University featured in Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

Monday, October 24, 2016

UNC Charlotte is listed in the seventh annual edition of Princeton Review’s “green guide,” which features the 361 most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation.

The University’s continued excellence as the region’s premiere urban research institution, its commitment to build all future building projects to LEED design standards and the successful implementation of a zero-waste initiative factored into this designation.

"We strongly recommend UNC Charlotte and the other fine colleges in this guide to the many environmentally minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges," said the Princeton Review's Robert Franek, senior VP/publisher. "Among more than 10,000 teens and parents who participated in our 2016 College Hopes and Worries Survey, 61 percent told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the college." 

Tyler Sytsma, the University’s sustainability coordinator, stated, “Many of our students come to college wanting to make a positive impact in the world, and it is our responsibility as a University to give them the tools and infrastructure they need to make that impact.”

UNC Charlotte continues to invest in projects that have a positive return socially, economically and environmentally. For example, the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) and the Sustainably Integrated Building and Sites Center are actively bringing together corporations, government agencies, students and the University to conduct research into improved energy and water use, air quality and productivity. Similar sustainability-focused impacts can be observed across the campus in numerous academic departments.

This Princeton Review distinction adds to the University’s growing list of sustainability achievements. The University recently joined the Green Sports Alliance to leverage sports to promote healthy and sustainable communities, and UNC Charlotte was recognized as the largest institution in the UNC system to reduce campus energy consumption by 30 percent.