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2016 Corporate Sustainability Leaders

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A bevy of iconic brands have been singled out as the world's leading sustainability companies. The results of the 2016 GlobeScan/SustainAbility survey of corporate sustainability leaders were released on June 7th 2016. The list is formally known as the The 2016 Sustainability Leaders and his year it was produced in partnership with Sustainable Brands,

The Sustainability Leaders Survey tracks expert opinions on the evolution of sustainability. These experts are now saying that values and purpose are "top drivers" of change. Leaders in sustainability excel at integrating social and environmental purpose into their core business. Leading companies also model innovation and set ambitious goals.

Mark Lee, Executive Director at SustainAbility commented: “Sustainability experts now believe that national governments and the private sector must take equal responsibility for advancing sustainable development over the next two decades, with 34% of experts rating each as vital to progress. Expectations for governments to lead have gradually decreased in recent years, while those for the private sector have been rising. Multi-sectoral partnerships are also seen as playing a central role.”

This year Unilever, Patagonia, Interface, IKEA, Tesla, Nestlé and Natura are among the top-rated global leaders on sustainability. Tesla is the only new addition in the top 13 this year.

The survey sampled 900 experts in 84 countries were asked to identify three companies that are leaders in integrating sustainability into their business strategy. Four in ten experts singled out Unilever as a global leader on sustainability. This is the sixth year in a row that Unilever has made the list. A feat not accomplished by any other company in the survey's almost two decade long history.

North America is the most competitive when it comes to sustainability: Patagonia leads with 16 percent followed by Nike at 10 percent, Interface at 8 percent and at Walmart 7 percent.

To see the full results of the survey click here.

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Glaxo­SmithKline Doing Well by Doing Good

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Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) is at the top of Fortune's 2016 Change the World list. They are being recognized for their exemplary corporate citizenship. In an age of rampant profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry, Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) has stood out by making it their business to give back.

The practices of GSK stand in stark contrast to other recent pharmaceutical news. Martin Shkreli bought the rights to a life saving HIV drug called Daraprim,then he hiked up the price by 5,000 percent. CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals Heather Bresch raised the price of an EpiPen pack to more than $600.

As reviewed in Fortune, Glaxo­SmithKline is a 300 year old company that built its name with products like baby formula and penicillin. The company made almost $16 billion in 2015 and they use their wealth to do good. They are working on vaccines for malaria and the Zika virus and they support HIV treatment programs in places like Botswana. The prices they charge are a function of people's means and the company reinvests 20 percent of the profits to local health care infrastructure and worker training.

Sustainability is part of Glaxo. As they say on the website GSK is focused on, "improving the quality of human life." They are committed to reducing the environmental impacts of their products and they have set ambitious goals to reduce carbon, water and waste. They are leaders in green chemistry.

In 2014 Glaxo was recognised for outstanding sustainable business practices at the Singapore Environmental Achievement Awards 2014 and in 2010 they recieved the Environmental Stewardship Award from Nalco.

Glaxo is number one on Fortune's annual Change the World list. This list of 50 companies are leading efforts to address major societal problems, reducing damage to the environment, strengthening communities, serving the underserved, and significantly improving lives. They are also generating a profit. The average return on publicly traded stocks in last year’s list was 16.6 percent which was even better than the S&P 500.

For the complete Change the World 2016 list of companies click here.

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Green Business Award Winners in 2016 (Guardian and Environmental Leader)

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Here is a summary of sustainable businesses, projects and individuals that are leading the way forward. As we teeter on the brink of tipping points, sustainability leadership is more important than ever. Awards that recognize the best companies, projects and individuals lead by example and serve as valuable models. In addition to well deserved recognition these efforts put sustainability on display, showcasing achievements that other businesses can follow. Here is a summary of green awards that have been handed out to businesses and individuals in the first half of 2016. This list includes Guardian's Sustainable Business Awards as well as Environmental Leaders Product and Project of the year awards.


