Earth Day is this Thursday, and during the week, we’ll be spotlighting some colleges and universities that are doing great things to preserve our environment. (Except for tomorrow. We’ll be at the 140 Conference in NYC. More on that later…)

Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA. With a name like Evergreen, it’s difficult to think that this Washington State college could be anything but BFFs with Mother Nature. The good news is that ESC does live up to its name, thanks to its 100 percent commitment to green power usage on campus. It’s even listed as one of the top 20 colleges and universities that are part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership. The commitment to sustainability came about in December of 2004, when Evergreen students voted to make the campus green. Students pay $1 per credit which goes toward the purchasing of green power from renewable sources throughout the state. So if a student takes 15 credits per semester, $15 goes towards the bill. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but this plan actually foots the bill in full. Maybe politicians need to take a page from EGC when it comes to balancing the budget…

University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH. UNH has long been a friend of the environment, no doubt spurred on by the fact that New Hampshire has some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Which is interesting, because UNH’s Durham campus is fueled by pure garbage; that is, a man-made landfill about 10 miles away that produces methane, which is then purified and sent to UNH’s power plant. It’s hard to believe that the smelly pile of coffee grounds and fruit peels can amount to much of anything, but it does add up to 85 percent of the campus’s power. Those New Hampshirites are wicked smaht.

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK. We love a school that helps students go green AND stay fit. At the University of Arkansas, there is not only an active ride share program on campus, but also a Razorbikes loaner program.  The program allows U Ark students to sign up—for free!—for a passcode that will unlock any of the many bikes located throughout campus, making it easy and green to get anywhere on or around campus.

What does your school do to stay green? Leave a comment below and let us know how you make Earth Day every day on your campus.

–The CollegeBound Network