Lewis & Clark takes top honor in Princeton Review ranking of greenest colleges

Number one. That’s the spot Lewis & Clark earned in The Princeton Review’s ranking of the 353 most environmentally responsible colleges and universities.

“This honor is validation of the progress we make when we work together in common purpose,” said Lewis & Clark President Barry Glassner. “Throughout our three schools, from our facilities to our academic offerings—including our top-ranked program in environmental law—we integrate research, learning, and action. At Lewis & Clark, we’re always building on our strengths.”  

Princeton Review, the education services company known for its test prep and tutoring services, books, and college rankings features, tallied the scores for 861 colleges this year. They used data from their 2013-14 institutional survey, as well as student surveys that asked about each school’s sustainability-related practices, policies, and academic offerings. Results included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus, administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts, and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups.

Among the more than 10,000 college applicants The Princeton Review surveyed in 2014 for its “College Hopes & Worries Survey,” 61 percent said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.

“I’m incredibly proud of my Lewis & Clark colleagues across our three schools for the creativity, ingenuity, and thoughtfulness they bring to our sustainability efforts every day,” said Janice Weis, associate dean of Lewis & Clark Law School, chair of the Lewis & Clark Sustainability Council, and director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program.

Originally developed in 2007 with ecoAmerica, a nonprofit environmental organization, The Princeton Review updated and modified its “Green Rating” criteria in 2012 as part of a collaboration that brought the company together with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Sierra magazine, and the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI).

“Lewis & Clark is a stellar example of an institutional commitment to sustainability,” said The Princeton Review’s Senior Vice President and Publisher Rob Franek. “From their focus on fundamentals—including resource efficiency and conservation—to their many initiatives that have engaged campus-wide support for sustainability, Lewis & Clark’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni really do live their rallying cry, ‘Earth Day, Every Day.’”

The Lewis & Clark community will celebrate this honor with an event and reception on Earth Day, which this year takes place next Wednesday, April 22. Confirmed guests include Oregon Governor Kate Brown JD ’85, Warm Springs Tribal Chief Delvis Heath, Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer BA ’70, JD ’76, trustees, faculty, alumni, and neighbors.

Sustainability at Lewis & Clark Environmental Studies Program

Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program