Stonehill Once Again Named a Top “Green College” by Princeton Review

The Princeton Review is once again recognizing Stonehill for its commitment to sustainability, naming the College one of the top green colleges in the nation. In its 2019 Guide to Green Colleges, Stonehill received an 88 out of 99 possible points in the "sustainability" category, one point higher than in 2018. The publication said the following on our program:

Stonehill College’s commitment to sustainability is certainly impressive. The school has pledged to reduce its energy usage by 20 percent by 2018. To that end, Stonehill has begun relying on solar farms, electric meters and motion sensor light switches. Lighting retrofits have also been installed to reduce wattage, hence allowing for more energy efficiency.

Importantly, dining services has jumped on the sustainability bandwagon as well. The college’s dining company, Sodexo, composts all pre-consumer scraps. And diners are invited to compost all post-consumer items such vegetables, fruit and salad scraps. The compost is then delivered to a farm where it’s used to enrich the soil.

Fortunately, these initiatives aren’t just spearheaded or celebrated by the administration. Stonehill also encourages their students to pick up the mantle of environmental stewardship. For example, all freshmen receive “green kits” during fall orientation. These kits contain items such as reusable hot and cold tumblers, a reusable to-go container, laundry detergent pods, a reusable bag, a hand towel and a recycling bin.

Undergrads also excitedly participate in campus-wide contests such as “Stop the Drop.” Sponsored by Residence Life, this event pits dorm against dorm in a competition to see which residence hall can conserve the most water. During the 2013 contest, students cut overall usage by 12 percent and the winning dorm cut its usage by an astonishing 32 percent. Undergrads also competed in the 2013 RecycleMania Tournament.

Stonehill ended up ranking 187 out of 273 schools and produced a solid 22.6 percent recycle rate.

Learn more about Stonehill's rating at The Princeton Review's website (login required) here.