K-STATE ONLY SCHOOL IN KANSAS TO BE INCLUDED IN NEW GUIDEBOOK ABOUT THE NATION'S MOST GREEN CAMPUSES

Move over, purple. Kansas State University is going green.

That's the view of new guidebook about institutions of higher education that have demonstrated an above-average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.

K-State is the only school in Kansas to be included in the newly released "Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges," a free comprehensive guidebook that profiles the nation's most environmentally responsible campuses. The book was developed by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council.

Based on a survey of hundreds of colleges nationwide, the guidebook profiles the country's most environmentally responsible campuses.

The guide notes that K-State has a plan to achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability that encompasses the curriculum, research, outreach and operations. The guide also mentions that the university's colleges have all introduced courses pertaining to sustainability, and that faculty research projects cover topics such as energy-efficient lighting, sustainable building and green design, textile recycling and supply chain sustainability.

The Princeton Review chose the 286 schools include in the guide based on the green rating scores each received in summer 2009 for the company's online college profiles and/or annual college guidebooks. The green rating is a numerical score from 60 to 99 that's based on several data points. The 286 schools included in the "Green Colleges" guide received scores in the 80th percentile or higher.

The guide can be downloaded at http://www.princetonreview.com/greenguide and http://www.usgbc.org/campus.