Cortland listed on 2022 “Guide to Green Colleges”

12/07/2021 

SUNY Cortland has again been recognized as one of the most sustainable campuses in the country by a major national publication.

The Princeton Review has listed Cortland on its “Guide to Green Colleges: 2022 Edition” for the second consecutive year.

Cortland scored at 96 points out of a possible 99 on The Princeton Review’s green rating scale, which measures whether students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable. It assesses how well a school prepares students for employment in a clean energy economy and how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are.

The Princeton Review award is just the university’s latest national recognition for sustainability.

Sierra magazine has ranked SUNY Cortland among the top 100 colleges and universities in the nation for sustainability for six consecutive years. Cortland was the highest-ranked SUNY comprehensive college on Sierra’s “Cool Schools” list in 2021.

SUNY Cortland has received back-to-back gold ratings in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). This standard measure an institution’s commitment to sustainability through academics, engagement, operations, planning and leadership. The gold rating places Cortland among the top 3% of all higher education institutions in the nation.

In 2013, Cortland became the first in the 64-campus SUNY system to operate all of its facilities using 100% renewable electricity. A portion of the university’s power is generated on site by 3,863 solar panels. The remaining electricity used by the campus is offset by the purchase of renewable energy certificates representing sustainable energy produced elsewhere and added into the general electric grid.

When Dragon Hall opened in 2014, it was the first college residential housing structure in New York state to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the platinum level. The certification is built on rating systems that measure a building’s sustainability through its design, construction, operation and maintenance.

The Green Rep program at Cortland uses student educators to help promote a more sustainable lifestyle across campus. A Green Ambassadors program for faculty and staff connects employees on how they can create and discuss solutions to sustainability in their lives and among their colleagues, both at work and at home.

This year, the campus began using sheep to control grass and weeds around campus solar panels and began work on an edible forest on the grassy slope between SUNY Cortland’s Memorial Library and Van Hoesen Hall.

Last week, members of the campus community were encouraged to participate in a sustainability survey to help the institution assess its progress and focus its efforts. You can take the online survey here. 

SUNY Cortland also offers several academic majors, minors and concentrations to help prepare students for eco-friendly careers after graduation. More information about sustainability-related coursework is available online.

Visit the Sustainability Office’s website to learn more about SUNY Cortland’s programs and resources.