Awards & Accolades
Green Mountain College Receives Climate Leadership Award
Green Mountain College received the Second Nature Climate Leadership Award June 23 at the fifth annual Climate Leadership Summit of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in Washington, D.C. GMC received the award for achieving climate neutrality in 2011. GMC is only the second college in the nation to reach this goal, and the first to do it through efficiency, adoption of clean energy, and purchase of quantifiable local carbon offsets. Learn more.
GMC Named "Coolest School" in the Country
Green Mountain College has earned the title of greenest college in the nation from Sierra magazine in its annual “Coolest Schools” survey. GMC earned a score of 88.6 out of a possible 100 in the assessment, which ranks colleges and universities in categories including efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration and financial investments. In the cover story of its September/October 2010 issue, the magazine lauds GMC as the MVP when it comes to creativity in sustainability. Learn more.
SAGE Hall Achieves LEED Gold Certification
Green Mountain College has announced that one of its residence halls has been designated as a LEED(r) gold certified building by the U.S. Green Building Council. SAGE Hall, which stands for "Students for Academic and Green Engagement," is the seventh major gold certified building in Vermont and the first in Rutland County. It is also the first renovated college residence hall in Vermont to receive gold certification. Learn more.
GMC Highlighted in Sustainability:
The Journal of Record
The October 2009 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record featured Green Mountain College’s focus on sustainability, the Environmental Liberal Arts Program, and GMC’s strides in reaching climate neutrality by 2011. The article also chronicles recent initiatives including the Renewable Energy and EcoDesign (REED) certificate for undergraduates and the College’s MBA and MS in environmental studies programs. Read the story here.
GMC Highlighted in National Wildlife Federation's
2009 Campus Ecology Report
Two Green Mountain College case studies were highlighted in the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) 2009 Campus Ecology report. One case study reported on a student initiative that led to construction of the College's biomass plant, which will go online in 2010. A second case study focused on the College's solar hot water system installed last spring at Cerridwen Farm. Published each year since 1989, NWF's Campus Ecology sustainability case study database (formerly called the Campus Ecology Yearbook) is the only resource of its kind in the U.S.
GMC Recognized by Nature for Sustainability Efforts
Green Mountain College’s sustainability initiatives are featured in an issue of the journal Nature. The story quotes GMC President Paul Fonteyn discussing the planned biomass facility, and includes statistics regarding expected carbon emission and cost savings. Institutions from across the country that have signed on to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment are profiled in the article. Read the story, published online Sept. 9, 2009.
Sustainability Innovator Award
Green Mountain College was one of only three schools in North America to receive a 2009 Sustainability Innovator Award. The College’s Student Campus Greening Fund was recognized by The Sustainable Endowments Institute as an exemplary student-run program designed to put into action greening initiatives and reduce the school’s environmental impact.
The Sustainable Endowments Institute publishes an online national Report Card designed to identify colleges and universities that are leading by example in their commitment to sustainability. The Report Card also serves as a tool for high school students in selecting a college, and for college students interested in improving sustainable practices on campus.
One of Top 75 Green Colleges
The online magazine Kiwi included Green Mountain College as one of the top 75 environmental institutions of higher learning in the U.S.
Kiwi’s 2008 Green College Report features pioneer schools in campus sustainability and environmental stewardship. The magazine cited the College's Farm and Food Project, including the two-acre organic garden and solar- and wind-powered greenhouse. Kiwi publishes the annual report to inform parents about choices of schools that place a high value on sustainability.
A College of Distinction
Green Mountain College is among a select group of institutions profiled in Colleges of Distinction, a guide that highlights 200 colleges and universities from across the country that excel at engaging students, providing outstanding teaching, offering vibrant communities, and producing successful outcomes. The guidebook assists high school students and parents in finding colleges that suit individual personalities and career objectives, and focuses on four-year institutions that are considered “hidden gems."
Campus Sustainability Leadership Award
In 2007, Green Mountain College earned one of four Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
The awards recognize institutions from across the country that have demonstrated an outstanding overall commitment to sustainability in their governance and administration, curriculum and research, operations, campus culture, and community outreach. Award winners were selected by pools of campus sustainability experts assembled by AASHE.
GMC's nomination package cited many of the initiatives and programs aimed at encouraged a culture of sustainability on campus, including GMC's on-campus farm, the Student Campus Greening Fund and the College's commitment to Cow Power.
GMC Named to Grist List
Green Mountain College recently earned a spot on Grist Magazine's top 15 "Green Colleges and Universities" list. The website dedicated to environmental issues cited GMC's Environmental Liberal Arts core curriculum and its Energy Star Showcase Award.
EPA Recognition for Green Power Purchase
As part of the 2007-08 College & University Green Power Challenge, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized GMC for its use of green power.
Out of athletic conferences from across the country, GMC’s athletic conference, the Association of Division III Independents, finished sixth for its collective green power purchase. Within the conference, GMC ranked second with 60 percent of its energy needs met with green power.
“These conferences and their representative schools are displaying environmental leadership by buying green power to reduce the environmental impacts associated with their conventional electricity use,” according to a statement from the EPA.
Energy Star Showcase Campus
In 1999, Green Mountain College completed a campus-wide overhaul of its lighting and plumbing fixtures, becoming the first EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus in the nation.
Energy Efficiency Award
Green Mountain College, in cooperation with the village of Poultney, earned a 2004 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award from the EPA for the Vermont Change-A-Light Campaign. The goal was to get every household in Poultney to replace at least one incandescent light bulb with an energy efficient bulb.