Brown University, Dickinson College, Luther College, University of Minnesota and Oberlin College are the top ranking green colleges, according to a new survey from the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

They researched 300 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada in their 5th annual report card.

The focus is on policies and practices in nine main categories:

• Administration
• Climate Change & Energy
• Food & Recycling
• Green Building
• Student Involvement
• Transportation
• Endowment Transparency
• Investment Priorities
• Shareholder Engagement

A few key findings from the report include:

• 56% of the schools earned a grade of “B” or better.
• 49 % of schools report having endowment investments in renewable energy funds. An additional 43 % report exploring endowment investments in this area.
• 75%  of schools have full-time staff dedicated to sustainability.
• More than half the schools have committed to achieving carbon neutrality in the long term by signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.

For a complete school ranking, click here.

It is nice to see that colleges are rapidly gaining acceptance of social responsibility and are doing their share to reduce their carbon footprint. Our future leaders will learn best practices from their watching these institutions, which should help in the coming decade when these students set off in their real life experiences and bring these experiences to both the public and private sectors.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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Robert Piller, experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products. His web site includes a comprehensive advertising specialty search, featuring over 250,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find recyclable, biodegradable, organic or recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame. View the Go Green website at EcoMarketingSolutions.com and comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com.