Knox College students in the course 'Examining the Anthropocene' planting a rain garden to control water runoff. Knox College / Peter Bailley / Yale Climate Connections
Last spring, students at Knox College in Illinois traded their notebooks for shovels and planted a rain garden on campus. The garden is not just a bunch of pretty plants. It's designed to reduce stress on the campus drainage system during heavy rain.
<p>"The whole goal behind the rain gardens is … slow it, spread it, and sink it," says associate professor William Hope. "And that is to take the movement of the water and slow it down such that it loses energy and rather spreads out and sinks into the earth."<em></em></p>
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<p>He says the project's engineered so that rain comes from the roof of a nearby building, through downspouts, and into a bed of gravel. Then it flows into the garden. The plants' roots hold the soil in place and help absorb the water.</p><p>This is the second rain garden that Hope has helped his students design and build. And he says they've walked away each time more observant and motivated to design <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solutions" rel="noopener noreferrer">solutions</a> for their communities.</p><p>"Several students across the years have commented that this has given them a physical connection to campus in ways that they felt proud of," he says. "That they would come back and share their stories, importantly, and their experiences of doing this project with friends and family."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/01/knox-college-students-build-rain-gardens-for-their-campus/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yale Climate Connections</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
- Fossil Fuel Divestment Debates on Campus Spotlight Societal Role ... ›
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During the university conference on racial reconciliation, a multi ethnic group listens as a young adult woman speaks. SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
By Marty Swanbrow Becker
When college students seek help for a mental health issue on campus — something they are doing more often — the place they usually go is the college counseling center.
<p>
But while the stigma of seeking mental health support has <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/among-college-students-mental-health-diagnosis-and-treatment-are-up-stigma-is-down" target="_blank">gone down</a>, it has created a new problem: College counseling centers are now <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/colleges-struggle-soaring-student-demand-counseling-67286699" target="_blank">struggling</a> to meet the increased demand.
</p>
<p>
<em>Reposed with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-mental-health-crisis-on-campus-and-how-colleges-can-fix-it-127875" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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<p>As a <a href="https://education.fsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/dr-martin-swanbrow-becker" target="_blank">researcher</a> who examines problems faced by <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1gDMIL4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">college students in distress</a>, I see a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232465762_New_Data_on_the_Nature_of_Suicidal_Crises_in_College_Students_Shifting_the_Paradigm" target="_blank">way</a> to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/30/3/427/736897" target="_blank">better support</a> students' mental health. In addition to offering individual counseling, colleges should also focus on what we in the mental health field refer to as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2194587X.2015.1091363" target="_blank">population health and prevention</a>.</p><p>These efforts can range from creating more shared spaces to increase social connections to stave off feelings of isolation, to reducing things on campus that threaten student well-being, such as discrimination and violence.</p>
What’s Behind the Problem
<p>Student mental health distress has escalated to high levels nationally. The <a href="https://www.acha.org/documents/ncha/NCHA-II_SPRING_2019_US_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf" target="_blank">American College Health Association found</a> in 2019 that over the past year, 87% of college students felt overwhelmed by all they had to do, 66% felt overwhelming anxiety, 56% felt things were hopeless and 13% seriously considered suicide. Contributing factors include distressing and traumatic circumstances during college, such as assaults, in addition to academic <a href="https://www.aucccd.org/assets/documents/Survey/2018%20aucccd%20survey-public-revised.pdf" target="_blank">performance demands</a>.</p><p>The college experience is not the only factor, however. Students are also coming to college with preexisting mental health challenges. For instance, over 80% of students who think about suicide during college had <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/87568225.2016.1140978" target="_blank">first thought about suicide before college</a>.</p><p>Some college campuses may add counseling staff to try to meet the increased demand for counseling centers, but not all campuses can afford to do this. Even if they do, it still might not be enough. Students need alternate ways beyond college counseling centers to address their mental health needs.</p><p>By being more proactive and equipping students to deal with mental health issues before they become too large to manage, fewer students will need crisis services — and those that need them will be able to get them sooner — because more students will have the tools to work through their problems earlier on their own.</p><p>To improve the overall health of their population of students, here are four areas where I think colleges should focus.</p>1. Empower Students
