by Shane Henson — August 26, 2011—Sierra magazine recently announced the fifth annual ranking of “America’s Coolest Schools,” a salute to the efforts of U.S. colleges that help solve climate issues and operate sustainably. The cover feature spotlights the schools that are making a difference for the planet, from UC Irvine’s energy efficiency standards to Green Mountain College sourcing nearly half of its energy from cow manure.
This year’s top schools prove that schools of all sizes—the University of Washington has 40,000 students, while College of the Atlantic has 321—are taking dramatic action to help preserve the planet and its resources.
Sierra magazine’s top 20 schools of 2011 are:
- University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
- Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT)
- University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA)
- Warren Wilson College (Asheville, NC)
- Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
- University of California, Irvine (Irvine, CA)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
- University of California, Davis (Davis, CA)
- Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA)
- Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)
- University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)
- Appalachian State University (Boone, NC)
- Colby College (Waterville, ME)
- Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA)
- University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
- University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT)
- Clark University (Worcester, MA)
- Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
- Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
- University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Facilities personnel working at these and other colleges and universities with a commitment to sustainability play a large role in making their schools as green as possible—from selecting the most sustainable products to buy, be they toilet tissue or computer desks, to helping create and implement energy management practices.
