UO recognized as one of the greenest universities

University of Oregon

From having one of the oldest and most well-regarded environmental law programs to being the first university in the nation to offer a green chemistry curriculum, the University of Oregon strives for excellence when it comes to being environmentally conscious. Now, the UO is being recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the greenest colleges in the nation.

In no particular order, The Review created a “Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” which was composed based on a school’s environmental course offerings, activities, career preparation and campus infrastructure.

“We’ve teamed up with The Princeton Review for the fourth year running to bring today’s environmentally-minded students the ‘Guide to Green Colleges,’” said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council.

According to her, the book is the only free, comprehensive and annually updated book, and it can be downloaded for free on The Princeton Review’s website. The book comes with a glossary of more than 40 green terms and a report on every school’s accessibility — from renewable energy sources and the availability of environmental studies at a university to the recycling and conservation programs a university offers.

She says more than half of prospective students look for a college or university having a strong commitment to sustainability and green campus initiatives. This has been the fourth year that U.S. Green Building Council has partnered up with The Princeton Review to produce a list — it’s also been the fourth consecutive year the UO has made the list.

One of the conservation programs that you’ll see in the book from the UO is the Center of Advancement of Sustainable Living, a program that’s been at the university since 2003. The program is currently building a low-impact house that will be entirely self-sustainable. The project has been in the works for a while now, but the center looks to use this recognition as a boost for the coming years.

“What we do at CASL is really trying to capitalize on that energy,” Events and Communication Co-director Emilie Froh said. “We’re hoping for this to continue our legacy.”

Programs like CASL are humbled to be a part of UO’s consistent recognition of being a green university. But for them, it’s not about rankings.

“Whether it’s ranked on a list or not,” Froh said, “people go to UO for it’s reputation of being a really green university that focuses on sustainability issues. Students can see when a university shows true concern for the environment.”