<p>Colleges must help students assess their strengths and overall resilience. By empowering students with increased self-knowledge, they can more adeptly identify problems early and access supportive resources. Campuses could help motivate and encourage students to monitor their progress through creating an online portal where students can access tools, such as those promoting skill development in the areas of mindfulness, time management and career reflection. There's such an online portal — known as the <a href="https://strong.fsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/About-project.pdf" target="_blank">Student Resilience Project</a> — at the university where I teach, and results are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2019.1679818" target="_blank">promising</a>.</p>2. Provide Stress-Management Resources
<p>Colleges and universities should create processes and tools for students to improve their ability to manage stress. For example, the campus could create a decision tree that helps students identify when and where to reach out to get help with their specific concerns. A web-based portal can tell students where to locate campus-based support services, such as coaches, advisers and counselors, or peer-to-peer education and support and skill-building groups. For an example of a program designed to increase social support in high schools and one that could work for colleges, see the <a href="https://sourcesofstrength.org/" target="_blank">Sources of Strength</a> program.</p>3. Take Preventive Measures
<p>Research shows that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10686752" target="_blank">helping many people lower their risk</a> improves the benefit for the larger population more than focusing on those at the highest risk.</p><p>This suggests that colleges should look at the factors that are contributing to stress — such as substance use, discrimination, assaults and the pressure around figuring out one's major and career — and then work to reduce their influence. Promoting resources for early intervention in these areas can help students cope with stress and build time management skills.</p>4. Launch Wellness Campaigns
<p>Colleges should create a wellness campaign. Students, faculty and staff should be trained in how to work together to improve the mental health of everyone on campus, including identifying others in distress, intervening with them and referring them to help. The campus should advertise their vision and initiatives to get the message out to all members of the community. These wellness campaigns are aspirational at the moment, but I am currently working with several colleges to make these campaigns a reality.</p><p>When colleges shift their focus to population health and prevention, in my view it should lead to an improvement in the health and well-being of students and free up counseling centers to treat the students most in need of mental health support.</p>From Your Site Articles
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EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Sterling College
By Katie O'Reilly
In the 12 years since Sierra began highlighting the best environmental practices of colleges and universities, the competition to be the ecofriendliest in all of academia has gotten fierce. This year, we received a record 269 responses from qualified institutions, which now include Canadian schools and community colleges. Our annual Cool Schools Rankings assess colleges' performance in everything from what they teach to how they obtain their electricity to their sources of cafeteria food and how they manage their water. Please join Sierra in congratulating the very green—and diverse—schools that are mastering the art and science of campus sustainability.
<p><strong>20. Cornell University — Score 74.47 | Ithaca, New York</strong></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">ANABEL'S GROCERY IS A STUDENT-RUN INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO COMBAT FOOD INSECURITY ON THE CORNELL CAMPUS, PROVIDING LOW-COST GROCERIES TO STUDENTS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">CORNELL UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Last year, Cornell launched Anabel's Grocery, a student-run food supply providing low-cost access to local, organic, and culturally inclusive foods. It also broke ground on the Sustainable Landscapes Trail, designed to highlight 14 campus spots that showcase Cornell's commitment to natural lands management (think rainwater capture stations, pollinator plants, and permaculture plots). Since 2008, this Ivy has reduced campus emissions by 36 percent and cooling energy by 86 percent, largely through proprietary innovations such as Lake Source Cooling—running a pump from one of upstate New York's nearby deep lakes to pipe cold water through campus. The Touchdowns are now experimenting with Earth Source Heat, a new system that involves drilling into the earth's upper crust and piping thermal heat through the often-chilly campus.<br></p><p><strong><span></span>19. Loyola Marymount University — Score 74.74 | Los Angeles, California</strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTYyOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDcyNjEzOX0.mvSwT-1IZDmL3E2uSAfn0rb1mKveoNaGHJ_B0G09yd4/img.jpg?width=980" id="f12a8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5ff6961fee9e80c15d9a3183afaa81d9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">LOYOLA'S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND STUDENTS DESIGNED AND BUILT A SOLAR GOLF CART. