If you or someone you know are going to Green Mountain College in Vermont this fall, then you have some eco bragging rights. The school was ranked No. 1 in Sierra magazine's 100 cool schools. Scoring 88.6, the college earned notice for getting power from biomass and biogas.

The magazine sent out questionnaires to 900 colleges, asking about energy sources, food, waste management, academics and transportation, among other things. It ranked the 162 schools that responded.

Two Maryland schools that filled out the survey were Goucher College (114) and University of Maryland Baltimore County (156). (Click on the links to read their questionnaires.)

Earlier this month, another Maryland college earned top points on a different green schools ranking. The University of Maryland College Park made the Princeton Review's "2011 Green Rating Honor Roll," meaning it scored a 99 in the rating tallies.

I was impressed by reading about the green initiatives at the various universities on these rankings, but I wonder how much prospective students take that into account when selecting a school. How important are sustainable practices to you? Sound off in the comments.