Going Green | Think Green: Go to a Green College

Are you going to be entering college soon, or will you be sending your children to college soon? If so, and if you care about the environment, then why not look into the colleges that are going green and doing things to reduce their carbon emissions, those who promote reuse and recycling, and those who have retro-fitted their structures in order to save more energy.

Here are some of the greenest colleges in America, and what they are doing to be considered “green”:

University of California System – www.universityofcalifornia.edu
The University of California system, which is composed of 10 universities throughout California, have set some hefty goals for themselves, in order to be more green. They play to be able to produce more than 10 megawatts of renewable energy by the year 2014. They plan on boosting their use of zero-emission vehicles (as well as low-emission vehicles) by over 50% in the next 6 years. They also have the huge goal of being carbon-neutral and to produce zero waste by the year 2020.

Harvard University – www.harvard.edu
If you are shopping around for Ivy League schools, then Harvard would be a great choice because of the efforts they’ve already made to go green. They have converted trucks used by the school to be able to run on the vegetable oil that is no longer needed from the school’s dining commons. The school’s buildings have reduced their waste by more than 70% already. They also strive to use recycled paper and they also try to print on both sides of the paper whenever possible.

Duke University – www.duke.edu
Duke recently launched the Smart Home Dorm on their campus. The Smart Home Dorm features a green roof with living plants which will provide great insulation. It also features two different solar power systems. It also provides rain water collection systems. They also highly encourage the use of bikes rather than cars, and they buy renewable energy.

Berea College – www.berea.edu
Berea College, in Kentucky, houses a who Ecovillage that is a system of residential living areas on 5 acres. These housing units feature eco-friendly appliances, solar panels, a large amount of insulation, and wind-power. They also strive to reduce their water and energy usage by about 3/4ths, and to reduce their waste by about half.

Evergreen State College – www.evergreen.edu
Everygreen State College, in Olympia, Washington, is surrounded by nature, including a forest, woods, and even a saltwater beach. They have a more than 10 acre organic farm. They also have a green building, with a green roof. They buy 100% clean, renewable energy.