Earth Equity News

Despite Hard Times, Colleges Still Getting Greener. By Jack Kadden, NYTimes, October 7, 2009. "Times may be tough, but colleges are not abandoning their efforts to be green, according to the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, released on Wednesday morning by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Of the 322 schools evaluated this year, 56% earned higher grades than in previous years, while 13% showed slight declines. 'New financial realities encouraged saving money by adopting environmentally friendly innovations,' said the institute's executive director, Mark Orlowski. 'Colleges are now taking pride in greener campuses and sustainability-savvy investments -- increasingly important concerns for parents and students in choosing a school'... Mr. Orlowski said the survey revealed several trends, including a sharp rise in the number of schools with a sustainability office, to 45%, from 22%. He also said that bicycle-sharing programs are now offered by 46 percent of the schools surveyed, up from 36%."