GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Three campuses served by Sodexo earned a coveted top rating of 99 on The Princeton Review's Second Annual Green Rating, which evaluates colleges and universities on their environmentally-related policies, practices and academic offerings. Nearly one third of the campuses noted for their successful sustainability programs in the The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges, which was produced in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, are served by Sodexo.

"Sustainability is a strategic initiative for many of our campus clients so we work hard to deliver solutions that reduce waste, carbon emissions and source and serve locally-grown products," said Tom Post, Sodexo president of campus services. "Today's students want sustainable campus communities and we help deliver, knowing it helps our clients attract and retain students."

Sodexo, through its contracted foodservice and facilities management, contributed to the following campuses earning green distinction, including Binghamton University, Colorado College, and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).

Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y. in collaboration with Sodexo, collects approximately 2,500 pounds of compostable waste from campus dining halls, the University's Food Co-op and the main campus kitchen. Binghamton University has reduced the amount of disposable items used in dining halls across campus and either recycles or composts more than 90 percent of current service ware. Sodexo has participated in the Food Alliance for several years at Binghamton University. Food Alliance partners commit to use as much in-season, organic and local produce and dairy products as possible. Binghamton earned first place for New York state and seventh nationwide for the recycling of bottles and cans in the Recyclemania, a national contest among college campuses to collect the largest amount of recyclables.

Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo., through Sodexo-contracted facilities management, was able to attain LEED-Gold certification at the Cornerstone Arts Center because of its green-cleaning program, which has reduced the number of cleaning products by half and significantly reduced water use by switching to microfiber cloths and mops. Sodexo helped Colorado College earn a third-place ranking - out of 346 campuses - for Recyclemania. Sodexo collects or manages all waste on campus. Sodexo continues to innovate by using the latest cleaning technology on campus, which uses only water for cleaning.

Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., launched a program that diverted 146 tons of food waste from local landfills through composting efforts this year, which moved Georgia Tech much closer to being waste neutral. Sodexo purchased more than $100,000 in local produce this year. GT Dining, the main resident dining hall, began to implement the results of an extensive energy audit. The audit included replacing older equipment with energy-efficient equipment and creating an energy plan to raise awareness and significantly reduce energy consumption. Sodexo is working with Georgia Tech administration, faculty, staff, vendors and students to set priorities to continue to reduce carbon emissions within food services by 26 percent.

The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges list highlighted 74 Sodexo-served campuses including: Bentley University, Berea College, Brevard College, Bryant University, Central Connecticut State University, Centre College, Clark University, Colby College, Colgate University, College of New Jersey, Colorado College, Creighton University, Denison University, Drexel University, Emory University, Fairfield University, Framingham State College, Franklin and Marshall College, George Mason University, Hampshire College, Harvey Mudd College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ithaca College, Kalamazoo College, Keene State College, Keystone College, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Linfield College, Lipscomb University, Luther College, Marquette University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Montclair State University, Muhlenberg College, Niagara University, Northern Arizona University, Plymouth State University, Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rowan University, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Saint Mary's college of California, Saint Michael's College, Seattle Pacific University, Southern New Hampshire University, Southern New Hampshire University, State University of New York-College of Oneonta, State University of New York-New Paltz, Stetson University, Suffolk University, Temple University, Texas Christian University, Tulane University, Union College, University of Alabama -Huntsville, University of California-Davis, University of Denver, University of Idaho, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of La Verne, University of Massachusetts - Boston, University of Redlands, University of South Carolina-Columbia, University of Tulsa, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Ursinus College, Utah State University, Warren Wilson College, Western Kentucky University, Western Washington University and Whittier College.

These achievements demonstrate Sodexo's commitment to work together with clients, suppliers and customers to take measurable sustainable actions today in the areas of environment, health and wellness and community that ensures a better tomorrow. Read more about Sodexo's Better Tomorrow Plan.

Sodexo in North America

Sodexo, Inc. (www.sodexoUSA.com), a member of Sodexo Group, is a leading provider of Comprehensive Service Solutions serving more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care, retirement, schools, higher education, government and remote sites. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., Sodexo, Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. The Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org) is an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $12.7 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.sodexoUSA.com/blog.

SOURCE Sodexo, Inc.