Grand Valley ranked top 20 in world for sustainable practices

Grand Valley State University ranked 16th for sustainable practices in an international survey called the GreenMetric World University Ranking.

The ranking system was developed by faculty members from Universitas Indonesia and allows universities throughout the world to compare their efforts in sustainability and environment-friendly university management. The system also allows universities in developing countries to evaluate how sustainable they are compared to universities in developed countries.

“Our efforts continue to shine, and now on a global scale,” said Norman Christopher, director of the Sustainable Community Development Initiative. “This new recognition can be a platform for many new discussions, such as our partnerships with international universities where our students travel to study.”

More than 178 universities from 42 countries — including the U.K., Palestine, Chile, Czech Republic and South Africa — participated in the ranking system. Each university submitted information on the main indicators of sustainability: energy and climate change, waste management, water usage, transportation and green statistics.

This is the latest recognition Grand Valley has received for its sustainability efforts. The Princeton Review named Grand Valley a Green College for the second year in its “Guide to 311 Green Colleges: 2011 Edition.” Grand Valley received silver status after completing the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System in 2011.

For more information about the GreenMetric World University Ranking, visit http://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/. For more information about Grand Valley’s sustainability efforts and achievements, visit www.gvsu.edu/sustainability.