Sierra magazine ranked the University of Vermont fourth in the country on its just released "10 Coolest Schools" list for its commitment to the environment. Coolest Schools is the cover story in Sierra's September/October issue.

Sierra graded schools on a 1-10 scale in eight categories and awarded bonus points for programs that were exceptional. UVM received a 9 score in efficiency, an 8 score in academics, administration, and purchasing, and a 7 score in energy, food, and waste management. UVM received four of five possible bonus points.

Avital Binshtock, Sierra's lifestyle editor and editor of the Coolest Schools feature, said it was UVM's consistency across all categories that helped it rise to the top.

"A lot of schools shone in one category, but Vermont was one of the first schools we encountered that was consistent in every realm," she said. UVM also received "four of five bonus points, which showed it has some amazing initiatives going on that other schools don't have."

UVM received bonus points for a variety of projects, including its new Clean Energy Fund, the Campus Kitchens Project, an educational campaign opposing bottled water, the university's Sustainable Food Working Group, and the Plant a Row for Hunger project supported by students. UVM also received credit for the large number of students — 204, more than any other college — who participated in Power Shift '09, a youth-led rally in Washington, D.C. on climate change.

According to Gioia Thompson, director of UVM's Office of Sustainability, UVM's growing reputation as one of the country's most environmentally committed schools begins with its long-standing academic program in the environment, one of the country's oldest. "There's a 30-plus year foundation there for our more recent successes," she said.

She also pointed to the institution's 20-year history of investing in energy efficiency and more recent investments like creating an Office of Sustainability and establishing a Clean Energy Fund. Student interest and engagement are perhaps the most important factor. "Their energy and vision make campus sustainability a cool thing to be involved with here," she said. "That's huge."

UVM has received several other accolades for its green campus and practices in recent months. The Sustainable Endowments Institute selected it as one of the nation's six greenest schools in its 2008 Annual Report Card; Forbes magazine included the university in its "10 Greenest Colleges and Universities" list; and the 2009 Kaplan College Guide named it one of the country's "Top 25 Most Environmentally Responsible Schools."

Sierra magazine has 1.2 million readers and is a publication of the Sierra Club, the nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental group

The complete scorecard for the Coolest Schools list is available online at www.sierraclub.org/coolschools.