The expression “Going Green” is not new to students at SUNY Oswego. The campus has been rated as being one of the top green colleges in the nation for another year in a row by “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 361 Green Colleges.”

A variety of environmentally friendly and energy efficient utilities are very much visible when walking around campus. The presence of facilities for bike commuters: bike storage/racks or lockers can been found near almost every building.

“I think the accessibility of the bike racks are a great part of the campus,” said senior Christopher Britts. “This year I live off campus and don’t want to waste my gas driving here everyday, like who wouldn’t want to be outside, it’s beautiful out this time of year here.”

Shuttle buses, sharing service cars: Zip-cars, and car charging stations on campus have tremendously helped the school, not only become more environmentally responsible, but give more mobile opportunities to students and faculty.

“The shuttle bus saved me from a lot of trouble during the winter when I had to travel from Seneca Hall to Shineman,” said junior Matthew Upright.

Oswego State is also one of few colleges that has a formal sustainability committee and a sustainability officer. The college also spends 13 percent of its food budget on locally grown or organic products for students.
SUNY Oswego also offers a minor in sustainability studies, and in recent years constructed buildings such as Richard Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation; Rice Creek Field Station; and the Village has achieved LEED Gold certification: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The college has been designing their new facilities to meet this LEED standard since 2005, have definitely succeeded, and continues to do so.

College students that are also volunteer firefighters have the ability to receive tuition reimbursements in New York State. Assemblyman Will Barclay calls this a “relatively new program” offered through the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY).

The National Fire Prevention Association has estimated that roughly one hundred thirty nine billion dollars annually are saved by volunteer firefighters stepping up.

Barclay hopes that this program will encourage more students to become volunteers. The deadline for this semester’s program was recently extended to Oct. 16.

Volunteer firefighters attending college can apply online at http://www.fasny.com/index.php/resources/fasny-help/ or by emailing HELP@fasny.com, Attn: John D’Alessandro, Deputy Volunteer Programs Coordinator. Students can also call FASNY toll free at (855) 367-6933.