Green Child Magazine Back-to-School 2012 | Page 58

Back to College

Keeping it Green
By Karen Lee

Will their college be green? Will they offer
local or organic foods in the cafeterias? Will
their rooms have LED light bulbs? Will they
have public transportation? You probably have
more questions than answers.
But before we even look for right green colleges, let’s think about why we should even care
about sending our kids to green colleges.
According to Princeton Review, there are over
4,300 higher education institutions in United
States. Some campuses pre-date Civil War
with poorly designed buildings for today’s lifestyles. Some may be energy inefficient, while
others may waste water and natural resources.
Older buildings can have unhealthy indoor
pollutions filled with toxic chemicals. Not only
that, not all schools have adequate curriculum for degrees in the green economy for our
future leaders.
But on the brighter side, there are a plenty of
greener colleges that have taken actions to
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reduce carbon footprint and some even retrofitted their old buildings for more efficient
energy consumption, saving natural resources.
More and more campuses have LEED buildings and smart dormitories.
If sustainability is important to your family, you’ll most likely feel that a green college
provides a better learning opportunity for your
student. Many greener colleges offer a variety
of environmental courses and advance degrees
in sustainability. A little research helps you find
the right fit for your child, and also to find the
healthiest learning environment.
So how do you know which school is green?
And how do you choose which school is best
for your child?
One of the best lists that rate g