A Methodist liberal arts college focused on environmental sustainability that operated 1834–2019 in Vermont.
Green Mountain College offered a distinctive Environmental Liberal Arts curriculum (SLATE) centered on environmental and natural sciences, writing, reading, history, and philosophy. The college provided 23 undergraduate majors and four graduate programs: MBA in Sustainable Business, MS in Environmental Studies, MS in Sustainable Food Systems, and MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities. A notable Progressive Program, based on John Dewey's educational philosophy, allowed students to define their own learning goals in collaboration with faculty.
Green Mountain was recognized as the most highly awarded college for sustainability in the nation. In 2007, it received the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The college was named Sierra Club's #1 Cool School for 2018 and an EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus. Students contributed $30 annually to the Student Campus Greening Fund, which supported renewable energy projects including a biomass plant (opened 2010, $5.8M), wind turbine, and solar panels.
Founded in 1834 as Troy Conference Academy, the institution evolved through multiple names and missions—including a period as Ripley Female College (1863) and Green Mountain Junior College (1937–1974). It became coeducational and four-year in 1974. In late 1990s, the college refocused on environmental literacy. Despite a 2018 USDA Rural Development loan, insufficient income led President Robert W. Allen to announce closure on January 23, 2019. The college closed at the end of the 2018–19 academic year with approximately 430 students; Prescott College agreed to allow students to complete degrees there.
The 155-acre campus sat at the foot of the Taconic Mountains between the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. Students enjoyed a choral group noted as the only collegiate choir in the US with a Welsh-language music repertoire. The college offered wilderness orientation, outdoor programs through GreenMAP, and a farm-to-table program. Athletics featured the Eagles mascot (Larry the Eagle), and the college was recognized as a 2018 Bicycle Friendly University.