For the fourth consecutive year, CSU Monterey Bay has been named one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in North America.

CSUMB is included in the 2014 edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges.” The guide is a free, downloadable book published in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Center for Green Schools.

In the book, CSUMB is lauded for having a "formidable green pedigree."

The guide noted that CSUMB was an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, and is working toward its goal of being carbon-neutral by 2030 through projects such as the six-acre solar installation that is meeting 16 percent of the university's electricity needs.

Also drawing praise was the university’s food service, which includes organic foods, compostable packaging and serving products and recycling of cooking oil. All buildings on campus have designated recycling areas, and the ubiquity of the blue recycle bins has helped the university achieve a 42 percent waste diversion rate. Even more impressive, according to the guide, is that 90 percent of campus buildings have undergone energy-related retrofits in the last few years. The green learning opportunities, which allow students to take courses in subjects as diverse as environmental writing and food ethics, were also cited. The guide pointed out that the commitment to green continues all the way to graduation – when students cross the stage to receive their degrees in gowns sewn with material made from recycled plastic bottles. The guide is based on a survey the company conducted in 2013. It asked administrators at hundreds of colleges about their institution’s sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. Using survey data that covered 25 fields, the guide tallied its “Green Ratings” – scores from 60 to 99 – for more than 800 schools. The schools in the guide earned scores of 83 or above.

Learn more about sustainability at CSUMB. Read the university's Climate Action Plan.