SUNY Geneseo named 2023 Green College by Princeton Review

On Oct. 25, SUNY Geneseo was named one of The Princeton Review’s 2023 Green Colleges. The Princeton Review is a nationally recognized authority on college rankings, and Geneseo has recently also received favorable ratings on education, community, and belonging. 

The Princeton Review released their list of Green Colleges based on a recent survey of over 700 colleges across the country. The survey included information about college policy, student opinion, and degree programs aimed at preparing students for an increasingly sustainability-focused workplace. 

According to Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review, in an Oct. 25 press release, “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.”

“Over the years, we have also seen a significant growth in the number of colleges pivoting to sustainability-related policies and programs,” Franek said. “We are proud to shine a light on these schools and to continue serving as a unique resource for students who want their ‘best-fit’ college to also ideally be a green one. We highly recommend each and every one of the colleges in our guide.

Of the 10,400 students that participated in the survey, 71% of them said that a college’s public commitment to sustainability and responsible emissions would affect their decision to attend the college. This has held true in Geneseo, with the college introducing the sustainability studies major at the start of the Fall 2021 semester due to increasing demand from students. Offering students a way to study sustainability and the opportunities stemming from the new field was a major component of The Princeton Review’s ranking system. Geneseo also received positive reports on food purchases, waste and trash removal, and the appointing of a sustainability administrator. 

According to The Princeton Review, 100% of colleges in the top fifty on the list of Green Colleges have a full-time sustainability officer, 98% offer a sustainability major program, and 48% of their total waste in the past year was diverted away from landfills and other harmful methods of disposal. Geneseo exhibits all of these qualities, with a composting program diverting food waste from dining halls and residential halls away from landfills and benefitting the e-garden, an off-grid education and research facility on campus focusing on renewable energy and sustainability studies. 

In addition to major programs and campus policy, Geneseo also received high marks on building energy certifications. According to the Geneseo website, six buildings on campus have received certifications at various levels from the US Green Building Council by incorporating energy conservation methods such as geothermal walls and rainwater collection. 

These conservation methods, as well as Geneseo’s course and major offerings, have earned Geneseo a spot on The Princeton Review’s Green College list 11 times. 

The Green Colleges list is available on The Princeton Review’s website, as well as a Green Colleges Honor Roll, consisting of the 31 schools that achieved a perfect score. On Geneseo’s page on the website, current and prospective students can view Geneseo’s ratings on academics, community, cost, and more.