Eastern Connecticut State University is one of the 353 most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States according to The Princeton Review’s 2015 Guide to Green Colleges. With its sustainability-focused academic offerings, energy efficient facilities, on-campus Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE), local/organic sourcing for 50 percent of its food budget and other “green” components, Eastern received a “green rating” of 88 from the Princeton Review.

In this sixth annual edition of the “green guide,” The Princeton Review chose schools based on data from a 2014 survey of 861 four-year colleges. The survey asked school administrators to report on their school’s sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. More than 25 data points were weighted in the assessment, earning schools a “green rating” between 60 and 99. Schools with green rating scores of 83 or higher made it into the guide.

“Eastern has a campus-wide commitment to sustainability that goes back nearly two decades,” said Mimi Cedrone, energy technical specialist at the ISE. “We have a Green Campus Committee that is dedicated to promoting sustainability on campus, and students, faculty and staff are regularly engaged in lowering energy use, reducing water waste and improving recycling.”

“We strongly recommend Eastern and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges,” said The Princeton Review’s Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher. Franek noted the growing interest The Princeton Review has seen among college-bound students in green colleges. “Among nearly 10,000 teens who participated in our 2015 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61percent told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college.”

According to Eastern’s profile on www.princetonreview.com, “Eastern seeks to create a campus-wide culture of sustainability, through green operational initiatives, green-minded education for first-year students, and majors in environmental earth science and sustainability energy studies.”

Eastern’s campus boasts four LEED-certified buildings, featuring daylight harvesting, a gray water system, recycled flooring, native plants and a biofilter system to reduce rainwater runoff. The ISE at Eastern addresses energy issues in the region by supporting the development of sound public energy policy, providing K–12 energy education and professional development, and solutions to community resource issues. 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 379 Colleges” and “Colleges That Pay You Back.”