Guardian 2016 Sustainable Business Awards

The sixth annual Guardian Sustainable Business Awards celebrate those organizations and individuals going above and beyond to tackle the global challenges we face. As explained by Environmental Leader:

"In the wake of the Paris climate talks and the launch of the global goals, 2016 is the year that businesses are ramping up their engagement with sustainability."

Bold move
Winner - Páramo
Runner up - Southern Water

Waste
Winner - Winnow
Runner up - Interface

Water
Winner - Innocent drinks

Finance for good
Winner - Social Stock Exchange
Runner up - Carbon Tracker Initiative

Supply chain
Winner - SABMiller
Runner up - Pennine Pack Ltd

Social impact
Winner - The University of Manchester
Runners up - Shared Interest Society and Neighbourly

Diversity and inclusion
Winner - Marcatus QED
Runner up - Microlink PC (UK) Ltd

Net positive
Winner - IKEA UK and Ireland
Runner up - Good Energy

Communicating sustainability
Winner - Climate-KIC
Runner up - CTC and Diva Creative Ltd

Collaboration
Winner - Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation
Runner up - Falcon Coffees Limited

Carbon and energy management
Winner - Wyke Farms
Runner up - ENWORKS

Built environment
Winner - The Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia
Runner up - XCO2 Energy

Startup of the year 
Winner - Winnow
Runner up - Guru Systems

Sustainable business leader of the year 
Paul Corcoran

Unsung sustainability hero of the year
Rachel Bradley

Click here for the full list.

Environmental Leader's 2016 Product & Project Awards

The fourth annual Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards, recognizes excellence in the fields of environmental sustainability and energy management. As explained by Environmental Leader:

"Each year since the inception of the Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards program, the range and quality of the entries has risen... The community of providers continues to address the rising demand for cost-effective solutions to address complex environmental, sustainability, and energy management challenges. And end-user organizations are becoming more creative in applying the available solutions to get real results."

Product of the Year Award winners:

3M: 3M Petrifilm Plates
AkzoNobel's Marine Coatings Business, International: Carbon Credits
Big Ass Solutions: Essence
Big Ass Solutions: Haiku Light
Bloomberg LP, The Water Risk Valuation Tool: Lee Ballin
DePuy Synthes, Companies of Johnson & Johnson: ATTUNE Knee System LOGICLOCK tibial Base
DePuy Synthes, Companies of Johnson & Johnson: Attune Knee INTUITION
Ecometrica: the Ecometrica Platform
Enablon: The Enablon Enterprise-Class Platform
FoundationFootprint: FoundationFootprint
GridPoint: GridPoint Energy Management System
Hilton Worldwide: LightStay
IHS: Repsol EMISphere
Lakeshore Recycling Systems: Lakeshore Recycling Systems Sustainable Business Model
Leidos: AMPLIFY Application Management Platform for Energy Efficiency Programs
Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Co. of America: Panasonic Vacuum Insulation Panel
Petro-Canada Lubricants Inc: HYDREX XV
Quantis: Life Cycle Perceptions Game
Rapport: Rapport
Source Intelligence: Supply Chain Compliance Tool
SunPower Corporation: Cradle to Cradle Certified SunPower E and X Series DC Panels
Thermo King, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: Thermo King Truck and Trailer Refrigeration Units in Europe
Thinkstep Compliance Limited: EC4P
Thinkstep Compliance Limited: BOMcheck Substances Declarations Web Database
Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: CenTraVac Water Chiller Models CVHH and CDHH
Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand: Sintesis
UL EHS Sustainability: cr360
Urjanet: Urjanet Utility Data Service
Waste to Energy Partners: Bolder Black
WeNow: WeNowBox

Top Project of the Year Award winners:

