Often teased for being an Ivy League wannabe, Tufts surpassed its prestigious peers in environmental stewardship years ago. Recent eco-moves include joining a program that lets students help pay for renewable energy projects in Massachusetts through their electricity bills and creating a campus printing service that uses soy-based inks and recycled paper. Tufts is also publishing a new guide to campus life with an eco-map of places where students can find such greenery as free compact fluorescent lightbulbs, recycling bins, and Zipcars.
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Investments: Created a $100 million microfinance fund for investments in developing countries.
Overall commitment to sustainability: Developed the United States' first university-wide environmental policy in the 1990s. Originated the Talloires Declaration, an international campus sustainability agreement signed by more than 300 schools.
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Transportation: With no subsidies for public transit in suburban Medford, the 50 percent of students living off campus receive no incentives to commute green.
If you go Visit tuftslife.com to get the scoop from students on local activities.
Score: 82