Jersey City, N.J. – November 4, 2024 – Saint Peter’s University today announced that it is named one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the country according to The Princeton Review. The University was included in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2025 Edition, which profiles 511 institutions that were selected for their “exceptional programs, policies and practices related to sustainability and the environment.”
“Our University’s continued inclusion in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the entire Saint Peter’s community toward building a more sustainable future,” said Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., chair of the Sustainability Council at Saint Peter’s University. “Through the collaborative efforts of our students, faculty, and staff, we have not only implemented impactful environmental practices, but also created a culture of sustainability that will continue to shape our campus and beyond for generations to come.”
The Princeton Review chose the colleges for this edition of the Guide based on a survey it conducted in 2023-2024 of administrators at nearly 600 colleges about their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their “green” campus experiences. The school selections were based on more than 25 data points from the surveys.
“We are delighted to recommend Saint Peter’s University to students who want their ‘best-fit’ college to also be a ‘green’ one,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “Saint Peter’s, which offers excellent academics, also demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability in its campus programs, policies and practices.”
Saint Peter’s University has taken many steps toward sustainability on campus and beyond such as the installation of solar panels; energy efficient lighting and indoor and outdoor receptacles for recycling. The University’s Mac Mahon Student Center was also constructed to be a LEED Silver-certified building.
Students participate in sustainability-oriented groups such as SAVE: Students Against Violating the Earth and Junkyard Dogs. They are able to tailor their studies for an environmental focus through academic programs such as the major in environmental science and the major in biology with a concentration in environmental science. Students also have the opportunity to embrace and study nature on campus, particularly in the Native Plant Garden for Pollinators, which was established by the biology department in 2018. In 2022, the University also celebrated the opening of the Center for Urban Research in Agriculture (CURA) Hydroponics Farm, which grows and donates leafy greens to The Campus Kitchen at Saint Peter’s University and dining services.
Saint Peter’s has been recognized as a Platinum Level Smart Workplace by the Hudson County Transportation Management Association and is also the recipient of the Garden State Greenfest Award and the Green Campus Project award from the Independent College Fund of New Jersey. In August 2023, the University was recognized by the Catholic Climate Covenant in the organization’s first U.S. Laudato Si’ Champions Awards. In September 2023, Saint Peter’s received the International Green University Award during the NYC Green School Conference.
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For more than 150 years Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
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