ALDI Inc: ALDI Energy Management Systems, Siemens Rollout
AMD: 25 x 20 Energy Efficiency Initiative
Ameresco: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Arby's, Ecova, Powerhouse Dynamics and Weathermatic: How Arby's Leveraged Ecova and a Partnered Water Meter Solution to Save over 7M Gallons of Water
Caesars Entertainment: Enterprise Waste Diversion Project
Consumer Technology Association and National Cable & Telecommunications Association: Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes
Domtar: Plymouth K-Lime
Dow Water & Process Solutions: Camp de Tarragona DEMOWARE Municipal Wastewater Reuse Project
General Motors: Chevrolet Volt Battery Secondary Reuse Project
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Energy Management Program
IHS: Repsol EMISphere
Jackson Family Wines: Tesla Stationary Energy Storage System
Leidos: Hawaii Energy Conservation and Efficiency Program
MillerCoors: MillerCoors Irwindale Brewery Solar Array
Timberland: Empowering Haitian Farmers through Tree Planting
United States Business Council for Sustainable Development: United States Materials Marketplace

Click here to download the full Awards Report.

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The Top Sustainability Focused Innovations of 2015

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Innovation is more than a buzzword, it is an absolutely essential component of the required efforts needed to address the environmental and climate crisis we are facing. Here is a summary of some of the best sustainability focused innovations of 2015 from Sustainia.

On December 6th, 2015 the fourth Sustainia awards celebrated a number of groundbreaking sustainability solutions, technologies and projects from around the world. In honor of COP21 the awards took place in Paris, home to the COP21 climate talks.

The Sustania Award Committee is composed of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Honorary Chair of Sustainia, Chair of Regions20 and Former Governor of California; Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC; Connie Hedegaard, Chair, KR Foundation, Former European Commissioner for Climate Action and Dr. Rajendra Pachauri Former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC.

Sustania's top ten finalists for the most sustainable innovations of 2015 are:

Buildings: Archiblox (Australia) - energy-positive prefabricated houses.
Food: SunCulture (US) - solar-powered drip irrigation for smallholders.
Fashion: Vigga.us (Denmark) - leasing organic kids-wear.
IT: Mapdwell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) - 3D solar potential mapping tool.
Education: Seoul Metropolitan Government (South Korea) - citizen engagement for voluntary behaviour change.
Energy: Mobisol (Germany) - micro-financed off-grid solar power.
Health: Solar Ear (Brazil) - solar-powered hearing aids with open source design.
Cities: City of Johannesburg (South Africa) - green bonds finance city climate action.

The winner of the 2015 Sustania Award

In 2015 the Sustania Award went to a transportation redesign for the Indian city Chennai. This innovation was created by the Corporation of Chennai, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy and Chennai City Connect Foundation (India). The redesign is focused on creating streets for walking and biking as a solution to the city’s air pollution and traffic casualties.

The solution requires at least 60 per cent of the city’s transport budget to be allocated to a full-scale redesign including expanded footpaths, safe pedestrian crossings, protected cycle tracks, properly scaled carriageways, conveniently placed bus stops and clearly designated on-street parking.

Smart transport adaptations will reduce air pollution which is Chennai’s (and many other cities) top health risk. Given that motorized transport in cities are a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, this is a solution with far-reaching health and environmental benefits. It is also designed to reduce the 10,000 traffic accidents and resulting deaths and injuries in Chennai.

Sustainia Community Award

The people's choice award known as the Sustainia Community Award went to resources finalist for a project called Social Plastic. It was designed by the: Plastic Bank (Canada) and it turns plastic waste into currency. This innovative solution to resource management offers communities a way to collect waste plastic and repurpose it as a form of currency. While removing plastic waste from the environment, it also gives individuals the chance to improve their livelihoods and encourages companies to purchase and use this recycled material. With as much as 12.7 tons of plastic washes into the ocean every year, this innovation is a way to save all the animals that are killed by plastic each year, it will also help protect human health from the toxins that leach from the plastic into the food chain.

The Plastic Bank (TPB) offers a concrete solution encouraging the behaviour change needed to meet this systemic challenge. Operating as a social enterprise , TPB removes plastic litter from beaches and oceans by offering local communities the opportunity to bring collected waste to a plastic bank facility, where it can be repurposed. In exchange, they receive basic goods and tools, in addition to access to 3D printers enabling them to create items for themselves and to sell within the community. Furthermore, TPB also encourages businesses to take part in the initiative by buying social plastic.