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Not only has LMU operated a self-funded recycling plant since 1990, but it also won Los Angeles's inaugural "RecycLA" platinum award this year, thus becoming a model for the rest of the city. LMU was also the first university to sign onto the Lonely Whale Foundation's pledge to purge plastic straws. "The Cycling Lion," a shipping container turned bicycle hub, offers a recycled bike shop and bike-share program. The Lions are on track to divert all food waste by the end of 2019, thanks to a campus-wide food waste disposal and awareness program and a robust composting program. Students also work within a nearby underserved neighborhood to boost awareness of composting, provide food waste options, and develop a community garden.<br></p><p><strong><span></span>18. University of Dayton — <span style="background-color: initial;">Score 74.93 | Dayton, Ohio</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTYxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDU3NTMyMn0.7ordPWudWWnyeMAXGZB2yVmriW8TH7IZKmAPfVNv0Fc/img.jpg?width=980" id="821c4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9ae55f4248cc8e8c28b6109711360e30" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">UD'S FIRST GREEN ROOF ON THE KENNEDY UNION PATIO, THE CULMINATION OF YEARS OF WORK BY STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF IN MANY AREAS ACROSS CAMPUS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">BRUCE DAMONTE</small></p>
<p>The first Catholic university in the nation to divest from fossil fuel companies also has an Energy Team composed of students who work with campus facilities departments to perform energy and lighting audits. The team proposes and implements conservation projects, the funding for which often comes from UD's green revolving fund, which pays for itself through energy and other environmental savings. UD boasts low-flow showerheads and 1.3-and-counting megawatts of solar. Students living in university-owned campus houses receive feedback on their energy usage (their "energy GPAs"). Dayton Flyers can study environmental biology, pursue master's degrees in renewable and clean energy, and work the earth at nearby Lincoln Hill Garden, an urban farm and community green space the school established with community partners<br></p><p><strong>17. Lewis & Clark College — Score 75.05 | Portland, Oregon</strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTYxNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDQzMjU1NX0.HuZhvMqap9x90630UR8ZwGR07RsQDF5RuB3puUDoVYI/img.jpg?width=980" id="0c2ff" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc400efbf12ac9420111e4fcebd6e149" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">LEWIS & CLARK STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN NUMEROUS MODES OF ACTIVE TRANSIT, INCLUDING BIKING, WALKING, TAKING THE BUS, AND CARPOOLING. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE</small></p>
<p>In the past year, Lewis & Clark has committed to selling off its fossil fuel investments, passed a policy to phase out all single-use plastics, and launched a "Hot Topics" series through which speakers come to campus to discuss issues such as environmental justice, biodiversity, and socially responsible investing. The school's Farm to Fork Initiative mandates that campus dining spend 20 percent of its funding on food sourced from small, local farms and producers, and the campus, which runs into two watersheds, recently re-upped its Salmon Safe designation. Lewis & Clark students can study ecopsychology and natural resources law, and take classes in the political economy of food. When they're not in class, many are involved with extracurricular pursuits including the beekeeping club, bike co-op, and garden collective.<br></p><p><strong>16. University of Oregon — Score 75.42 | Eugene, Oregon</strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTYwOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMDc1OTI2M30.n21KvuCcuVr2_kK2m3WfPf7XLlF-Hq7aDiFeg01y81A/img.jpg?width=980" id="57c42" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f1ed33422fe16b6d851e9473cef0d06a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">ALLAN PRICE SCIENCE COMMONS IS ONE OF THE SCHOOL'S NEWEST LEED GOLD-CERTIFIED BUILDINGS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">UNIVERSITY OF OREGON</small></p>
<p>A year and a half ago, student activists pressured the University of Oregon to renew its climate action plan. As a result, the school has already reinsulated 16 miles' worth of campus steam and condensate pipes, thus reducing at least 54 metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. The Ducks' new-and-improved climate plan is also funding environmental economists' research into internal carbon taxes that U of O, and perhaps eventually other institutions, could implement. The university is currently installing a shipping container outfitted with LED lights wherein students can experiment with the latest in indoor agriculture and recently received a grant to integrate sustainability courses with the work of area municipalities and nonprofits—meaning students will be working to solve real-world energy and transportation issues. Through "rEV Up Eugene," the University of Oregon hosts free community workshops about electric vehicles.<br></p><p><strong>15. Oregon State University — <span style="background-color: initial;">Score 75.82 | Corvallis, Oregon</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTM5OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MTA2ODEyMn0.jJDaPQZ2wP952jcQn5GJTIhPJb7jUxgNLt5SqwjUucY/img.jpg?width=980" id="f2e4d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cf37adfdf0769663718222b187032c50" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">OSU STAFF MOVE MATERIALS DURING THE MOVE OUT DONATION DRIVE, WHICH IN 2018 COLLECTED OVER 32,300 POUNDS OF REUSABLE MATERIAL.