OU Continues its Commitment to Sustainability, Named Top Green College
The University of Oklahoma has been selected as a Top Green College by The Princeton Review for the fifth consecutive year.
The distinction is awarded based on multiple factors, including a campus’ quality of life for students in both a healthy and sustainable fashion, preparation for career opportunities in the clean-energy economy, as well as school policies that promote environmental responsibility.
OU is among the 420 institutions that were selected for the honor out of the 835 universities and colleges that were surveyed. The company's editors analyzed more than 25 survey data points to select the schools, and OU finished with a score of 86.
In addition, 78% of more than 11,000 college applicants who participated in the Review’s survey shared that having knowledge of an institution’s commitment to green practices would influence their decision to apply or attend a school. This is becoming more of an emphasis for incoming students, as the figure saw a 12% increase over last year’s survey.
OU can also be found among other rankings by The Princeton Review, including Best Western Colleges, the Top 50 Best Value Public Colleges and even cracking the top 10 for Best Alumni Networks for public schools.
In recent years, OU has earned several other distinctions for environmental responsibility. OU currently ranks first in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation among higher education institutions in the EPA’s Green Power Partnership. The university was honored by the EPA as the 2012 Green Power Partner of the Year and has been the largest purchaser of green energy in the Big 12 since joining the EPA’s challenge in academic year 2011-2012.
Other accomplishments include the Environmental Excellence Award from the Earth Month Network and being recognized as a silver status Bicycle Friendly Community school.
To learn more about OU’s sustainability efforts, visit ou.edu/sustainability.
By Brady Trantham
Article Published: Wednesday, November 3, 2021