How green is your campus?

Colleges and universities from Maine to California have initiated green programs such as instituting freshman car policies to decrease traffic congestion, using integrated pest management instead of pesticides in dorms, and implementing conservation programs in computer labs to reduce unnecessary print jobs.

Leaders at several universities in North CarolinaUNC-Chapel Hill, Guilford College and Appalachian Statehave signed the Talloires Declaration, an international document committing them to more environmentally sustainable campuses. But more can be accomplished with pressure from the students. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to start or improve your green campus program; the University of Colorado-Boulder has an excellent Blueprint for a Green Campus, which addresses a range of measures from water use to building design.