Over 400 people representing more than 70 different countries have already applied to operate a Social Plastic Recycling Market in their region. In 2015, meetings were held at the home offices of Unilever, Seventh Generation, Method Home and various other global brands to discuss the process for the ongoing purchase and promotion of Social Plastic®.. TPB was awarded the Recycling Council of British Columbia’s Innovation Award in May 2014 for developing 3D printing technology. Their open source 3D printing filament extruder can create the source stock for 3D printers using recycled Social Plastic®.

TPB’s Vancouver Lab is successfully producing recycled 3D printable filament for 30 cents per pound. This same filament can be used to create products that are worth $ 5, $ 10 or even $ 100 per pound, according to the organization. Repurposing at scale: Marine plastic waste can wash up on any shore, in any part of the world, as freely as the wind blows and the tides turn.

Click here for the complete list of Sutainia's 100 sustainable innovations for 2015.

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The Best of Green in 2015: Products, Projects, Leaders, Corporations, CEOs and Chemistry

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Here are some of the best of the best in the green economy from 2015. This includes the best products and projects of the year, the top sustainability leaders and corporate citizens, leading innovative bioeconomy CEOs and the best green chemistry companies. These lists are derived from Energy Manager Today, edie, Corporate Responsiblity (CR) Magazine, Il Bioeconomista and the EPA.

Products

In alphabetical order here are the inaugural Energy Manager Today Product and Project Award winners for 2015:

Adobe - Stem Energy Storage
Big Ass Solutions, Haiku with SenseME
Blue Pillar, Aurora
EnergyCAP, Inc., EnergyCAP
Green Charge Networks, Energy Storage Platform
GridPoint, GridPoint Energy Manager
Hyster Company, PSI Industrial Lift Truck Engines Featuring Hyster Variable Power Technology
JLL, IntelliCommand Smart Building Solutions
Lennox International, Energence Ultra Rooftop Units
Lucid BuildingOS
Meazon SA, Zi-Clamp
NexRev Inc., DrivePak HVAC Efficiency Retrofit
Panoramic Power, Device Level Energy Management
Schneider Electric, Altivar Process
Schneider Electric, EcoBreeze AirEconomizer
Schneider Electric, Resource Advisor’s, Performance Analytics and Energy Performance Services
Urjanet, Urjanet Utility Data

Projects
 
ABM, Wright State University Building and Energy Solutions
ABM Government  ServicesGSA LA ESPC GS-09P- 12-KS-C-0023
Big Ass Solutions, Cassidy Elementary School, Lexington, KY
Bueno Crown Casino - Energy and Operational Savings across a multi-use entertainment complex
Cascades, Heat Recovery Steam Generator
Caterpillar, Thinking Outside AND Inside the Box to Reduce CO2 Emissions
Daintree Networks, Universal Music Group Energy Efficiency Project
Digital Lumens, Atlas Box Deploys
Digital Lumens to Achieve Energy Intelligence
Ensight Pty. Ltd., Energy Leadership, Program, Richards Bay Minerals
FirstFuel Software E.ON UK Energy Toolkit for SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) Customers
Powerhouse Dynamics, Saving the Bottom Line at Bertucci’s
Saint-Gobain Corporation
Vancouver Impact Mill, Heat Recovery
STV, Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot

UK Sustainability Leaders

The ninth edie Sustainability Leaders Awards celebrated a number of individuals and organizations in 2015. These people and companies setting the standard for more responsible business. 

Opening the awards, edie editor Luke Nicholls said: "The Sustainability Leaders Awards have become a shining example of how the green industrial revolution is entering the corporate mainstream. All of this year's finalists have shifted from talking about ambitious sustainability initiatives to delivering them at scale and at pace. And in many cases, they’re already seeing a huge return on investment."

