TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has been included among the top “Green” colleges across the country for its dedication to environmentalism supported through sustainability campus programs, policies, and practices.
The Princeton Review’s 2023 edition of the “Guide to Green Colleges” has cited Rose-Hulman among the many other environmentally conscious universities across the United States.
“We have had an institute-wide commitment to sustainability for several years and this Green Colleges listing is recognition of those extraordinary efforts by our administration, faculty, staff, and students to have a healthy campus environment and leave the world a better place,” said Robert A. Coons, Rose-Hulman President. “Our continued commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency can be found throughout campus in our buildings, academic programs, and student activities.”
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) gave Rose-Hulman’s Academic Building, built in 2020-21, full WELL certification for the technology and design that commits to increasing health and wellness in all aspects of the human experience. With the first building in the state to achieve WELL certification, Rose-Hulman works to meet all the requirements. The building must maintain a standard of air, water, comfort, light, fitness, nourishment, and mind features that affect the overall health and well-being of individuals. Continuing to pursue environmental sustainability, other buildings on campus such as residential buildings, and additional academic buildings have seen redesigns or have been designed with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability across the campus.
Along with the commitment to providing sustainable buildings, Rose-Hulman’s Chemistry and biology Departments have become Indiana’s first higher-education institutions to take on a Green Chemistry Commitment. Working to incorporate green chemistry theory and practices into courses, Rose-Hulman is consistently improving the accessibility of green chemistry while also educating students to help build a more sustainable future.
Among other courses offered across campus, Rose-Hulman is encouraging students in all areas of study to adopt sustainable approaches in their fields. Offering an introduction to sustainability course, the departments of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts will have the opportunity to travel to Belgium and the Netherlands in 2023 to visit and study historic renewable energy resources such as windmills and wind farms, solar farms, and greenhouses that span across Europe, while also meeting environmental activists and scientists making strides in sustainability.
Outside of classes, Rose-Hulman members of the Engineers for a Sustainable World student organization maintain a campus community garden as a part of their continued commitment to the environment. Recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation, Rose-Hulman has received the Tree Campus Higher Education designation for the last four years for the university’s efforts in forest management and other conservation goals, achieving nearly 250,000 trees throughout the institute’s 1,300-acre campus.
