In relation to higher education, most of the 1987 UN report’s sustainability concerns (e.g., energy efficiency, renewable energy, species extinction, food security, international trade, managing the commons, global poverty) have been the focus of extensive research and teaching. In contrast, the implications of these sustainability issues for the management of campus operations and endowments, have received relatively little attention.
Most popular evaluations of colleges and universities highlight academic achievements, admissions selectivity, financial aid equity, and alumni donation rates. For the most part, the focus has not been on how schools, as institutions, manage their resources in relation to their campus facilities and their endowment investments.
To assess progress in this sphere, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has researched the policies and programs of 100 leading colleges and universities. These schools hold more than $258 billion—approximately 75 percent of all higher education endowment investments. When it comes to sustainability, the key questions about these institutions are: How do sustainability factors shape policies about the use of their resources? How can schools learn from each other’s experiences and adapt sustainability policies that work?
In response to these questions, the first annual College Sustainability Report Card summarizes and grades college sustainability programs and policies in seven main categories: climate change and energy, green building, food and recycling, administration, endowment transparency, investment priorities, and shareholder engagement.