UMass Amherst Makes Princeton Review’s Top ‘Green Colleges’ List For Seventh Consecutive Year
Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News and Media
The University of Massachusetts Amherst continues to be among the nation’s most environmentally responsible higher educational institutions, according to The Princeton Review’s 2023 Guide to Green Colleges.
For the seventh consecutive year, UMass Amherst has been recognized on the list, which this year profiles 455 green colleges. The Princeton Review chose the colleges and universities based on its 2021-22 sustainability survey created by a team of experts on green practices in higher education.
Survey topics ranged from academic offerings and campus initiatives to career preparation for green jobs.
More than 25 survey data points were analyzed by The Princeton Review editors to tally Green Rating scores for the schools on a scale of 60 to 99; UMass Amherst received a score of 97. Colleges that earned a Green Rating of 80 or higher made it into the guide.
“Since we debuted this project 13 years ago, we have seen an increasing interest among college applicants in attending colleges that are committed to the environment and to green practices,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review.
He noted that of the 10,400 college applicants participating in The Princeton Review’s 2022 College Hopes & Worries Survey, an overwhelming majority—77%—said information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend the school. Of that cohort, 37% said such information would contribute “strongly” or “very much” to their decision about a school.
Given UMass Amherst’s embrace of Mass Timber and woody biomass, both spelling disaster for our natural carbon capturing forests in these times of climate chaos, perhaps the campus is not all that deserving of some Green award. Add to that, the animal experiments PETA has been protesting for years now on campus which the administration continues to ignore. Green? We think not.