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Oregon State's trustees are in the process of developing a plan to divest a portion of its funding from fossil fuels and to diversify its portfolio of carbon-free funds. Meanwhile, students are enrolling in programs such as "humanitarian engineering," "sustainable agroforestry," and "sustainable cemeteries management." The consumption-wary Beavers have a textbook loan program in place as well as an "OSUsed" store and cap-and-gown return program. OSU dorms employ Eco-Reps, who educate residents on green lifestyle practices, and the school works with local food distributors, caterers, and restaurants to divert food waste to its campus food pantry.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>14. Chatham University — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score: 76.09 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTM5NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwODE3MjYzNX0.afHquLYOlu7hJx4uIoHWzQLo6rVXWoG9FnSdjYjUnBk/img.jpg?width=980" id="13bad" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b93fcf0d4636857816a43e3cf3362495" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">EDEN HALL CAMPUS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">CHATHAM UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>No matter their major, every undergrad at Chatham must take sustainability courses, and most undergrads, grad students, and MBAs pursue degrees in sustainability or food studies. This year, Chatham is launching a new program to help prepare nursing students and other future health professionals for climate-change-induced public health threats. Thanks to its solar thermal greenhouse and "work-and-pick" garden, Chatham produces enough food to help supply its dining hall. Many students recently banded together to present a divestment proposal. Good news: Chatham's Board of Trustees is likely to approve it by October.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>13. Santa Clara University — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score 76.13 | Santa Clara, California</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTM4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODUxNjA2M30.MSKytR9dQcLKGCm0vd-KLsyccoEeFd10MXSdSSuQLyU/img.jpg?width=980" id="05d9d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ac39bd35b16b82c2005f9edea989e489" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">SCU'S CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY HOSTS A "WASTE CHARACTERIZATION" ALMOST EVERY QUARTER FOR STAFF, FACULTY, AND STUDENTS. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Nine out of 10 students attending the "Jesuit University in Silicon Valley" engage in community-based learning for course credit. A food justice outreach program, for instance, works within marginalized neighborhoods to bolster community gardens and helps elementary students to develop urban gardens. Thanks to a deal wherein faculty can receive stipends to integrate eco- and/or social justice-oriented curricula into their syllabi, 93 percent of Santa Clara departments offer sustainability courses. The Broncos are currently working to reduce their food waste by 20 percent by 2025 and to increase the use of the school garden's on-site composting center.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>12. American University — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score 76.53 | Washington, DC</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTM4Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDc5Mjg5N30.PvhK0UtSYuzTLqUrf6mrpoa6LYklVh-Qg820q0CkE8I/img.jpg?width=980" id="44f82" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a60ae0ac206e87df78b44e6397b39568" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">AMERICAN UNIVERSITY EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION DURING ITS ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION FAIR. HERE, A STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATOR DEMONSTRATES HOW TO PUT A BIKE ON THE FRONT OF A BUS. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">AMERICAN UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>American University achieved carbon neutrality last spring (two years ahead of schedule) with help from its seven on-campus solar arrays, several off-site arrays, and a unique portfolio of carbon credit purchases. At home in DC, the Eagles plant trees to offset commuting emissions; at the school's study-abroad hub in Kenya, AU provides communities with efficient cookstoves to help offset students' air travel. Through AU's film program, many students create and showcase environmental documentaries. The school recently acquired a Virginia farm in hopes of offering students opportunities to study sustainable agriculture while developing farm-to-table cafeteria menus.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>11. Sterling College — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score 76.86 | Craftsbury Common, Vermont</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTM4MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwMDYzMzI0OX0.kMWKNU7hfKIAO9NerOXfFVOacOdnaMJ24_bCSzKw3gQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="c090b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="26093448fc263add754edb515bc5ce31" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">STERLING COLLEGE STUDENTS PREP SEED POTATOES FOR PLANTING WHILE A CLASS PREPARES A HUGELKULTURE BED, A PERMACULTURE TECHNIQUE FOR MAKING A RAISED BED (BACKGROUND). </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">STERLING COLLEGE</small></p>
