The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa was selected as one of the nation’s leaders in sustainability, according to The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges, released on October 15.
The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on a survey it conducted in 2023–24 of administrators at nearly 600 colleges about their institutions’ sustainability-related policies, practices and programs. The company also surveyed students attending the colleges about their “green” campus experiences. The school selections were based on more than 25 data points from the surveys.
UH Mānoa earned a green rating score of 84. The rating provides a comprehensive measure of a school’s performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.
“Our recognition by The Princeton Review as a national leader in sustainability is a testament to the dedication of our entire campus community,” UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno said. “This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices in education, research and campus operations.”
“We are delighted to recommend UH Mānoa to students who want their ‘best-fit’ college to also be a ‘green’ one,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review‘s editor-in-chief. “UH Mānoa, which offers excellent academics, also demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability in its campus programs, policies and practices.”
Franek noted that The Princeton Review is seeing substantive interest among college applicants in attending green colleges. Of the nearly 8,000 college-bound students the company polled for its 2024 College Hopes & Worries Survey, 61% said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to or attend a school.
“Our selection as a top Green College highlights the diversity of sustainability efforts at UH Mānoa,” said UH Director of Energy Management Miles Topping. “From investing in sustainable futures through the Green Revolving Fund and Green Workforce Development Programs to Student Registered Independent Organizations like the Student Sustainability Council, we are committed to student engagement, developing an inclusive environment where students help lead the charge toward a greener, more sustainable Hawaiʻi.”
“Itʻs wonderful to see the many sustainability efforts at UH Mānoa recognized within The Princeton Review ranking,” said Makena Coffman, director for the UH Mānoa Institute for Sustainability and Resilience (ISR). “The ranking stems from the collaboration between ISR and the Office of Sustainability to submit our campus’s first sustainability assessment, called AASHE STARS (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System), in 2022. This is the core information that informs The Princeton Review list. Our offices are again working together to update this report in 2025.”
UH Mānoa has a long history of research, education and practice of sustainable principles, including:
- In December 2023, UH Mānoa ranked No. 78 in the U.S. and No. 445 in the world in the 2nd edition of the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Rankings: Sustainability
- UH Mānoa’s accreditation as an international arboretum was renewed for five more years in 2021
- UH Mānoa launched its Institute for Sustainability and Resilience in 2018
For more information, visit the UH Mānoa sustainability website and the UH System sustainability website.