Sustainable Business of the Year - Willmott Dixon
Sustainability Leader - Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia
Carbon Management - National Grid
Energy Management - Heathrow Airport
Employee Engagement & Behaviour Change - Tesco with Global Action Plan
Sustainability Product Innovation - Genesis Biosciences
Sustainability Product Innovation: Energy Efficiency - Lontra
Sustainability Professional - Anthony Kingsley, Vacherin
Sustainable Business Models - Mud Jeans
Sustainability Reporting - Marks & Spencer
Sustainable Packaging - LINPAC Packaging
Sustainable Supply Chains - KPMG
Waste & Resource Management - DS Smith
Water Management - Southern Water

Best Corporate Citizens

The fifth annual ranking of Corporate Responsiblity Magazine's best corporate citizens including the top performers in the following sectors: business services, consumer items, consumer staples, energy, financial, healthcare, information technology, materials, media and entertainment, and utilities.

By industry, the best corporate citizens for 2015 are:

Business Services — Ecolab
Consumer Items — Hasbro
Consumer Staples — Campbell Soup Co.
Energy — Hess
Financials/Insurance/Real Estate — Jones Lang LaSalle
Healthcare — Johnson & Johnson
Information Technology — Microsoft
Materials — Sigma-Aldrich
Media & Entertainment — Walt Disney Co.
Utilities — Entergy

Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs

Here is Il Bioeconomista's inaugural list of the most innovative bioeconomy CEOs for 2015:

Vincent Chornet, Ceo of Enerkem (Canada)
Carlos Fadigas, Ceo of Braskem (Brazil)
Benjamin Gonzalez, Ceo of Metabolix Explorer (France)
Ilkka Hämälä, Ceo of Metsä Fibre (Finland)
Jennifer Holmgren, Ceo of Lanzatech (New Zealand/USA)
Maxim Katinov, Ceo of GFBiochemicals (Italy)
Hariolf Kottmann, Ceo of Clariant (Switzerland)
Jussi Pesonen, Ceo of UPM (Finland)
Marc Simmers, Ceo of Celtic Renewables (Scotland)
Tom van Aken, Ceo of Avantium (The Netherlands)

Green Chemistry

Here are the EPA's winning companies in the 2015 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge:

Algenol in Fort Myers, Florida, was recognized for developing a blue-green algae to produce ethanol and other fuels. The algae uses CO2 from air or industrial emitters with sunlight and saltwater to create fuel while reducing the carbon footprint, costs and water usage, with no reliance on food crops as feedstocks.

Hybrid Coating Technologies/Nanotech Industries of Daly City, California, was recognized for developing a safer, plant-based polyurethane for use on floors, furniture and in foam insulation. The technology eliminates the use of isocyanates, the top cause of workplace asthma.

LanzaTech in Skokie, Illinois, was recognized for the development of a process that uses waste gas to produce fuels and chemicals, reducing companies’ carbon footprint. LanzaTech has partnered with Global Fortune 500 Companies and others to use this technology, including facilities that can each produce 100,000 gallons per year of ethanol, and a number of chemical ingredients for the manufacture of plastics.

SOLTEX (Synthetic Oils and Lubricants of Texas) in Houston, Texas, was recognized for developing a new chemical reaction process that eliminates the use of water and reduces hazardous chemicals in the production of additives for lubricants and gasoline. If widely used, this technology has the potential to eliminate millions of gallons of wastewater per year and reduce the use of a hazardous chemical by 50 percent.

Renmatix in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was recognized for developing a process using supercritical water to more cost effectively break down plant material into sugars used as building blocks for renewable chemicals and fuels. This low-cost process could result in a sizeable increase in the production of plant-based chemicals and fuels, and reduce the dependence on petroleum fuels.

Professor Eugene Chen of Colorado State University was recognized for developing a process that uses plant-based materials in the production of renewable chemicals and liquid fuels. This new technology is waste-free and metal-free.