<p>At Sterling, where most students labor on farms and forestlands in exchange for tuition (and produce upwards of 30 percent of food served on campus), the focus is on how best to steward working landscapes. So it's fitting that students are putting Wendell Berry's writing to work through a new partnership with the Berry Center, located in the author-activist's native Henry County, Kentucky. Each semester, students have opportunities to go south and help cultivate a different landscape. Meanwhile, Sterling faculty is developing curricula for Kentuckians seeking to implement holistic and sustainable farm plans. Back in Vermont, students are learning the craft of woodworking using ecologically harvested timber at Sterling's new Rural Arts Center.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>10. Middlebury College — Score 76.99 | Middlebury, Vermont</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">THE KNOLL, MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE'S GARDEN, IS HOME TO VEGETABLE AND FLOWER PRODUCTION, AN OUTDOOR OVEN, RESEARCH, MINDFULNESS TRAINING, AND MORE. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE</small></p>
<p>After reaching its carbon neutrality goal in December 2016, the overachievers of Middlebury were hungry for more. In January, the Panthers broke ground on a Sustainability Solutions Lab designed to source students' most innovative ideas—for ways the school could source 100 percent renewable power by 2028, for instance—and to teach them how to seek support, calculate risks, and navigate the administrative challenges of effecting change. This year, Middlebury conducted an ecological assessment of its 6,000+ acres of forestland to account for flora and fauna as well as the lands' cultural/anthropological value and recreational and aesthetic bona fides.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>9. California State University, Chico — Score 78.00 | Chico, California</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">ANGELICA RODRIGUEZ COLLECTS WATER SAMPLES FOR HER CHICO STEM CONNECTIONS COLLABORATIVE SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECT. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">JASON HALLEY</small></p>
<p>One of 12 founding signatories of 2007's American Colleges & Universities Climate Commitment, Chico State has since reduced its emissions by more than a third, constructed seven (and counting) LEED-certified buildings, and initiated an Eco Resident Certification for dorm dwellers who live lightly. Through 14 courses, Chico State's Resilient Cities Initiative has involved students in assessing the community's transportation infrastructure, urban tree cover, and luminescence, with the goal of making recommendations—such as solar roadways and expanded bike lanes—to government planners. For the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, students and faculty partner with farmers in California's Sacramento Valley to research tilling practices, methane capture and other means of sequestering carbon.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>8. Seattle University — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score 78.410 | Seattle, Washington</span></strong></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">SEATTLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND STAFF SORT ONE DAY'S WORTH OF TRASH AT THE ANNUAL GARBOLOGY EVENT. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">SEATTLE UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Seattle U students put the fossil fuel divestment challenge to their administration six years ago and never piped down. As a result, the trustees are on track to approve divestment this fall. The very edible campus has been pesticide-free since 1979, and its 50-acre urban wildlife sanctuary is designed to attract birds with lush, native flora. Every other year, the Redhawks host an environmental justice summit, which this year will ignite student and faculty activism around restoring the nearby Duwamish River, Washington's most industrialized waterway. Seattle U is working to become carbon negative by 2020.<br></p><p><strong><span></span>7. University of Massachusetts, Amherst — Score 79.076 | Amherst, Massachusetts</strong></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">NEARLY 45 TONS OF PRODUCE ARE GROWN ANNUALLY ON THE STUDENT FARM. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, AMHERST</small></p>
<p>The home of New England's largest campus solar installation is synthesizing its 400-plus environment-related courses into a new School of Earth and Sustainability, which will make eco-oriented resources, opportunities, and faculty more accessible while promoting collaboration across departments. All students and faculty can apply for support from the Sustainability Innovation and Engagement Fund. The fund helps underwrite an annual New2You back-to-school sale of recycled dorm wares, a student-run sustainable vineyard, and an organic CSA program.<br></p><p><strong><span></span>6. Dickinson College — <span style="background-color: initial;">Score 80.676 | Carlisle, Pennsylvania</span></strong></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE HIVE BUILD AND IMPROVE NATIVE BEE HABITATS ON AND OFF CAMPUS. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">DICKINSON COLLEGE</small></p>
<p>This past year, Dickinson not only broke ground on a new LEED Platinum–certified dorm but also launched a Residential Life Sustainability Program. Students attend sessions on sustainable cooking and shopping, water and energy conservation, and transportation. Dickinson also launched a beekeeping cooperative, modeled after its seven-year-old campus bike co-op, that has students tending pollinator gardens and crafting balms, soaps, and candles that they gift to the larger community. Thanks to a three-megawatt solar array that went online in August, Dickinson is on track to meet its 2020 carbon-neutrality goal.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>5. Arizona State University — Score 81.043 | Tempe, Arizona</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">ASU AND LOCAL UTILITY VOLUNTEERS PLANT TREES IN PHOENIX FOR CARBON OFFSETS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Even with a record 100,000-plus students enrolling this fall, ASU keeps getting cooler by the year. There are incentives for athletic teams to earn Sustainable Sports Certifications and for research units to become official Green Labs. ASU just approved a carbon-neutral policy for new buildings as well as a novel Carbon Project fund that will be supported by contributions to offset faculty and student air travel. The Carbon Project will pay for programs such as planting trees in the low-income heat islands of sprawling Phoenix, planting an on-campus "carbon sink" forest, and electrifying the university's car fleet.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>4. Colorado State University — Score 81.22 | Fort Collins, Colorado</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">CSU WAS DESIGNATED A PLATINUM-LEVEL BICYCLE FRIENDLY UNIVERSITY BY THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN BICYCLISTS. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY</small></p>
