Princeton Review names BGSU among top green colleges
BOWLING GREEN, O.—Bowling Green State University has special reason to celebrate Earth Day this year. The University is included in The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” released on April 16. “Bowling Green State University has established itself as a university sustainability leader with its top-to-bottom commitment to campus life, from employing a full-time sustainability officer to offering a host of environmentally centered student groups to encouraging students to pursue green jobs after graduation,” the magazine states. BGSU’s selection is based upon its green rating, which was calculated by Princeton using data submitted to the guide during the 2011-12 academic year, and includes “Green Highlights” and “Green Facts.” Since that data was gathered, even more green steps have taken place, notably President Mary Ellen Mazey’s signing last fall of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. BGSU vows to work toward becoming a carbon-neutral campus. “I’m proud of the work that’s been done by our BGSU community toward making the University a good steward of the earth and of our resources,” said Mazey. “Environmental awareness and the knowledge of how to put it into action is an important part of all citizens’ education today, and we’re happy to be recognized by Princeton for our commitment and achievements.” Achieving the Princeton green rating takes both a commitment on the part of the institution and dedication on the part of students, said Dr. Nicholas Hennessy, campus sustainability coordinator. Putting academics into action was a strong factor in the green rating — “in particular, a sustainability internship program is offered jointly between Campus Operations and the Department of Environment and Sustainability, which offers opportunities for sustainability research in waste reduction, alternative energy, recycling, marketing/promotions, transportation, environmental education and other areas,” according to the guide. “Undergraduate majors and concentrations are offered in environmental policy and analysis, environmental science, or environmental health, and a special new minor in sustainability was added to the University’s curriculum in 2011.” Lance Kruse, a sophomore from Piqua majoring in math education, has been particularly involved in the Presidents’ Climate Commitment movement. He helped with the feasibility study that preceded its signing and now, as an intern with Hennessy, he will be a member of the working group this summer focusing on implementation of two of the various action items BGSU committed to. Kruse will get to put his math skills to use. “We’ll be working on a greenhouse gas emissions inventory that gives an overview of the campus’s real-life energy usage,” he explained. Active student groups on campus include Net Impact, which seeks to not only improve campus sustainability but raise awareness of environmental issues worldwide; the Environmental Action Group and the Environmental Service Club. Transportation has gotten greener, thanks to campus partnerships. Students working with the Office of Campus Sustainability have been instrumental in putting the Orange Bike program into action, repairing and maintaining a fleet of bicycles for use around campus by those who register. BGSU installed three charging stations for electric vehicles, in collaboration with the city of Bowling Green and funded by Clean Fuels Ohio and the Student Green Initiatives Fund. BGSU now has three LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings: The Wolfe Center for the Arts, the Stroh Center, and Carillon Place dining center. Other buildings, such as Falcon Heights and Centennial Hall, include environmentally conscious features. The Office of Design and Construction is working toward energy sustainability with older campus structures. The Energy Conservation Measures project at the center of a multimillion dollar lighting, heating and air conditioning project paid for in part with a grant from the Ohio Department of Development allows computer-based control of the lights and temperature in 28 campus buildings, reducing energy usage and costs. And where there are no machines to handle the job, students step in. On some campuses Friday Night Lights means football, but at BGSU it’s a dedicated team of student volunteers who take on the job of shutting off lights in places where it’s not automatic—saving the University well over $50,000 so far. Princeton also noted student leadership in initiating the Student Green Fund, an opt-out, $5 per semester fee that creates a pool of money for environmental initiatives on campus. A committee of students reviews applications for projects and makes funding decisions. “We’re really pleased to be included but we don’t want to rest on our laurels,” Hennessy said. “We want to keep getting better.”
Press Release Contact Name: Jennifer Sobolewski
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: Bowling Green State University