Enviance and Environmental Leader Release the “Environmental Eight” As Top Schools Advance to Second Round of March Madness Tournament

CARLSBAD, Calif. & DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enviance, Inc. and Environmental Leader today unveiled the “Environmental Eight,” in the second round of the first-ever March Madness tournament for Environmental Studies, designed to reward excellence in environmental studies. One of these eight schools, which were all named to the “Sustainable 16” two weeks ago, is now just two rounds away from being named “National Champion.” In order to be considered for the “Environmental Eight,” the “Sustainable 16” schools submitted photo, video and essay submissions to show their environmental and sustainability prowess, which were then evaluated by a panel of expert judges from well-respected organizations.

“The schools that make up the ‘Environmental Eight’ have all demonstrated a significant dedication to, and pride in, their environmental studies programs”

The Environmental Eight are (alphabetically):

1. Colby College

2. Colorado State University

3. Humboldt State University

4. Ohio State University

5. Purdue University

6. Rochester Institute of Technology

7. University of California, Davis

8. University of Texas at Arlington

“The schools that make up the ‘Environmental Eight’ have all demonstrated a significant dedication to, and pride in, their environmental studies programs,” said Lawrence Goldenhersh, CEO and president of Enviance, and a tournament judge. “We’re proud to be pioneering a program that rewards the institutions that are preparing the best and brightest environmental professionals. We’re looking forward to the upcoming rounds, where we will announce and recognize the ‘Final Four’ and crown the ‘National Champion’.”

Tournament Methodology

The March Madness Tournament for Environmental Studies was designed to evaluate colleges and universities on their academic and sustainability prowess as it relates to the environment, in a format similar to the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. To be considered, each school submitted a survey response covering topics related to curriculum, graduation rate, facilities and student retention. The submissions were evaluated by a panel of expert judges, with the combined recommendations determining the “Sustainable 16.”

Those 16 schools were then given the chance to submit essays, photos and videos to the judges, for further consideration to be included in the “Environmental Eight.”

Judges for this year’s tournament include:

Peter Fox, principal & chairman of The Brattle Group
Velislava Ivanova, global sustainability practice director at CH2M HILL
Larry Goldenhersh, CEO & president of Enviance
Nick Johnson, managing consultant at Trinity Consultants
Don Cuffel, manager of environmental engineering at Valero/California

The call for submissions has now closed. The “Final Four” will be announced this Friday, March 30. The “National Champion” will be announced the following Monday, April 2.

Tournament Prizes

The tournament will award $5,000 to the environmental and sustainability department of one “National Champion,” and send the department chair or member of the faculty on an all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego to attend the Enviance User Conference, April 16-20. While there, the winner will lead a panel titled, “What Tomorrow’s Environmental Leaders Need to Know.”

For more information on the March Madness Tournament for environmental studies, please email Enviance@schwartzmsl.com, or visit http://www.enviance.com/march-madness or http://www.environmentalleader.com. You can also receive real-time updates on Twitter by following @enviance or @ELDaily.

About Enviance

Enviance is the leading provider of Environmental ERP software, with more than 17,000 users in 49 countries. Our comprehensive solutions have been developed, tested and proven by serving the world’s leading corporations and government organizations for over a decade. As the world business community faces increasing sustainability challenges, Enviance Environmental ERP solutions enable organizations to measure, manage, report environmental performance and compliance needs. The Enviance system leverages cloud computing technology to deliver its Environmental ERP platform online in real-time—anytime, anywhere and enterprise-wide. Founded in 1999, privately held Enviance is based in Carlsbad, California. For additional information, visit http://www.enviance.com.