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America's Top 10 Most Wasteful States

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Inforgraphic - Ranking of the Greenest States in America

Inforgraphic - Ranking of the Greenest States in America
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Ideal Bite's Green Tuesday Event

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Best Green Colleges: Sierra's Cool Schools 2012 (Video)

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Best Green Colleges: Princeton Review 2013 (Video)

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Princeton Review 2013 Green Honor Roll Ranking of US Colleges

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In this years Princeton Honor Roll, 21 colleges earned the highest score (99). The Princeton Review's fifth annual "Green Ratings" of colleges is a measure of how environmentally friendly the institutions are on a scale of 60 to 99. The Company tallied the rating for 806 institutions based on its institutional surveys of colleges in 2011-12 concerning their environmentally related practices, policies and academic offerings.

The "Green Rating" scores appear in the Princeton Review profiles of the colleges on www.PrincetonReview.com and in the new 2013 editions of two Princeton Review guidebooks published by Random House, Inc: "The Complete Book of Colleges" published August 7, and "The Best 377 Colleges" which went on sale August 21 in a print edition and a new enhanced eBook edition.

Here is an alphabetical listing of the twenty-one top ranked colleges that earned a place on the "2013 Green Rating Honor Roll." The list, which appears on www.PrincetonReview.com and in "The Best 377 Colleges" includes:

American University (Washington DC)
Arizona State University (Tempe)
California Institute of Technology (Pasadena)
California State University, Chico*
Catawba College (Salisbury, NC)
Chatham University* (Pittsburgh, PA)
College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME)
Columbia University (New York, NY)
Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)
Goucher College (Baltimore, MD)
Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT)
Harvard College (Cambridge, MA)
Northeastern University (Boston, MA)
San Francisco State University* (San Francisco, CA)
University of California – Santa Cruz
University of South Carolina – Columbia
University of Washington (Seattle) University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh*
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point*
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
Warren Wilson College (Asheville NC)

*Schools with an asterisk are not profiled in "The Best 377 Colleges," but they are profiled in The Princeton Review's "The Complete Book of Colleges" and/or its website.

Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP / Publisher noted the rising interest among students in attending "green" colleges. Among 7,445 college applicants Princeton Review surveyed in 2012 for its "College Hopes & Worries Survey," 68% said having information about a college's commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.

Criteria for Princeton Review's Green Rating cover three areas: 1/ whether the school's students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, 2/ how well the school is preparing its students for employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges, and 3/ the school's overall commitment to environmental issues.

The institutional survey for the rating included questions on energy use, recycling, food, buildings, and transportation as well as academic offerings and action plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (See list below.) The Princeton Review developed its Green Rating with ecoAmerica (www.ecoamerica.org), a non-profit environmental organization, in 2007-08.

The Princeton Review dedicated a resource area on its site www.princetonreview.com/green for students interested in attending a green college. There, users can also download "The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition" – the only free, comprehensive guidebook to the nation's most environmentally responsible colleges. The 230-page guide is a project The Princeton Review has done for three years in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org). Published April 20, 2012, it has profiles of schools that received scores of 83 or higher in the Company's 2012 tallies for its Green Ratings. The guide can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.aspx or at www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.

Criteria for The Princeton Review's "Green Rating"

The Princeton Review tallied the "Green Rating "scores based on data it obtained in 2011-2012 from the colleges in response to an institutional survey. The survey included questions asking the schools to report:

1) The percentage of food expenditures that goes toward local, organic or otherwise environmentally preferable food 2) Whether the school offers programs including free bus passes, universal access transit passes, bike sharing/renting, car sharing, carpool parking, vanpooling or guaranteed rides home to encourage alternatives to single-passenger automobile use for students 3) Whether the school has a formal committee with participation from students that is devoted to advancing sustainability on campus 4) Whether new buildings are required to be LEED (environmental certification of equipment/appliances) Silver certified or comparable 5) The school's overall waste diversion rate 6) Whether the school has an environmental studies major, minor or concentration 7) Whether the school has an environmental literacy requirement for all of its graduates 8) Whether the school has produced a publicly available greenhouse gas emissions inventory and adopted a climate action plan consistent with 80 percent greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 targets 9) What percentage of the school's energy consumption is derived from renewable resources 10) Whether the school employs a dedicated full-time sustainability officer.  

