The Princeton Review selects Richmond as 'green college' for sustainability initiatives

The Princeton Review has named the University of Richmond a “green” college for 2013. The college guidebook publisher annually recognizes colleges for environmental initiatives in construction, energy conservation and recycling.

Richmond has four LEED-certified buildings and a goal that all new campus buildings meet at least LEED silver standards. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system as a standard for environmentally friendly buildings.

To encourage students to conserve energy, monitoring systems in 14 residence halls allow residents to view their electricity usage in real time. The university diverted 1.4 million pounds of waste from landfills through reuse and recycling efforts and annually participates in the national RecycleMania competition.  In order to reduce single-occupancy vehicle travel, Richmond operates bus service to popular destinations around Richmond, provides free GRTC bus passes to students and employees and participates in Zipcar, an on-demand, car-sharing program located on campus.

Richmond also encourages sustainability through its academic program by offering a themed student residential community focused on the environment, an environmental law center, and geography and environmental studies majors.

Of more than 800 colleges examined, The Princeton Review selected 322 “green” colleges based on a survey completed by college administrators.

The guide is published in partnership with USGBC’s Center for Green Schools. It is free and downloadable online at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.

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