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Galloway, Twp., NJ – The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey has been ranked among the nation’s most environmentally responsible “green colleges” by the highly respected Princeton Review.

Stockton is included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition” released yesterday in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Long an advocate for the environment and the only college or university in the nation located in a federally protected pinelands reserve, Stockton demonstrated its commitments to sustainability and environmental education to earn inclusion in the volume.

“Since its inception, Stockton has embraced sustainability and environmentally-responsible practices,” President Herman J. Saatkamp said. “We are New Jersey’s Green College, fostering accountability and stewardship in research, academic programs, and student learning in our community, nation and internationally. We are delighted to be recognized in the Guide to 322 Green Colleges.”

Stockton’s environmental initiatives and academic programs include one of the nation’s first and largest closed-loop geothermal heating and cooling systems, a new degree program in sustainability and a highly ranked environmental science and marine biology program.

Stockton’s Nacote Creek Field station is near fresh and salt water estuaries and home to the Coastal Research Center, one of the nation’s leading resources for the study or beach erosion and restoration.

The College’s Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System (ATES) is the first project of its kind in the United States. The system, installed in 2008, reduces the amount of energy used to cool Stockton’s buildings by storing cold water underground in the winter and drawing it back out in the summer. Stockton embraces green building practices and includes sustainability as a major component of its long range strategic planning process.

“College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues,” said Robert Franek, Senior VP and Publisher, the Princeton Review. “Nearly seven out of 10 (in a recent survey) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.”

For more information on the guide or to download it, visit www.princetonreview.com

Press Release