Great business leaders today understand that successful organizations are no longer just about the single bottom line, but rather the triple bottom line: people, planet, profits. For this reason, Bentley has continued strong efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and received two recent accolades for its sustainability practices: inclusion in The Princeton Review’s list of top environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, and winning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012-2013 College & University Green Power Challenge for using more green power than any other school in the Northeast-10 Conference.
Princeton Review Guide to 322 Green Colleges
The Princeton Review, an education services company best known for its test prep programs and college rankings, ratings and guidebooks, profiles Bentley in the fourth annual edition of its free downloadable book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges, created in partnership with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with generous support from United Technologies Corp., founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.
The Princeton Review chose the schools for this guide based on a 50-question survey it conducted in 2012 of administrators at hundreds of four-year colleges. The company analyzed data from the survey about the schools' course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment to the environment and to sustainability.
The 322 school profiles in the guide feature essential information for applicants – facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid – plus write-ups on the schools' specific sustainability initiatives. A "Green Facts" sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school's use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.
EPA’s Green Power Challenge
Bentley was also recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a 2012-2013 Individual Conference Champion of the College & University Green Power Challenge for using more green power than any other school in the Northeast-10 Conference.
Since April 2006, EPA’s Green Power Partnership has tracked and recognized the collegiate athletic conferences with the highest combined green power purchases in the nation. The Individual Conference Champion Award recognizes the school that has made the largest individual purchase of green power within a qualifying conference.
Bentley University beat its conference rivals by using 25 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 100 percent of the school’s annual electricity usage. Bentley University purchases renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Renewable Choice Energy, which helps to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the campus’ electricity use.
According to the U.S. EPA, Bentley University’s green power use of 25 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electricity use of nearly 3,000 American homes annually, or the CO2 emissions of nearly 4,000 vehicles per year. The Northeast-10 Conference’s collective green power purchase of nearly 65 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 7,000 average American homes, or the annual CO2 emissions of nearly 10,000 passenger vehicles.
For more information on Bentley's sustainability efforts, visit the Office of Sustainablity's website.
About The Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping students achieve their education and career goals through its test preparation services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses, and more than 150 print and digital books published by Random House, Inc. The Princeton Review delivers its programs via a network of more than 5,000 teachers and tutors in the U.S.A., Canada, and international franchises. The Company also partners with schools and guidance counselors worldwide to provide students with college readiness, test preparation and career planning services.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,400 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower. For more information about EPA’s College and University Green Power Challenge, visit the Challenge website at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/cu_challenge.htm.