Indiana State featured as ‘Green College\' by Princeton Review

Princeton Review has selected Indiana State University as one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada.

\"Indiana State is making progress at becoming more sustainable through the good work of the Institute for Community Sustainability, our facilities management staff, our students, faculty and staff. It is great to see these efforts recognized,\" said university President Dan Bradley.

The education services company known for its test prep programs and college rankings, ratings and guidebooks, profiles Indiana State in the fourth annual edition of its free downloadable book, \"The Princeton Review\'s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.\"

The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a 50-question survey it conducted in 2012 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges. The company analyzed data from the survey about the schools\' course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment to the environment and to sustainability.

Published on April 16, a few days before the April 22 celebration of Earth Day, the 215-page guide is the only free comprehensive resource of its kind: it can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.

The 322 school profiles in the guide feature essential information for applicants - facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid - plus write-ups on the schools\' specific sustainability initiatives. A \"Green Facts\" sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school\'s use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.

In the guide\'s profile on Indiana State University, The Princeton Review highlights the school\'s commitment to a triple bottom line of environmental, economic and social sustainability for ethical responsibility. It also notes that in a campus-wide survey, 80 percent of the faculty, staff and students expressed concern about conservation and sustainability issues.

\"With so many schools competing to be on this list, I am heartened to have them recognize all of ISU\'s efforts towards sustainability over the past years,\" said Jim Speer, director of the Institute for Community Sustainability. He noted this has been a good year for sustainability at Indiana State by being listed as a Green College, ranked as one of 20 finalists in the Second Nature Climate Leadership Awards, and putting up a wind turbine on campus. \"We have been working hard toward sustainable practices and that effort is being recognized. We hope that these accolades will be useful for recruiting students to ISU that are concerned about the environment and interested in learning to live sustainably on the planet. We believe that some momentum has started towards more sustainable lifestyles and look forward to being a part of that cultural change.\"

\"We are truly pleased to recommend Indiana State University along with all of the fine schools in this book to the many students seeking colleges that practice and promote environmentally-responsible choices and practices,\" said Robert Franek, senior VP/publisher of The Princeton Review.

Franek noted his company\'s recent survey findings indicating significant interest among college applicants in attending \"green\" colleges. \"Among 9,955 college applicants who participated in our 2013 \'College Hopes & Worries Survey,\' 62 percent said having information about a school\'s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school,\" he said.

The Princeton Review created its \"Guide to 322 Green Colleges\" in partnership with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)), with generous support from United Technologies, founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.

Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, commented, \"Selecting a four-year college is a big choice. When we learned that the majority of prospective college students factor a school\'s commitment to sustainability into their selection criteria, we wanted to ensure we were providing the best information. We\'re thrilled to team up with The Princeton Review for the fourth year to offer a guide to help make our future college students\' choices a little easier.\"

How Schools Were Chosen for the BookThe Princeton Review chose the schools based on a survey it conducted of hundreds of colleges across the U.S. and in Canada in 2012 to tally its \"Green Ratings\" (scores from 60 to 99) it reports in school profiles in its annual college guidebooks and website. The survey asked administrators more than 50 questions about their institution\'s sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. The Company reported Green Ratings for 806 institutions in summer 2012. The 322 schools in this guide received scores of 83 or above in that assessment. (Note: The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in this guide 1 to 322, nor does it include their Green Rating scores in the book\'s school profiles.) Information about The Princeton Review\'s Green Rating methodology and its \"Green Honor Roll\" saluting 21 schools that received Green Ratings of 99 is at www.princetonreview.com/green.aspx.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/Wind-Turbine-Dedication-2013/i-RdzM6Xs/0/L/Helix-3883February%2022%2C%202013-L.jpg\"Helix,\" the wind turbine, powers the air puppet outside of Rhoads Hall. ISU Photo/Rachel Keyes

Media Contacts: Indiana State University: Jim Speer, 812-237-2257The Princeton Review: Jeanne Krier, 212-539-1350 or Kristen O\'Toole, 888-347-7737 ext. 1405, kotoole@review.comU.S. Green Building Council: Mallory Shelter, 202-742-3806, mshelter@usgbc.org