Niagara University is one of the 361 most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features NU in the 2016 edition of its free book, The Princeton Review Guide to 361 Green Colleges, which was released this month.
Niagara University and the University at Buffalo are the only institutions from Western New York to appear on the list.
The free, 160-page guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.
“We are extremely proud to be featured in this high-profile publication once again as it speaks to Niagara University’s ongoing campus-wide commitment to sustainability,” stated Dr. Mark Gallo, co-chair of Niagara’s Sustainability Committee. “The efforts of our students, faculty, staff and administrators to achieve the goals of the American College and University Presidents’ Commitment to Climate Change are quite commendable.”
The Princeton Review chose the schools for this seventh annual edition of its “green guide” based on data from the company’s 2015-16 survey of hundreds of four-year colleges concerning the schools’ commitments to the environment and sustainability.
“We strongly recommend Niagara University and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said Rob Franek, senior VP/publisher of The Princeton Review.
Franek noted the growing interest the company has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. “Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2016 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61 percent told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college.”
The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 361 Green Colleges provide information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body stats. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools with details on the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the school food budgets spent on local/organic food.
In the “Green Facts” section on Niagara, The Princeton Review cites the university’s new bike path and free campus shuttle, plus its commitment to 100 percent LEED-certified construction.
The Princeton Review first published this guide in 2010. It remains the only free, annually updated downloadable guide to green colleges. The company is also known for its dozens of categories of college rankings in its annual books, The Best 381 Colleges and Colleges That Pay You Back.
For more on Niagara University’s sustainability initiatives, please visit www.niagara.edu/green.