About The Princeton Review College Ratings and College Rankings

The Princeton Review college ratings are scores on a scale of 60 to 99 that the Company annually tallies for hundreds of colleges in eight categories including Academics, Admissions Selectivity, Financial Aid, Fire Safety, and Green. The scores appear on college profiles on its site and in its college guidebooks. The ratings are based primarily on institutional data.

The Princeton Review college rankings are lists of schools in 62 categories (in rank order: 1 to 20) based entirely on the Company's surveys of 122,000 students attending the schools in its book, "The Best 377 Colleges." The survey asks students to rate their own schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences at them. About The Princeton Review

Founded in 1981, The Princeton Review is a privately held education services company headquartered in Framingham, MA. The Company has long been a leader in helping college and graduate school–bound 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. The Princeton Review is not a magazine, and the Company is not affiliated with Princeton University.

For more information go to the Priceton Review Website. 

To see the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges click here.

To see the full list of schools click here.

To see the full list of schools by state click here. 

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EPA's Green Power Partnerships Top 20 Colleges & Universities

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The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500® companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power use of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

Using green power helps reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and supports the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Usage amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA Partnership requirements using any combination of three different product options: (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) On-site generation, and (3) Utility green power products.

Usage figures are based on annualized Partner contract amounts (kilowatt-hours), not calendar year totals. These rankings are updated on a quarterly schedule. Find out how your organization can partner with EPA today!

For more information click here.

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Bschool.com's "10 Great Companies Who Were Green Before It Was Cool"

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Bschool.com, recently published its list of the "10 Great Companies Who Were Green Before It Was Cool." This group of ten companies were instituting sustainable principles well before it became a trendy marketing ploy. Here is Bschool.com's list of the green pioneers that have been at the forefront of the sustainable business revolution:

1. Patagonia: Patagonia, a California-based clothing company, has a long history of being a green business. Founded in 1972 by Yvon Chouinard, it has been a contributor to environmental causes since the beginnings, contributing 1% of their total sales or 10% of their profit (whichever is more) to earth-focused charities and organizations. Since the program was started, the company has donated over $25 million to over 1,000 groups. Their commitment to green doesn't stop there; as their facilities have served as models of LEED certification, they have supported a number of environmental initiatives -including a clothing recycling program and an internship program.

2. The Body Shop: Today, The Body Shop has over 2,400 stores in 61 countries. But back in 1976, it was just the dream of one woman who decided to open a natural and organic personal care store in her West Sussex hometown after being inspired by a California visit. While the shop started out selling natural products, its social activism increased over the years, with initiatives to help save the whales, not test on animals, support women and stop human rights abuses. Today, these initiatives which made the company so revolutionary (and ultimately profitable) when it was founded are still in place, with Community Trade programs that help locals get a fair price for the products they sell to the company. Of course, The Body Shop hasn't been without controversy, and a story in 2004 indicated that they might not be as green as they claimed to be.

3. Whole Foods: Based in Austin, Texas, this natural foods retail chain started in 1978 when John Mackey and his girlfriend opened a small store. A few years later, after merging with another one, Whole Foods was born and has since expanded to over 302 stores in the United States, Canada and the UK. Whole Foods is 3rd on the EPA's "Top 25 Green Power Partners" and is regarded as one of the most socially responsible businesses operating in the U.S. today. The store focuses on retailing food and personal care products that have met their standards for being natural or organic and that do not harm animal or human welfare. This green pioneer in the food market hasn't been without criticism in recent years, but its CEO and founder has assured customers that the company would work hard in the coming years to return to focusing on their roots by carrying less junk food.

