level,” said Carol Rosskam, sustainability program manager at Northeastern. “Northeastern’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions started before the current wave of interest in this area amongst colleges and universities – we will continue our work in this area.”
Northeastern continues to implement innovative green policies throughout campus at a time when the environment has become a hot button issue. The university has made strides in the dining hall, including International Village, which is known for its decreased carbon footprint and earning a Green Restaurant certification.
Dining Services’ compost program was also recognized in the review. The program, which was previously known as Project Clean Plate, generates 594 tons of composted kitchen and dining hall waste every year that would have otherwise served no purpose, Rosskam said. The program recently introduced a new component to the program where students work at the tray returns and encourage their peers to put excess food in the compost bin.
The dining halls also sources produce from twenty local providers, and have further expanded their vegetarian, vegan and organic options.
“Health, educational and learning initiatives have also been implemented such as use of zero trans fat cooking oil, recycling 100% or 195 tons annually of all dining service and food related cardboard, and the use of recyclable bottles and cans,” said Rosskam.
Over eight percent of the buildings under the university’s control have been gold certified under the US Green Council’s rating system and any building renovations made to buildings greater than 50,000 square feet must be at least silver certified.
Students said they are only slightly aware of the major efforts on the part of the university.
“I’ve seen more recycling containers and the compost bin in the cafeteria,” said Kayleigh Rowan, a junior chemistry major.
The university will also host a series of sustainability days in the fall, which will consist of environmentally-driven student group information sessions, panel discussions and screenings on the topic of sustainability. The campus bookstore introduced a line of fair-trade, organic women’s clothing last week and new recycling bins were placed in the Curry Student Center.
Will Pett, Student Government Association vice president of student services, said he thinks Northeastern deserves its ranking. He noted Recyclemania, a 10-week long student program that emphasizes recycling, and renovations to labs in the Egan Research Center as just a few of the many environmentally friendly practices taking place on campus.
“Northeastern has worked hard to become one of the greenest schools in the nation,” Pett said. “The renovations to Egan] were an $800,000 project that will save $800,000 a year. The renewable energy fund, which is a fund that students have the choice to donate to as a part of their tuition, is another beneficial program said Pett. Bolocco and Northeastern have donated to the fund, bringing it to approximately $10,000, a sum which SGA expects to see continue to grow.
Areas that the university could improve upon are better coordination across the university about sustainability initiatives underway, more outreach to students about what the university is doing, and better tracking and measuring of green practices, Rosskam said. Students said they liked that Northeastern was part of the green movement, and they take measures to be green outside of school as well.
“[Greener practices] are definitely important for the way students view going green. I recycle, and keep the lights off in the house,” said Bob Mandanas, a senior sociology major. “I contribute.”
