2008-07-28 23:58:03 -

www.uoregon.edu - University of Oregon Julie Brown, director of media relations julbrown@uoregon.edu, 541-346-3185 The University of Oregon's commitment to sustainability and environmental issues earned the state's flagship institution the highest possible honors from the Princeton Review, which today released its inaugural "Green Rating Honor Roll."

The UO is among six public and five private

schools on the honor roll, which salutes the colleges and universities for making campuses healthy and sustainable, for preparing students to tackle environmental challenges and for an overall commitment to environmental issues.

"The University of Oregon has long promoted sustainability, and our faculty is engaged in cutting-edge research to find solutions to environmental dilemmas," said UO President Dave Frohnmayer. "We are delighted that we received the highest score possible from the Princeton Review and intend to remain at the forefront of practices and research on sustainability."

The Princeton Review developed the green rating system with ecoAmerica, a nonprofit marketing agency. The system is designed to measure a school's commitment to the environment through "practices, uses of resources and academic and research programs."

From LEED-certified buildings to cutting-edge research, the UO boasts a longstanding commitment to environmental issues and sustainability. The university offers more than 200 sustainability-related courses in the sciences, social sciences and humanities. The green chemistry program has been internationally recognized for its efforts to reduce hazardous waste.

In addition, UO schools of architecture, business and law have especially green reputations. Numerous faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Journalism and Communication are widely respected for their research and teaching in sustainability. Dozens of co-curricular programs offer students opportunities to engage sustainability issues in a real-world context.

The UO also leads by example, with commitments to operational sustainability and a robust student culture that prepares graduates to become leaders capable of facing the 21st century's greatest challenges. From an operational standpoint, the Lillis Business Complex has been called the greenest business school in the nation.

"For generations, society has looked to universities to lead the way on issues like this," said Steve Mital, the UO's director of sustainability. "We're lucky to have so many students, faculty and staff working to transform this campus into a model of sustainability. It feels good to be on the path."

Recent investments in materials science research, sustainable supply chain management and relationship building with Pacific Rim nations, including China, position the UO to confront critical and emerging sustainability challenges on regional, national and global scales.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Links: High-quality audio clip, tinyurl.com/6964po; Web video, tinyurl.com/5kxdzz; UO Sustainability brief, tinyurl.com/6bf4mg; Princeton Review, tinyurl.com/55pyjj;

NOTE: Web video and this release available at tinyurl.com/5kxdzz. Audio clip featuring UO President Dave Frohnmayer available at tinyurl.com/6964po.

¶ UO makes Princeton Review's "Green Honor Roll"