Princeton Review Highlights University’s Green Initiatives for Sixth Time

The University of La Verne has earned a spot in Princeton Review’s annual Guide to Green Colleges for the sixth straight year.

The guide, released Oct. 6, profiles colleges with the most exceptional commitments to sustainability as evidenced by their academic offerings, campus policies, initiatives, and activities.

It includes 361 colleges and universities in the United States, 10 in Canada, and one in Egypt. The publication reports that a high percentage of teens say their college choices will be influenced by universities’ commitment to the environment.

Dr. Christine Broussard, professor of biology and co-chair of the Sustainable Campus Consortium – a group that promotes environmentalism on campus – applauded the recognition.

Princeton Review examined 2015-2016 survey data from 640 colleges. The survey asked college administrators about their sustainability related policies, practices, and programs. Universities earning scores of 80 or more from the survey made it into the guide. The University of La Verne received a green rating of 95.

The university has completed several green projects in the last year, converting to drought-tolerant plants and installing drip irrigation, LED lighting, and energy-efficient air conditioning and heating units.

Workers constructed the university’s new $16 million parking structure with sustainability in mind, crushing existing asphalt and reusing other on-site materials to maximize the use of recycled materials. Low-flow sprinkler heads, flow sensors, and smart irrigation controllers were installed to monitor and limit irrigation runoff.

The structure, which opened in August, has LED lighting throughout, electric vehicle charging stations and the university’s first solar array on the roof, which powers the structure, the Campus Safety & Transportation offices, Leo Park, and the surrounding surface parking lot.

University of La Verne’s Vista La Verne residence hall received a gold certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Engineering & Environmental Design (LEED) in 2013. The university joined the Billion Dollar Green Challenge that same year, establishing a $400,000 fund toward energy-saving measures on campus. And the university opened a community garden on Earth Day 2015.