From the Editor
As thousands college students all over the country received diplomas this past weekend, marking the completion of several long years of work (and play), for many facility managers on campus, the work is just beginning.  

And these days, facility managers would be remiss if that summer work — whether extensive renovations or simpler operational tweaks — didn’t include an eye toward efficiency and sustainability.

According to The Center for Green Schools at USGBC, 69 percent of high school seniors factor “greenness” into their college selection criteria. So, all that noise you've heard about the soft benefits of green; that it’s a good recruiter? Here’s evidence that your greening efforts will certainly be noticed.

The Princeton Review and USGBC recently released The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges. The free download gives users a complete listing of college’s and university’s green initiatives, like whether the institution has a formal sustainability committee and whether LEED is required for new buildings.

How does your institution stack up, and what will you be doing this summer to improve? 

Cheers,

Greg Zimmerman, editor  

Green Strategies
Five Steps To Green Campuses

This story, by Kristin Simmons of the Center of Green Schools at USGBC, provides short, simple tips on how to green campuses, including real-world examples from Harvard and Western Michigan University.

In the News
Biophilia and Biomimicry Become a Growing Design Ethic for Buildings and Schools

Classrooms strategically designed with biophilic elements can foster optimal health and increased learning rates, according to a report titled The Economics of Biophilia.

Green Multimedia
Implement a Bottom Up Approach to Green
In this video, Peter Strazdas of Western Michigan University talks about how getting “the right person on the right seat on the bus, and be the right cheerleader for them” is the key to on-campus sustainability initiatives.