4. Eden Foods: Eden Foods was founded over 40 years ago in 1968, when a group of students at the University of Michigan decided they were tired of the unhealthy, often chemical-laden offerings sold at the grocery store. Unable to find local retailers that sold something better, as this was well before the days of Whole Foods, they started their own organic food co-op. This eventually turned into a retail store, and the retail store into a production and distribution business that is one of the biggest and most trusted names in natural foods today. Eden Foods' commitment to natural products continues, and with the popularity of soy products and organic produce, the business brings in around $75 million in annual revenue, showing that being green can actually earn you green.

5. Collins Companies: History tells us that loggers and timber companies back in the day didn't give much thought to the long-term consequences of their practices, but there are some exceptions to that -and Collins is a good example. It has been using responsible forestry practices since the 1940s, never clear-cutting or destroying old growth trees when possible. The company has since further refined their practices, earning them Forest Stewardship Council certification. It might have meant losing some control over their business, but it has also resulted in bigger profits, cost and energy saving methods of operations and innovative practices that have kept it greener and leaner than its competitors.

6. Tom's of Maine: Tom's of Maine was founded in 1970 by Tom and Kate Chappell with a small investment of just $5,000. Since its humble beginnings, the company has focused on producing natural personal care products. They manufacture deodorants, soaps, and toothpaste using natural ingredients and without performing any animal testing. Many of their products are actually vegan. The company became so successful that in 2006, Colgate-Palmolive set out to buy it. The original owners sold it, but on the condition that any products sold under the name would still adhere to their natural and animal-friendly policies.

7. Honda: Honda has made a name for itself worldwide by selling some of the most popular and fuel-efficient cars manufactured in the world today. Yet even before Honda got into the green market it was a business focused on reducing waste and running lean and clean. Honda rolled out its "Green Purchasing Guidelines" in 2001, which laid out ways that the manufacturer could reduce greenhouse gases and reduce its carbon footprint through better supply chain management. While many other automakers have complained about stringent new emissions guidelines, Honda has been hard at work engineering ways to meet them, developing both a hybrid car and one that is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. Working with the goal of being the greenest automaker in the world, the company has promised to reduce its CO2 emissions by 5% over the next few years, on top of reductions they've already made.

8. Xerox: Xerox has never been a business that reveled in waste, even when it could have made them more money selling products. The company has consistently worked to find ways to help office workers create the documents they need without using extra products or paper; in 1969 they introduced the first double sided copier. While they've always had a commitment to the lean ideal, the company has concentrated its efforts over the past 15 years to roll out a pretty serious commitment to going green. This includes a digital DocuShare program, a reduction in packaging and energy consumption, changes in supply chain management, reduction in the use of toxic materials, ink cartridge recycling and companywide contests challenging employees to come up with environmentally-friendly designs. These changes haven't just been good for the environment (cutting an estimated 2.6 million pounds of waste) but have also saved the company $10.2 million in 2010 alone.

9. Stonyfield Farm: Visit almost any grocery store today and you'll see dairy products from this sustainable producer. While they might be popular today, two decades ago when the company was founded, finding funding and marketing all-natural foods wasn't quite as easy as it is today. Company founder Gary Hirshberg managed to turn his farm with a mere seven cows into a thriving sustainable and socially responsible business with annual revenue of over $250 million. Stonyfield hasn't forgotten its green roots, however. They use only organic ingredients, donate 10 percent of their profits to environmental causes and use a number of energy-saving processes to produce their products making them not only admirable green pioneers but a model to be emulated for any of today's sustainable entrepreneurs.

10. Seventh Generation: The head of Seventh Generation, Jeffery Hollender became intrigued by the ideas of natural and earth-friendly cleaning and personal care products, he sold his company and joined the team at Seventh Generation. Founded in 1988, it has been working for decades to make eco-friendly products more readily available to consumers, well before most other businesses were keyed into the idea of being green. The company uses recycled and post-consumer materials in its packaging and products and can now be found in most natural food stores across the United States, bringing in revenue of over $150 million last year.

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