Sierra Magazine Ranks Chatham as one of America's "Greenest Colleges"
PITTSBURGH— Sierra Magazine, the official publication of the Sierra Club, has ranked Chatham University as the country’s 14th greenest university in its annual ranking of the nation’s “Cool Schools.” This is the fifth year in a row that Chatham has earned this top 25 honor, and is the highest ranking the University has achieved to date. The rankings, published in the magazine’s latest issue, salute the higher education institutions across the United States that are weaving sustainability into their culture and upholding high environmental standards.
Chatham is the alma mater of environmental icon, Rachel Carson ’29, and inspired by our famous alumna, Chatham is recognized as an international leader in sustainability today. In recent years, Chatham has been recognized with: a top 5 ranking in the world for sustainability by Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) ; a listing in The Princeton Review‘s Green College Guide five years in a row (including designation as a Top 50 Green College in 2015); and regular recognition as one of the most sustainable universities in the United States by USA Today, Forbes and other national media. Internationally, Chatham was the only North American college or university awarded an Excellence Award for the integration of curriculum and campus in 2013 by the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN), awarded at ISCN’s conference in Singapore.
As a charter signatory of the President’s Climate Commitment, Chatham is committed to being carbon-neutral by 2025. Since signing in 2007, Chatham has had a 36% increase in overall square footage and a 138% increase in student enrollment, yet has reduced net carbon emissions by over 60%. Read more about Chatham's sustainability efforts on our Chatham Views blog.
Chatham’s sustainability efforts have also led to the opening of the net zero, Eden Hall Campus, the first academic community in the world built from the ground up for the study of sustainable living, learning, and development. Using the latest in environmentally responsible technology, design, and innovation, Eden Hall is self-sustaining in every way by managing all waste and storm water on-site, producing more energy than it consumes and aiming for zero carbon emissions. By protecting valuable watersheds, incorporating surrounding land and agricultural resources, and rehabilitating existing farm structures alongside developing new, green buildings at LEED Platinum or higher standards, Eden Hall is a one-of-a-kind venue for education, conferences, community outreach, and ecotourism. Eden Hall is home to Chatham’s Falk School of Sustainability & Environment and its bachelors and masters programs in sustainability and food studies.
Sierra Magazine’s complete “Cool School” rankings, along with this year’s coverage of higher education’s environmental efforts, are online at www.sierraclub.org/coolschools.
About Sierra Magazine
Sierra is the official publication of the Sierra Club, America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.4 million members and supporters nationwide. The Sierra Club works to safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and litigation. For more information, go to www.sierramagazine.com.