Creighton recognized as a ‘Green College’
Creighton University has been recognized in The Princeton Review’s 2026 Guide to Green Colleges. Achieving an impressive green rating score of 86, Creighton stands out for its commitment to fostering a healthy and sustainable campus environment.
The 2026 edition profiles 388 colleges and universities selected by The Princeton Review editors. The survey analyzed more than 25 data points designed to measure a school’s sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. Only colleges that earned a green rating of 80 or higher made the list.
“Guided by our calling to build a hope-filled future, our office has worked to create opportunities that empower our campus to engage in more sustainable ways — hope through action,” said Andrew Baruth, PhD, director of Creighton’s Office of Sustainability Programs.
The announcement comes as institutions across the nation, including Creighton, celebrated Campus Sustainability Month in October. Creighton has consistently been recognized as a green college, including appearing in last year’s listing. The Princeton Review, as part of its research, surveys students about their “green” campus experiences.
“In my experience here at Creighton, I have seen and been offered many opportunities to engage in a sustainable environment,” said Aidan Bendson, a sophomore neuroscience major from Deerwood, Minnesota. “Not only do I see the many amazing clubs like Eco•Reps and Green Jays move to make a direct impact on the health of campus, but we have other clubs and organizations not so connected to sustainability working hard on these issues, too.”
Creighton is guided in this mission by its Sustainable Creighton Initiative (SGI), which, launched in 2022, provides a comprehensive strategy and commitment to care for our common home. The SCI outlines sustainability goals in four major areas: academics, operations, engagement and reporting.
Recently, Creighton announced a grant from Canon USA in support of the University’s new “You ARE Sustainable Creighton” communications and marketing campaign.
“Being named a green college by The Princeton Review again this year doesn’t simply mean we have a strong sustainability office — it means we maintain a strong, committed campus community,” Baruth said.
The Office of Sustainability Programs also recently released its 2024-2025 impact report. This past academic year’s many highlights include:
- 18.6 tons of food waste from the campus dining halls collected and processed into compost. The dining halls also use fully compostable dinnerware and provide reusable Green Box to-go containers.
- More than $22,000 in student-led sustainability projects funded by the University since 2022, including an energy reduction competition this past academic year among the residence halls.
- Sustainability-related content added to 40 academic courses – across a variety of disciplines, from arts and sciences to business, law, nursing, pharmacy and medicine.
- An Eco•Reps program, managed by student leaders, that hosted campus events, a campus clean-up day, a clothing drive and a successful composting event with Christmas at Creighton that collected 1,000 pounds of food waste.
“Among the hundreds of schools we surveyed for this project, Creighton University, which offers excellent academics, is also a stand-out for its record of environmentally responsible practices,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. “We are delighted to recommend it to college applicants who want their ‘best-fit’ college to also be a ‘green’ one.”
