The Princeton Review recently ranked Creighton one of the 361 top green campuses.
According to the Princeton Review website, the ranking was based on a focus on sustainability in academics, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation
Princeton Review considered 2,000 colleges for the ranking. Creighton made the top 361 colleges, putting Creighton in the top 20 percent.
According to the Sustainability Council’s “Sustainability at Creighton” brochure, Creighton has progressed toward greater sustainability by developing three academic programs – Sustainability, Energy Technology, and Environmental Science, becoming the first Jesuit University to be designated a Fair Trade University, donating more than 60 tons of materials from residence halls to Goodwill, adding water bottle refill stations and having solar panels and wind turbines on campus.
Jay Leighter, an associate professor of communications and director of the sustainability studies program, said one of the two major areas of success on Creighton campus is “the establishment and the development and the continuing success of the three education programs.”
Though Creighton did make the top 361 greenest schools, it did not make the top 50.
“We are not done,” said Leighter referring to Creighton’s path to a more sustainable campus.
While some students from the Environmental Science Club promote grassroots sustainability initiatives, others look toward large sweeping policy change. Andrew Bodlak, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, is a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability, which was created to recommend a plan for Creighton and its larger communities to become more sustainable.
“You can get caught up in the little things like recycling at Swanson and turning off the flame, and you will miss the big picture,” said Bodlak.
Among the more grassroots changes, however, the Environmental Science Club promotes initiatives like education about recycling and environmentally friendly Christmas wrapping.
“That is how we are going to see change enacted; it is not going to be through sweeping campus legislation by CSU or any mandate on power consumption by the university,” said Ben Merrill, a College of Arts and Sciences junior. “It is going to be students making individual choices to be more sustainable.”
Regardless of the debate over how to best progress toward sustainability at Creighton, Leighter describes Creighton as a leader in the movement toward greater sustainability.
“I would say that we are close to the front,” said Leighter when comparing Creighton to to other American Jesuit colleges and universities.
Though Creighton is ranked one of the top sustainable campuses in the country there are still numerous initiatives in progress to create a greener university.