For the second year in a row, FAMU has been selected by The Princeton Review for its list of the 322 top green campuses in the United States and Canada. FAMU is the only historically black college and university to be selected.According to The Princeton Review’s website, “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition” profiles the 322 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada that “demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.”
The fact that we’ve made the ‘green college’ list two years in a row reflects the hard work and dedication of FAMU students,” said Ryan Mitchell, senior environmental specialist in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety. “Our job in the department is to help the students achieve their goals.”
The Princeton Review, known for its education and test-preparation services, first created the “green schools” list in 2010 in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Of the 768 institutions that were examined, only 322 schools received scores of 83 or higher and thus were included in the list.
According to a news release from The Princeton Review, “College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president/publisher for The Princeton Review.
“Among 7,445 college applicants who participated in our 2012 'College Hopes & Worries Survey,' nearly seven out of ten (68 percent) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school. Together with USGBC, we are pleased to make this free resource available to all students seeking to attend colleges that practice, teach and support environmentally-responsible choices. To that end, we highly recommend the terrific schools in this book.”
FAMU was selected because of its dedication to sustainable practices, which include installing more energy-efficient lighting in campus buildings, updating the campus utilities plant, enhancing engineering controls to maximize efficiency and participating in RecycleMania.
A new unit on environmental education has been added to the campus-wide “Freshman Experience” course. Many faculty members are doing research related to sustainability as well as incorporating “green” themes into their classroom instruction.