Environmentally Sustainable College

By Rachael Powles '22, December 14, 2021

Ithaca College named on Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges.

(Photo credit: Adam Baker)

Ithaca College has once again been named one of the most environmentally sustainable colleges in the United States, according to the Princeton Review’s annual “Guide to Green Colleges.”

“Our students, faculty and staff share a deep commitment to sustainability, and we are proud and honored to be recognized for it, yet again, by Princeton Review,” said Interim President La Jerne Terry Cornish. “Ithaca College’s vision is to be a global destination for bold thinkers who seek to build thriving communities. To realize this vision, we must not only model sustainability within our physical plant and teach it in our classrooms, but also fully embrace our responsibilities as a part of the fabric of our interconnected local, regional and global communities.”

“We certainly appreciate the recognition from the Princeton Green Review. It highlights the continued positive progress the campus is making towards our carbon neutrality goal, as further illustrated with reaching the 60% carbon-neutrality milestone with our FY 2020 Second Nature Carbon Footprint report. We look forward to continuing the positive momentum.”

Tim Carey, associate vice president of facilities at Ithaca College.

A total of 420 colleges and universities were selected for the 2022 list, with Ithaca College scoring 98 on a scale of 60 to 99 in terms of ability to provide students with a healthy, sustainable learning and living environment. Scoring also considers how prepared students are to live and work in a clean-energy economy and a changing climate, and the effectiveness of the environmental policies the school enforces. The rating utilizes data from IC’s most recent AASHE (Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) STARS report, dated Dec. 2019, when the school achieved gold status.

IC has taken numerous strides in sustainability in recent years. In accordance with the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, the campus is committed to being carbon neutral by 2050, and is on track to meet that goal early. The Peggy Ryan Williams Center, the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, the Athletics and Events Center and Classroom Link corridor have all received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications. In 2020, Ithaca College was ranked No. 8 on the Environment America Research & Policy Center’s “America’s Top Colleges for Renewable Energy” report for obtaining 109% of its energy from renewable sources.

“We certainly appreciate the recognition from the Princeton Green Review,” said Tim Carey, associate vice president of facilities at Ithaca College. “It highlights the continued positive progress the campus is making towards our carbon neutrality goal, as further illustrated with reaching the 60% carbon-neutrality milestone with our FY 2020 Second Nature Carbon Footprint report. We look forward to continuing the positive momentum.”