Sierra Club names Randolph a ‘Cool School’ for 2016

Randolph students are highly involved in the College’s sustainable practices. Pictured is a workshop on strawbale construction led by Jessy Spencer ’17 this summer.

Randolph is one of 201 higher education institutions across the nation to be named a “2016 Cool School” by the Sierra Club. Only three other Virginia schools earned the honor.

Participation in Sierra magazine’s Cool Schools ranking is open to all four-year, degree-granting undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States. Sierra scores participating schools based on data in a variety of categories.

Randolph was ranked 159th on the 2016 list. Sustainability coordinator Sara Woodward said Randolph earned its score in categories like renewable energy, waste diversion, storm-water management, and greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have done amazing work over the past few years in these and other sustainability areas, from securing the purchase of renewable electricity to managing the Organic Garden, and everything in between,” Woodward said. “The renovation of Wright Hall certainly contributed to our ranking this year, thanks to its energy and water saving features. I am thrilled that Randolph was once again recognized as a leader in sustainability among small liberal arts colleges and Virginia higher education institutions.”

To compile this year’s rankings, Sierra used a Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to give colleges and universities a method for tracking and assessing their sustainability programs. This is a self-reporting survey designed to help higher education administrators understand all aspects of campus sustainability and to compare their progress with other schools.

See the complete Cool Schools list at https://sierraclub.org/sierra/2016-5-september-october/cool-schools-2016/full-ranking.