DURHAM — The University of New Hampshire has been named one of the nation's top 10 “coolest schools” by Sierra magazine.

The list, now six years running, is a salute to U.S. colleges that are helping to solve climate problems and making significant efforts to operate sustainably.

UNH ranked sixth alongside other schools like the University of California - Davis, Georgia Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The other New England institutions making the top 10 include the University of Connecticut and Yale University.

“We are honored by the Sierra Club's recognition,” said Tom Kelly, UNH chief sustainability officer and founding director of the university's endowed Sustainability Institute. “Sustainability is a core value of UNH. It shapes our culture, informs our behavior, and is a guiding principle of all we do. We look forward to expanding this commitment with faculty, staff, students, and our many community partners over the course of the next year.”

While researching the schools making a difference for the planet, Sierra found commonality among the top 10 major actions taken toward improving sustainability, including energy sourcing, infrastructure, transportation and academics. In addition, substantial efforts are being made to meticulously quantify efforts to attain campus environmental goals.

“Over the last six years, Sierra has been privileged to connect with and learn from traditional institutions evolving in nontraditional ways,” Bob Sipchen, Sierra magazine's editor-in-chief, said in a release. “With their ever growing emphasis on environmental responsibility, these schools are channeling the enthusiasm of their students, who consistently cite climate disruption and other environmental issues as the most serious challenges their generation must confront, while demonstrating leadership for other civic institutions.”

Participation in Sierra magazine's Cool Schools ranking is open to all four-year undergraduate colleges and universities in the United States.

Sierra is the official publication of the Sierra Club, the nation's largest grass-roots environmental organization, with more than 1.4 million members and supporters nationwide.

The complete ranking, along with stories about the winning schools' environmental efforts, are available online at sierraclub.org/coolschools.

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Gretyl Macalaster may be reached at gmacalaster@newstote.com.