Sierra Magazine Releases “Coolest Schools” List for 2012

This week, SIERRA magazine released its 6th annual ranking of the nation’s “Coolest Schools,” a salute to U.S. colleges that are helping solve climate problems and making significant efforts to operate sustainably.

While researching the schools that are making a difference for the planet, SIERRA found common among the top 10 major actions taken toward improving sustainability across many realms, including energy sourcing, infrastructure, transportation, and academics. In addition, substantial efforts are being made to meticulously quantify their efforts to attain their environmental goals.

SIERRA magazine’s top 10 schools of 2012 are:

 

1.    University of California, Davis (Davis, CA)

2.    Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)

3.    Stanford University (Stanford, CA)

4.    University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

5.    University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT)

6.    University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)

7.    Duke University (Durham, NC)

8.    Yale University (New Haven, CT)

9.    University of California, Irvine (Irvine, CA)

10.  Appalachian State University (Boone, NC)

 

UC Davis, SIERRA’s number one school this year, stands out for its well-rounded set of sustainable efforts, including establishing rigorous green purchasing standards, diverting 70% of the school’s trash, and offering extraordinary transportation solutions: 20,000 bicycles park on campus every day.

The complete ranking, along with stories about the winning schools’ environmental efforts, are online at SierraClub.org.

Photo Credit: Brooke Novak via WikiCommons