Sierra Magazine, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, today released its tenth annual “Cool Schools” ranking of America’s greenest colleges and universities. Harvard was ranked 19th among the more than 200 schools that participated in Sierra’s extensive survey about sustainability practices on their campus. Using an updated, customized scoring system, Sierra’s researchers ranked each university based on its demonstrated commitment to upholding high environmental standards.
“This year is the tenth anniversary of the Cool Schools ranking and we are thrilled to name Harvard University one of the greenest campus in the country,” said Jason Mark, Sierra’s editor in chief. “Harvard is a great example of how schools can make sustainability a key part of their mission.”
This year, questions having to do with energy and transportation carry more weight than ever before—a reflection of the fact that global climate change is the most pressing environmental threat today. Sierra recognized Harvard for achieving over 100 LEED certified buildings, running shuttle buses on biodiesel since 2004, and the 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emission since 2006, the equivalent of sidelining 12,000 cars each year.
“I’m so inspired to see the incredible progress that colleges and universities are making when it comes to environmental sustainability,” says Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club.
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