Awards & Accolades
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.
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.
