The Sustainable Endowments Institute released its 2010 College Sustainability Report Card on Wednesday, comparing 322 schools across the U.S. on how “green” they are.

According to the Report Card’s Web site, the categories for the grades are as follows: administration; climate change and energy; food and recycling; green buildings; student involvement; transportation; and other categories pertaining to using business for green measures.

56 percent of colleges earned higher grades that they have in previous reports, while only 13 percent had a little bit of a decline in their green performance. The report also shows that while it may be harder to be environmentally conscious, especially in a bad economy, schools are still trying hard to be green.

“New financial realities encouraged saving money by adopting environmentally friendly innovations,” said the institute’s executive director, Mark Orlowski, according to the New York Times. “Colleges are now taking pride in greener campuses and sustainability-savvy investments — increasingly important concerns for parents and students in choosing a school.”

The report gave the award of Overall College Sustainability Leaders to 26 schools who received an A- grade.  These schools ranged from small institutions, like Luther College in Decorah, Iowa; to state schools, like Arizona State and the Universities of Minnesota; to large universities like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Wesleyan.

Many schools showed great improvement. According to the Times, those that had bigger changes include the College of William and Mary, which went from a C to a B; and The New School, which went from a D- to a C+.

Overall, half of the schools in the report received a grade of B- or better.

Our Take:

As the Chronicle of Higher Education said about the report, it is not surprising that the big schools share the top grade, because they have more financial resources, even in tough economic times.

Consider what senior reporter Scott Carlson said about last year’s report, featured on the Chronicle Web site: “[S]ustainability is an inherently difficult thing to measure, and some sustainability advocates have worried that sustainability-rating systems may—like the U.S. News & World Report rankings—do more harm than good.”

I think all schools are capable of still being green in this economy. No, I’d like to say, that all schools should try their hardest, ESPECIALLY because of the economy. Take it as an investment. So if one person is considering buying a Prius, but is shocked at the price tag, think about how much money he’ll save from gas. Colleges should think the same way. If not for the environment, go ahead and think aboout your school’s money. There are plenty of dollars that could be saved by switching green.

Moreover, I am happy to see the report card this year, with all the improvements, especially. It shows growth, and that’s important. Hopefully next year, the marks will be even better.