The company’s 2025 list of Green Colleges, released in October, includes 511 different universities from throughout the nation.
“The schools were selected for their exceptional programs, policies, and practices related to sustainability and the environment,” according to the company. Such practices include the use of clean and renewable energy sources like solar power; having a campus sustainability officer; diverting waste from landfills; and offering sustainability-focused degrees.
These colleges were chosen based on an analysis of school-reported data, and student opinions gathered as part of surveys conducted by The Princeton Review.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for high school students as they make decisions as to where to attend college. In fact, 61% of high school students polled as part of the company’s College Hopes & Worries Survey said that a college's sustainability efforts affect whether they will apply to or attend certain schools.
Cal Poly Humboldt has a long-standing commitment to social and environmental stewardship, a responsibility that is deeply rooted in curriculum, policies, and programs across campus. Since 1987, students and graduates have vowed to consider the environmental and social impacts of their decisions through the University’s graduation pledge. The tradition has been adopted by other schools throughout the world.
The University was the first in California to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles on campus after students waged a successful campaign called Take Back the Tap. The Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation led their peers across the nation by divesting from fossil fuels after a successful student advocacy campaign in 2013.
Cal Poly Humboldt earned a STARS Gold rating in 2023 in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. This year marks the University’s fourth STARS honor. The University also earned a Gold Rating in 2017 and 2020, and a Silver Rating in 2013.
The University—which is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2045—also offers students access to groundbreaking research and facilities. Cal Poly Humboldt’s Schatz Energy Research Center is a globally recognized leader in clean and renewable energy technology research. With the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute, Cal Poly Humboldt becomes the first university in the state to offer a space dedicated to uplifting Tribal sovereignty through the research, practice, and preservation of food sovereignty. From Environmental Resources Engineering to the Environment & Community master’s degree, many majors on campus focus on environmental responsibility. Additionally, students can gain a Sustainability minor, a degree that explores real-world problems from a variety of academic perspectives.
For more information about The Princeton Review’s Green Schools or to view Cal Poly Humboldt’s profile, visit www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/green-guide.