GVSU listed in guide to top schools with green programs

A guide to green jobs listed Grand Valley State University among the top schools in the country with outstanding sustainability programs on campus.

Peterson's "Green Jobs for a New Economy: The Career Guide to Emerging Opportunities" listed Grand Valley and the University of Michigan as the two Michigan schools among what editors called "top 50 four-year schools with great green programs." The newly released guide is published by Peterson's, a New Jersey-based search provider of colleges and universities, graduate schools, private schools and study guides for students.

The section about Grand Valley listed the university's Sustainable Community Development Initiative, campus projects and organizations, and academic programs that focus on sustainability. Also highlighted was Grand Valley's efforts in RecycleMania, a nationwide college competition to see which schools recycle the most campus waste.

Norman Christopher, executive director of the Sustainable Community Development Initiative, said he was pleased with Grand Valley’s inclusion in Peterson's guide. "This shows that Grand Valley has made a commitment to sustainability, both inside and outside the classroom," he said. "This guide is for people who are looking for schools with green programs, or people who are looking for a job in the new economy and want to come to a university with a great reputation for education in sustainability best practices."

Grand Valley offers some 200 individual sustainability-themed courses, as well as natural resource management, environmental studies, earth and environmental theme, liberal studies sustainability major, and new courses like green chemistry.

Grand Valley was one of the top 25 cutting-edge green and environmentally responsible colleges in the United States as listed in the 2009 Kaplan College Guide. It also received the highest "green" rating among Michigan’s colleges and universities, according to an annual report by the Princeton Review.