Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
May 14, 2013
Testifying to its commitment to protecting the environment, St. John’s University has been named one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to a new ranking published by The Princeton Review.
The distinction is among the many plaudits St. John’s has received for its focus on environmental stewardship, including a GOLD rating by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Colleges: 2013 Edition profiles St. John’s varied sustainability efforts, including its pledge to reduce carbon emissions through an initiative sponsored by New York City’s Mayor’s Office.
“As a Vincentian and Catholic University, we share the responsibility to provide leadership in developing a more just and sustainable way of living,” said Tom Goldsmith, Director of Environmental and Energy Conservation at St. John’s. “By embracing environmental stewardship, the University furthers its mission to educate and to serve.”
The University was chosen based on data from a 50-question survey. The study focused on institutions’ course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation as a way of measuring its commitment to the environment and to sustainability.
Through its Office of Sustainability, St. John’s has taken several measures to reduce its carbon footprint. For example, St. John’s was the first private university to participate in A Memorandum of Understanding with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under the agreement, the institution and its students pledged to make continuous improvements in environmental stewardship through eight voluntary EPA programs.
St. John’s students lead the way in these efforts through several service-learning initiatives. They include maintaining 50 vegetable planting beds to grow food to help feed needy New Yorkers through St. John’s Bread and Life in Brooklyn; collecting 32 tons of food waste annually and converting it to compost used in campus landscaping; participating in the 2013 Campus Conservation National Challenge to reduce electricity in residence halls; and competing in RecycleMania 2013, a friendly recycling competition engaging over 400 universities nationwide.
Collaborating with the New York City Restoration Project’s Million Trees Initiative, the University planted more than 800 trees on its campuses, earning 2012 Tree Campus USA recognition. This Arbor Day Foundation designation signifies the institution’s success in promoting the health of its trees and in engaging students in related service-learning projects. On Arbor Day, April 26, 2013, the foundation presented the award to St. John’s at a formal ceremony on campus. It was followed by the planting of an additional 65 trees, creating a northeast native species arboretum.
The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Colleges: 2013 Edition can be found and downloaded here.