<p>Colorado State offers more than 800 sustainability-related courses. This year, the Rams got a new football stadium, and students rallied to assemble a zero-waste team of volunteers tasked with schooling sports fans on what's recyclable, compostable, and landfill bound. Thanks to students' activism, the university also adopted a fair-trade-preferable purchasing policy: Unlike most state universities, which are required to take the lowest bid, CSU now will weigh environmental and labor factors in all buying decisions.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>3. University of Connecticut — Score 81.765 | Storrs, Connecticut</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">THE HUSKY MASCOT DECKED OUT FOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL GREEN GAME DAY. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT</small></p>
<p>The only university to attain Green Restaurant Certification for all eight of its dining halls, UConn offers food that is 47 percent organic or locally sourced, and all food waste gets hauled to an anaerobic digester. It's part of the Huskies' plan to become carbon neutral by 2050 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, from a 2007 baseline, by 2020. But UConn's greenness isn't merely top-down. The largest extracurricular club is the Eco Huskies: students who sort trash at games, perform green audits on campus, and operate a recycling patrol and a clothing swap.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><strong><span></span>2. University of New Hampshire — Score 84.3029 | Durham, New Hampshire</strong></span></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">UNH STUDENTS REMOVE INVASIVE BUCKTHORN ON CAMPUS.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE</small></p>
<p>The home of the nation's oldest endowed sustainability office embeds ecology into nearly all of its academic offerings. UNH has the very first eco-gastronomy major as well as a dual major that allows students to study sustainability through the context of, say, economics or Spanish. The Wildcats, who made an impressive 18-spot leap in our rankings this year, pipe methane from a landfill to campus, thus supplying 85 percent of campus energy needs. Considering UNH's on-campus Amtrak stop, organic dairy farm, and food-waste-reduction system through which water is extracted from dining hall leftovers to be recycled before the food waste gets composted, eco-stewardship is clearly integral to the school's ethos.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>1. (TIE) University of California, Irvine — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score: 714.66 | Irvine, California</span></strong></p>
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<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">KATHERINE MACKEY (TOP), CLARE BOOTHE LUCE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE, CONSULTS WITH DOCTORAL RESEARCHER RAISHA LOVINDEER. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">STEVE ZYLIUS / UCI</small></p>
<p>In its ninth year among <em>Sierra</em>'s 10 coolest colleges, UCI leapt seven spots—thanks in part to net-zero-emission housing construction and a pioneering power-to-gas hydrogen-pipeline injection project in which solar power generated on campus is converted into hydrogen and inserted into the Anteaters' gas supply, creating a partially decarbonizing effect. Last year, undergrads in the College of Sustainability compiled a climate-friendly cookbook, and other students developed a program to encourage broader bicycle use.<br></p><p><strong><span style="background-color: initial;"><span></span>1. (TIE) Green Mountain College — </span><span style="background-color: initial;">Score: 745.80 | Poultney, Vermont</span></strong></p>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODM3NTI5Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNjQwODQ5OH0.dalYtx2tYCXzab8xH4Npyz2DLiqmQt7qDFKCKfTsXh4/img.jpg?width=980" id="bb625" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9fb403f206dd5ed512cf09d058095370" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">GREEN MOUNTAIN COLLEGE STUDENTS WORKING ON RIVERINE FLOODPLAIN FOREST RESTORATION PLANT AN AMERICAN ELM ALONG VERMONT'S POULTNEY RIVER. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">GREEN MOUNTAIN COLLEGE</small></p>
<p>The second college in the nation to reach carbon neutrality is aggressively working toward a new goal of powering its campus solely via renewable energy by 2020—with help from a student-initiated biomass facility and the purchase of carbon offsets from a landfill-gas-capture project. GMC has also tweaked its eco-centric core curriculum to better account for economic and environmental justice issues. New practicums have students examining the nexus of hunger, food, and homelessness in New York City and decorating the campus with a series of "What Is Social Sustainability?" posters.<br></p><p><span style="background-color: initial;"><em><span></span>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2018/top-20-coolest-schools-2018" target="_blank">SIERRA Magazine</a>.</em></span></p>
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