Princeton Review Names SU Among Nation's 'Greenest' Colleges for Seventh Year

SALISBURY, MD---For the seventh consecutive year, The Princeton Review, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), has named Salisbury University one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges.

The University is featured in the Guide to 361 Green Colleges, which highlights impressive environmental and sustainability programs at campuses throughout the United States and select institutions in Canada.

Examples of sustainability at SU are featured throughout the downloadable book. They include the University’s Teaching Sustainability Workshop Series, exploring how faculty can build sustainability into their curricula, and SU’s online ride sharing program.

The publication includes a Q&A with Wayne Shelton, Salisbury’s director of campus sustainability and environmental safety, on the SU Green Fund, a student-supported initiative that pays for implementation of student-led sustainable ideas on campus. Recent examples have included a native species garden and a specially designed picnic table with solar-powered lights and outlets for charging devices. The guide also features a photo of the installation of the innovative green roof that crowns the University’s new Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons.

The guide is based on a survey of hundreds of colleges nationwide. Questions explore institutional commitment to areas including LEED building certifications, environmental studies programs, alternative transportation, recycling and conservation programs, and more.

The 361 colleges in the guide were selected based on “green rating” scores from summer online profiles and annual guidebooks.

SU has a long history of sustainable efforts. In 2008, SU’s Conway Hall (formerly the Teacher Education and Technology Center) became the first LEED-certified new construction project on the Eastern Shore, earning Silver status. Since then, ten other new or renovated campus buildings have earned LEED Gold or Silver certification, including Perdue Hall, Sea Gull Square, and Pocomoke, Wicomico, Manokin, Sea Gull Stadium, Guerrieri Academic Commons, Nanticoke, Chester and Choptank residence halls.

SU is home to what are believed to have been the Eastern Shore’s first public electric vehicle charging stations. Other alternative transportation initiatives include a bicycle-friendly campus, complete with “Fixit” stations and bike storage buildings for residents, and a bike lane that leads from the University to downtown Salisbury.

Offering an environmental studies major and minor, the Environmental Studies Department features award-winning faculty and staff, including renowned environmentalist and author Tom Horton, who is mentioned and pictured in the Princeton Review’s guide.

Other initiatives include a new bike share program, unveiled this semester. A trayless dining hall and a Dining Services initiative to defer food waste from local landfills. The partnership has helped SU realize a total campus recycling rate of more than 50 percent — and growing — since 2013.

To download the Guide to 361 Green Colleges visit www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/green-guide. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit www.salisbury.edu.