When we talk about how much momentum the green movement has gained here in New England, we can't forget to acknowledge the incredible role our regional colleges and universities play. From offering courses on sustainability to funding ever-growing student run organic farms, to hosting symposiums which feature some of the world's most renowned climate scientists, our institutions of higher learning clearly have an incredible role to play in preparing -- and in many ways creating -- tomorrow's green leaders. 

So it was with little surprise that Sierra Magazine's third annual list of "Cool Schools" found New Hampshire's very own flagship UNH right in the thick of things. Just below Harvard and UCLA and above the likes of Yale and NYU, UNH ranked 12th in Sierra's list of 20 schools who are all doing their part to help energize and enliven green initiatives worldwide.

UNH wasn't the only New England school to receive the lofty endorsement. Vermont boasted two schools in the top 5, with Middlebury College landing in the #3 spot, and UVM keeping pace at #4. Meanwhile, the great state of Maine also included twos schools in the top 20: Bar Harbor's College of the Atlantic (#5); and Bates College (#16), and Harvard (#11) made sure Massachusetts got their due as well. Needless to say the list goes a long way in proving how critical our region and its academic institutions are to the growth and continued influence of the green movement, both nationwide as well as across the globe.

In scoring the schools, Sierra incorporated a calculus of 8 distinct factors: Academics; Administration; Efficiency; Energy; Food; Purchasing; Transportation; Waste Management; as well as a 9th category for "bonus points". All categories were scored on a scale of 1-10.

Also be sure to check out Grist's fantastic reporting on the list, which includes a small blurb about each of the schools.