BEREA, Ky. — Berea College is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review, the education services company that just published the 2019 edition of its Guide to Green Colleges.
Known as a leader in turning the Bluegrass state “green,” Berea College, is one of 413 schools profiled in the new guide, which can be accessed at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.
The guide is based on a survey the company conducted in 2018–19 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges about their institutions’ commitments to the environment and sustainability. The guide states, “Berea College is a model for sustainability in higher education for the Appalachian region and beyond.”
Berea College is home to the world’s first Living Building-certified student residence hall, which is the only building in Kentucky that meets the rigorous Living Building Challenge green standards. Berea’s Deep Green residence hall earned Living Building Challenge Petal Certification, meeting all imperatives in four of the petals the College hoped to achieve. Berea College also has Kentucky’s first LEED-certified building (Lincoln Hall), first gold LEED-certified hotel (Boone Tavern) and first Ecovillage. College operations also meet high “green” standards with certified organic produce and meat from Berea’s Farm served in Dining Services and Boone Tavern, and sold to the public at the Berea College Farm Store. The College composts food wastes, uses solar energy in several buildings, operates campus-wide recycling and participates in other sustainable practices.
“Sustainable living has been embraced by students, faculty and staff throughout Berea’s history,” said Joan Pauly, sustainability coordinator at Berea College. “It is part of our very DNA. When you consider the environmental, social and economic impact of every decision, you can achieve great things. Berea College is honored to be recognized once again this year for our achievements in The Princeton Review’s for Guide Green Colleges.”
“We salute—and strongly recommend—Berea College to the many environmentally-minded students who want to study and live at a green college,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review‘s editor-in-chief.
Franek noted that college applicants and their parents are increasingly concerned about the environment and sustainability issues. Among the 11,900 teens and parents The Princeton Review surveyed earlier this year, 64% said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.
The profiles in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges, which began publishing its annual green guide of colleges in 2010, provide information about admission requirements, cost and financial aid, and student body demographics. They also include “Green Facts” about the schools, with details on such matters as the availability of transportation alternatives at the schools and the percentage of the schools’ food budgets spent on local/organic food.
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