The Results are In: Whose Schools are the Most Sustainable?

Here’s some pretty sweet news out of greenreportcard.org: this year’s Sustainability grades are in, and schools are becoming greener. And while it’s no surprise that college campuses are leading the charge to go green, it is somewhat of a shocker that schools are fairing so well in this department, considering going green costs more money in the short-run and many schools around the country are facing terrible investment losses. The average endowment of profiled schools dropped over 23% this year.

• Administration, which addresses actions each school’s brass have taken to increase sustainability. The report found that more than 80% of American universities have a committee dedicated to sustainability.
• Climate Change & Energy, which focuses on commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Over one half of the schools polled have made a carbon reduction commitment in the past year.
• Food & Recycling, which examines dining services policies and checks out each school’s waste management practices. The study found that nearly 66% of schools have started a community garden or farm to grow organic vegetables.
• Green Building, a category that focuses on the way campuses are building new structures. The study found that 75% of schools have taken kindly to these green building practices.
• Student Involvement, which assesses how intensely involved students are in green living. In most cases involvement is strong, perhaps because over two-thirds of the schools polled offer paid sustainability opportunities for students.
• Transportation studies green transit efforts, such as bike- and car-sharing programs and different efforts the school employs to promote more environmentally-friendly transit.
•  Endowment Transparency, which tackles the question of how schools control and protect the information pertaining to their investment holdings.
• Investment Properties looks at how the college prioritizes ROI, how it invests in renewable energy funds, and how the school invests in community development social loans.
• Shareholder Engagement examines how schools conduct shareholder proxy voting. This is the category in which schools did the worst; only 10% has an advisory committee on shareholder responsibility.

The Importance of Sustainability