The Princeton Review gave Western a score of 96 out of 99 on their “green colleges” list.

College and University Magazine also named Western’s custodial services the most sustainable in the nation, said Seth Vidana, management analyst for Western’s Office of Sustainability.

The Princeton Review’s annual “Guide to 311 Green Colleges” scored Western 96 on a scale of 60 to 99, Vidana said. More than 700 schools apply to be in the guide, and Western is estimated to be in the top 10 percent of schools that made this list, he said.

“It is an honor and a signifier of our commitment to sustainability,” Vidana said. “It is a result of our continual innovation and improvement in the green school movement.”

College and University Magazine looked at three different criteria when making its decision on custodial services: worker health, occupant health and sustainability of the cleaning products used. This means they look at how the chemicals affects the people using them, the people around them and the environment as a whole, Vidana said.

“Lots of chemicals clean really well,  but are unhealthy to people,” Vidana said. “This shows we are helping to maintain a safe environment.”

In 2005, a green energy fee was imposed on all students based on an initiative to make 100 percent of Western’s electrical power come from a renewable source. Western has reached that goal, being able to purchase enough renewable energy credits from Endeavor Wind Farm in Iowa to offset Western’s carbon footprint, according Vidana’s press release.

The $7 quarterly fee funds student ideas to make Western more green, Vidana said.

Western freshman William Damitio said he thinks the fee is justifiable based on Western’s recent accomplishments.

“I think it is a reasonable amount,” Damitio said. “People will pay it without really thinking about it.”

On April 30, the Green Fee Committee will hear presentations from seven student groups who are proposing projects to help build green energy at Western, Vidana said.

The projects include solar panel energy, a water bottle refilling station and light emitting diodes (LED), a more energy efficient light bulb, in the parking lots. During the meeting, the committee will make decisions on which projects to pursue, he said.

“There is a pretty long road between having an idea and having a fundable and viable project,” Vidana said.

Western’s student-run recycling program currently processes 3,800 pounds of recyclable material daily. A new Western program, 10x12, is working to reduce energy use by 10 percent by 2012, according to the press release.

“Western has been a pioneer for decades in campus sustainability thanks to the visionary leadership of our students, faculty and staff on this very important issue,” Western President Bruce Shepard said in the press release. “It’s the right and smart way to operate.”