College Board Takes Steps to Go Green
Contrary to Kermit the Frog’s opinion, being green is not only easy, it’s important. Over the past few years, and especially in recent months, the College Board has made a commitment to becoming a greener organization. From the ever-present recycling bins and energy-efficient lightbulbs, to recycled copy/print paper and reusable cloth rags and natural cleaning products, the College Board is scrubbing up every part of the organization in an effort to be more eco-conscious.
Some great examples of this greening initiative can be seen in the efforts to improve the type and reduce the amount of paper that the College Board produces:
- The publishing division recently switched most priced (or trade) publications to 100 percent recycled (40 percent post-consumer generated) paper. This includes, among others, the bestselling The Official SAT Study Guide™, the College Handbook and the Book of Majors.
- Materials used for the covers of these books, as well as for posters and other communications pieces, are sourced exclusively through organizations certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. These third-party review boards help to ensure that forests are responsibly managed and that the production of paper from them has not caused undue stress to the environment or the surrounding communities.
- The primary way that students receive their SAT® scores is now online. Instead of automatically receiving a paper score report, only those students who choose to receive a paper score report or who originally registered by mail, will receive a printed piece in their mailboxes.
- More booklets and brochures are being transitioned to the Web, where they can be printed on demand. In other cases, content from similar materials is being consolidated in order to reduce paper waste.
Even conference giveaway items have become greener. Reusable canvas bags have replaced
disposable plastic ones at College Board events, and popular post-it notes are now made primarily
from recycled materials.
The College Board has made great progress, and there’s more to be done. From the introduction of
recycled paper for test booklets to catering that makes better use of local products, this organization
continues to seek new ways to balance environmental concerns with its mission of inspiring educational opportunity and success.
If you have ideas or suggestion on how to further the cause, please e-mail the College Board at greenenvironment@collegeboard.org.
