Binghamton ranks high for sustainability efforts

Binghamton University has garnered another top-list ranking, this time for being eco-conscious. The University is ranked in the top 50 of more than 700 schools on Princeton Review’s “2023 Top 50 Green Schools” list.

The placement is based on “superb sustainability practices, a strong foundation in sustainability education and a healthy quality of life for students on campus,” according to the Princeton Review.

Martin Larocca, Binghamton University’s resource recovery manager, works to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of campus recycling efforts. He said that the recognition can drive further improvements in sustainability on campus.

“The ranking shows that the efforts of our faculty, staff and students have an impact,” Larocca said.

Those efforts are comprehensive, he noted, and move beyond recycling efforts and into the classroom where the University offers master’s degrees in sustainable communities.

An interdisciplinary degree by the Environmental Studies Program in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Community and Public Affairs, the master’s degree in sustainable communities provides an education for students interested in researching issues that threaten our environment. The degrees, which integrate the three pillars of sustainability — environmental protection, economic vitality and social equity — can also be used to promote leadership in community organization toward environmental goals.

Larocca believes these programs have been a significant step forward.

“During our first-year and transfer orientation events, I meet a growing number of students who have an interest in sustainability or have already been involved with sustainability efforts elsewhere,” Larocca said. “When prospective students see Binghamton University’s efforts, either through our sustainability website or ranking systems like the Princeton Review, they see a University where they can be directly involved.”