Cal Poly Humboldt Named Among Top Green Colleges, Local Impact

Cal Poly Humboldt was recognized in The Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges on November 14, 2025, joining a group of institutions that earned scores of 80 or higher on the Guide's sustainability rating. The listing reflects comprehensive campus policies and practices across academics, operations, and student life, and is based on approximately 25 data points submitted by institutions and their students.

The Guide evaluates factors such as renewable energy use, green certified buildings, waste diversion, sustainability focused academics, and student involvement. Cal Poly Humboldt's inclusion signals sustained campus commitment to environmental stewardship, from curriculum and research to everyday operations. The campus has long emphasized environmental responsibility, beginning with its Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility, established in 1987. Other campus assets cited in reporting include the Schatz Energy Research Center, curriculum options centered on sustainability, the Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program, the Center for Appropriate Technology eco demonstration home, and student programs addressing food security.

The campus also ranks highly in national assessments of waste reduction. In 2025 Cal Poly Humboldt was fourth in the Post Landfill Action Network's Top 10 Zero Waste Campuses list, a standing that complements the Princeton Review recognition. These achievements reflect tangible practices such as diversion of materials from landfill and integration of sustainability themes into student learning and campus life.

For Humboldt County residents the recognition has several local consequences. Increased renewable energy use and improved waste management on campus can reduce local pollution and landfill pressure, with downstream benefits for air and water quality. Student food security programs address a pressing community need, potentially easing burdens on local food banks and improving nutrition for students who live and work in the region. Research and workforce training at centers such as the Schatz Energy Research Center offer pathways for local employment in clean energy and resilience planning.

The recognition also carries implications for public health and equity. Sustainable campus operations intersect with health outcomes through cleaner energy, reduced exposure to pollutants, and enhanced access to healthy food. Cal Poly Humboldt's emphasis on student involvement and community facing programs creates opportunities to center historically underserved populations in local resilience efforts. As counties statewide confront climate related events and economic transition, collaborations between the university, county public health officials, and community organizations could leverage campus expertise to strengthen preparedness and ensure equitable distribution of benefits.

While the Princeton Review listing highlights successes, it also underscores ongoing work needed to scale sustainable infrastructure and to ensure that gains reach vulnerable communities. For Humboldt County, the university's recognition offers both a model and a resource for broader regional strategies that integrate environmental sustainability with public health, economic opportunity, and social justice.