Report Card on Colleges

America's colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to train future leaders on environmental issues.

• NWF Staff
• Oct 01, 2001

America's colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to train future leaders on environmental issues. Are they doing enough, both in their course offerings and in the examples they set for students? The results of the largest environmental survey of institutions of higher learning in the United States show both notable achievements and areas for future improvement. Following are some of the findings.

Colleges and universities that:

Recycle aluminum
85 percent

Recycle paper 
84 percent

Recycle plastics 
46 percent

Offer majors or minors in environmental studies 
35 percent

Use renewable energy sources 
24 percent

Have policies for making environmentally sound investments 
15 percent

Survey of 891 colleges and universities conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates for the National Wildlife Federation. Margin of error: +/- 3 percent.