This is the time of year where universities are bombarded with high school juniors and seniors looking into the universities they want to apply to or have already been accepted to. Parents and students alike come prepared with tons of questions to ask campus representatives. One question that previous representatives haven’t had to prepare was the sustainability question: Is your campus a green campus?

Traveling by bike is one of the healthiest ways to get around a campus. Many universities that pride themselves on being a green campus promote the use of bikes. Not only do they help decrease emissions of cars or buses, but they help with the personal health of the rider. Nokia has come up with another incentive to bike around campus. While biking, charge your phone!

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With the added sense of environmental awareness, The Princeton Review, a program dedicated to helping students succeed by giving them information on tests, college prep and college statistics, has added a list to the countless amounts of information they have on colleges; The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges.

The Princeton Review took surveys of parents, students and college employees and found out in 2009 having an eco friendly campus and living an eco-lifestyle was important to 66% of high school-age college applicants. Students today feel the urge to learn more about environmental issues and to make their college a green campus.  Rachel Gutter, director for the Center for Green Schools at the Green Building Council said students realize the environmental problems they are inheriting and feel empowered to make a change.

Universities around the country are doing everything they can to become a green campus. From the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ campaign to using naturally fueled buses, being an eco friendly campus is not only the “in” thing, but the smart thing.

There are plenty of things that universities have been doing, but there are also items that individual students can do to make a green campus thrive and support having an eco-lifestyle. Here are 10 environmentally friendly ideas for dorm rooms, apartments and campus life in general to make your campus a more eco friendly campus.