Students who graduate from Washington University will be more prepared for environmentally conscious careers because of the school’s commitment to sustainability, according to the director of ratings for The Princeton Review.

The Princeton Review’s 2013 Guide to 322 Green Colleges released last week places the University as one of the top institutions nationwide showing significant dedication to the environment, not only in course offerings but also in infrastructure and career preparation.

“Students are realizing with the changing economy that green jobs are likely to rise and going to a school who shows a commitment to sustainability is in their interests, given they will likely be more prepared than a student who is not in that type of environment on campus,” David Soto, director of ratings for The Princeton Review, said.

The Green Guide was created using schools’ green ratings from last July. Those ratings were generated from surveys in which schools were asked about their environmentally aware practices regarding quality of life, preparation for “green” jobs and administrative involvement.

The guide is the latest of the college guidance provider’s lists that commend Wash. U.’s dedication to its students in academics and other services and amenities. Soto noted that “green comforts” like locally grown food can actually improve a student’s experience.

“Every time we come up with a ranking and list, we have parents and students in mind,” Soto said. “These schools are preparing students for [a] green economy while also providing those green comforts.”

The Princeton Review consistently surveys parents and adults on what matters to them in the college admissions process, and Soto said that while affordability is their primary concern, sustainability is not significantly far behind.

Phil Valko, Washington University’s director of sustainability, said that most prospective students are primarily interested in the University’s academics, but many still care strongly about the school’s environmental efforts.

“I had a prospective student come in and drop by our office this week. She was trying to make a decision between schools and sustainability is a thing that’s very important to her,” Valko said. “My guess is she’s just one of many students that have it on their radar.”

Sophomore Amy Fjerstad, a student in the Pathfinder Program in Environmental Sustainability, said the school’s focus on green initiatives was an important factor in her decision-making process.

“One of the appeals of Wash. U., and probably the main reason I came here, was because of its emphasis on sustainability,” Fjerstad said. “There are so many options available to students here to help them be more sustainable—the recycling bins outnumber the normal trash cans and we have all these eco to-go boxes—that I think that even people that don’t really care about it are still forced to make some eco-friendly choices in even the smallest of ways.”

The Green Guide specifically cited Washington University’s LEED Silver certified buildings, free U-Passes and bottled water ban as particularly praiseworthy. Valko said that the Office of Sustainability is also working to decrease waste and make sure the student apartment complex being constructed on the Delmar Loop stays in line to be the school’s first LEED Platinum certified building.

Valko’s office has also just hired an alternative transportation coordinator to work one-on-one with students and staff to help create a stronger culture around alternative transportation.

Freshman Arjay Parhar, though, noted that she sees significantly more institutional than personal dedication to sustainability.

“I’ve just noticed little things, like how people back home would take efforts to turn off the water while they brushed their teeth, while the people I live with here don’t really do that,” Parhar said. “I know people that just throw things away, without a care about whether it’s in the right trash can or not. It seems like Wash. U. itself really tries to emphasize sustainability, but there are still a lot of students that don’t seem to follow up on the efforts.”

Valko said the rankings are important because, in the long term, they can lead to a more green-conscious student body.

“Part of the value that I see in rankings like this Princeton Review ranking is it has the potential to help build a feedback loop where prospective students [looking at the ratings] are those same students, when they’re at the institution, [who] are very actively engaged and helping the effort to make the institution more sustainable,” Valko said.

“And it gives all of us working hard on it…a really nice pat on the back for the progress we have made,” he added.

Soto said that while some ranking metrics vary from year to year, The Princeton Review is trying to maintain consistency to give schools solid benchmarks for improvement.

“Generally the method has remained the same—we think it really allows schools to measure their own progress when it comes to becoming a sustainable institution,” Soto said. “It is constantly evolving, but we think we have a pretty good handle on the methodology.”

With additional reporting by Divya Kumar.