Furman featured in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges

Furman University is one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges, according to The Princeton Review^®.

The education services company features Furman in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2022 Edition.

The Princeton Review chose the 420 schools in the guide based on its survey of administrators at 835 colleges in 2020-21 about their institutions’ commitments to the environment and sustainability. Colleges that earned a Green Rating score of 80 or higher were chosen for the Guide to Green Colleges. Furman earned a score of 88 out of 99.

“Furman students engage in a wide variety of sustainability research and co-curricular activities, including working at the on-campus, organic-practice Furman Farm,” states The Princeton Review’s profile of Furman. “Furman was a charter signatory to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and the Board of Trustees approved a sustainability master plan for the university, setting a goal of carbon neutrality by 2026. One would be remiss not to mention Furman’s claim to the first LEED-certified building in South Carolina, Hipp Hall, just another testament to the university’s sterling résumé.”

Noted in Furman’s profile is the university’s condensed work week option for some employees, indoor and secure bike storage, shower facilities and lockers for bicycle commuters, public greenhouse gas inventory plan, and that 27% of its food budget is spent on local/organic food.

“Our inclusion in Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges is a testament to Furman’s longstanding commitment to sustainability across our curriculum, operations, and campus and community engagement,” said Weston Dripps, executive director of The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities and a professor of earth, environmental, and sustainability sciences.

“We are proud of our accomplishments to date, and forever strive to improve our sustainability performance, initiatives and opportunities for our students.”

This fall, for the third time in a row, Furman earned a Sustainable Tracking, Assessment and Rating System Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, ranking among the top three baccalaureate schools in the United States.