The Princeton Review released their Guide to 286 Green Colleges list last week in honor of Earth Day. NYU was among the colleges recognized for its work in sustainability.
According to David Soto, the director of college ratings at Princeton Review, the company created the list after receiving demands from students to create a rank of eco-friendly colleges.
"Two thirds of incoming college students wanted sustainability data on colleges and said it would have an effect on where they would attend," Soto said.
Every year, the Princeton Review surveys students and parents, and in 2008, it added the "green question." The company found that 63 percent of those surveyed said information about a school's commitment to the environment would influence their college selection process. After surveying 697 colleges, Princeton Review compiled a list of colleges that all received Green Ratings in the 80s or 90s.
The Green Rating is determined by three components: campus quality of life, student involvement in promoting a sustainable environment, and the environmental responsibility of campus policies.
For the 2009 academic year, NYU received a score of 96 out of 99 on the Green Rating, but Jeremy Friedman, the director of sustainability at NYU, said he questions the Princeton Review's methodology.
"The big picture is that there are many different systems of measuring sustainability and currently, no one leader has emerged," he said.
He added that he thinks an individual rating system should be used instead of a ranking system.
"A ranking system isn't as useful [as often portrayed]," he said. "If we want to track our progress over time, a rating system would serve us better."
But Soto thinks the list is beneficial.
"It motivates students, but also administrators to work toward sustainability," he said. "Most schools trumpet the fact that they are high on the list."
