Oberlin College Named #1 of Top 10 "Cool" Schools by Sierra Club Magazine

Congratulations to Oberlin College (full disclosure - my alma mater) which was named #1 by Sierra magazine on its list of Top 10 Cool Schools, with criteria ranging from green building policies and energy purchases to "the food served in their dorms," wrote Jennifer Jattan in the article "Go Big Green," published in the Nov/Dec 2007 isssue of the Sierra Club magazine, which has a circulation of 1.2 million readers. One-third of the food served in the dining halls is produced locally; the college hosts the first car-sharing program in Ohio; and a large portion of its electricity is from green sources. Writing about Oberlin, the editors also point out that “a real-time monitoring system tracks 17 dorms and displays how much juice all those laptops, blenders, and iPod chargers are burning at any moment. Last spring Oberlin held its first eco-friendly commencement, with biodegradable utensils and programs printed on 100 percent recycled paper.”

“Many young people see environmental problems—especially global warming—as the challenge of their generation,” write the editors, adding that 400 college and university presidents have signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to make their institutions carbon neutral; Oberlin was the first of its peer institutions to sign the pledge.

Oberlin is followed by Harvard University, Warren Wilson College, the University of California system, Duke University, and Middlebury College.

How does your alma mater rank in sustainability?