The Record

CSB/SJU named ‘exemplary green’ school

By: Theresa Kerr

The CSB/SJU campuses were nationally ranked and honored in the Princeton Review’s first “Guide to 286 Green Colleges.” The review identifies and rates “green” institutions that serve as examples for other college campuses.

Princeton’s Review recognized CSB/SJU as signing on with the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and creating a sustainability plan.

“We have a strong ‘green’ curriculum, and the administration is taking steps to be more sustainable,” Sustainability Fellow Theo Eggermont said. “We have set 2035 as our carbon neutral date, have sustainable campus committees on campus and as the write up on CSB/SJU notes, we provide easy transportation between CSB and SJU and have the Arboretum.”

The free busing system to and from both campuses reduces cars on campus and accounts for 80 percent of alternative transportation for students.

Mike Juntunen, the Transportation Bus Link director, continues to make steps for the Link to become more efficient and “green.”

“(We will) continue to improve the schedule to be more efficient, provide the best possible service to our customer and look at and research better and more efficient buses as we purchase them into the future.” Juntunen said.

The Link provides a large number of students’ transportation to and from each class day to day.

“On odd days just during the class times we transport 4,027 students and on even we transport 3,721 each day,” Juntunen said. “This does not include nights and weekends. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday we transported 158,854 riders so far in the 2009-2010 academic year.”

Along with Juntunen, Eggermont believes this recognition is another great step to a more “green” and sustainable campus.

“It is an honor. There are 683 presidents’ climate commitment signatories. These are the colleges and universities that are committed to sustainability, and we made the top 286 according to this review,” Eggermont said.

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