With up to 75 percent of classes touching on aspects of <a href="/about/environmental-commitment/sustainability-in-the-curriculum/">environmental and social sustainability</a>, College of the Atlantic is Princeton Review's #1 Green College of 2017, the second year in a row the school has landed the top spot.With up to 75 percent of classes touching on aspects of environmental and social sustainability, College of the Atlantic is Princeton Review's #1 Green College of 2017, the second year in a row the school has landed the top spot.COA’s central focus on an interdisciplinary, experiential study of the interactions between humans and the environment attracts students and faculty with a strong commitment to sustainability. Generations of students, taking advantage of COA’s participatory governance system, have developed and implemented policies and practices for greening the school’s operations, including fossil fuel divestment, policies on meat procurement, paper purchasing, zero waste, and eliminating containerized water.

Among College of the Atlantic's 300 acres of forest and farmlands is the 73-acre <a href="/farms/beech-hill-farm/">Beech Hill Farm</a>, a MOFGA-certified organic farm with fields in vegetable production, heirloom apple orchards, animal pastures, greenhouses, and open forest.Among College of the Atlantic's 300 acres of forest and farmlands is the 73-acre Beech Hill Farm, a MOFGA-certified organic farm with fields in vegetable production, heirloom apple orchards, animal pastures, greenhouses, and open forest.Among the College’s many green distinctions noted by Princeton Review: COA became the first carbon-neutral college in 2007; COA owns and stewards 300 acres of forest and farmland, which provide research and educational opportunities for students and faculty; and the college’s hands-on curriculum involves students in implementing COA’s commitment to become a fossil fuel-free campus by 2030—already COA classes have participated in energy audits and have researched, sited, and installed solar photovoltaic arrays on campus.

Both Princeton Review and Sierra Club have ranked COA as the top sustainability-focused college in the nation for 2016 and 2017.

“Environmental and social sustainability have been in our DNA since day one, and these concerns continue to be the focus of so much of what we do here,” said College of the Atlantic President Darron Collins ’92. “Our students wouldn’t have it any other way. They are driven to create positive change in the world, and it’s our responsibility to give them the tools to allow that to happen.”

Available on the company’s website, Princeton Review’s “Guide to 375 Green Colleges, 2017” profiles colleges with the most exceptional commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives, and activities. Detailed online profiles give college applicants information about each school’s admission requirements, cost and financial aid, as well as student body facts and stats.

“Our online Green Guide offers really helpful information for students about green majors and careers and the benefits of choosing a green college,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief. “We strongly recommend the schools in this guide to environmentally-minded students who seek to study and live at green colleges.”

College of the Atlantic's interdisciplinary curriculum provides the combination of skills nee...College of the Atlantic's interdisciplinary curriculum provides the combination of skills needed to effectively advocate for renewable energy and implement local projects. Opportunities to work on local energy projects are available to all, not just advanced engineering students.College of the Atlantic, Colby College, and University of Maine are the only Maine schools among Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges.

The Princeton Review developed the Top 50 ranking list using data from its institutional survey for its Green Rating and its surveys of students attending the colleges. Ten data points from the institutional survey were factored into the assessment. Data from the student survey included student ratings of how sustainability issues influenced their education and life on campus; administration and student support for environmental awareness and conservation efforts; and the visibility and impact of student environmental groups. The guide, first published in 2010, may be found at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide.

With two offshore island research stations, including theAlice Eno Field Research Station on Grea...With two offshore island research stations, including theAlice Eno Field Research Station on Great Duck Island, above, College of the Atlantic offers ample opportunity for ecological fieldwork.College of the Atlantic is the first college in the U.S. to focus on the relationship between humans and the environment. The intentionally small school of 350 students and 35 faculty members offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in human ecology – the study of how humans interact with our natural, social and technological environments. Each student develops their own course of study in human ecology, collaborating and innovating across multiple disciplines. Both The Sierra Club and The Princeton Review named College of the Atlantic the #1 Green College in the United States in 2016 and 2017. Learn more at coa.edu.