GMC Earns Perfect Environmental Rating in Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges

POULTNEY, Vt., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Green Mountain College continues to earn accolades as one of the greenest colleges in the country. GMC received a perfect "99" green rating in the 2013 edition of The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges released today.

Created by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Guide to 322 Green Colleges is a comprehensive guidebook profiling higher education institutions that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.

Green Mountain was cited for excellence in academic programming and a strong commitment to social and environmental sustainability. "'Going green' is more than a catchphrase at Green Mountain College-it's a raison d'etre," states the guide. "In 2012 the college approved a strategic plan Sustainability 2020 which challenges GMC to meet all of its energy needs with 100 percent renewable energy by 2020."

The 2013 edition includes schools across the nation which earned scores of 83 or higher. Green Mountain College was the only Vermont college or university to achieve a top score of 99.

School profiles in the guide feature essential information for college applicants – facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid – plus write-ups on the schools' specific sustainability initiatives.  A "Green Facts" sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school's use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.

Robert Franek, senior vice-president of The Princeton Review, "We are truly pleased to recommend GMC along with all of the fine schools in this book to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices."

Franek noted his company's recent survey findings indicating significant interest among college applicants in attending "green" colleges. "Among 9,955 college applicants who participated in our 2013 'College Hopes & Worries Survey,' 62 percent said having information about a school's commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school," he said. 

Founded in 1834, Green Mountain College is a private, four-year liberal arts institution that takes the environment as a unifying theme across the curriculum. The College now offers 25 academic majors and three online graduate degree programs.

SOURCE Green Mountain College