Carnegie Mellon University

College Sustainability Report Card 2007

Carnegie Mellon University considers its commitment to the environment to be a “strategic priority.” The University began its commitment to environmentally sustainable practices in 1990 when it hired a recycling and waste coordinator. Since then, the University has hired an environmental coordinator, and the Green Practices Committee—an interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, and students—has worked to further the cause of campus sustainability. Highlights include LED Silver certification as a minimum requirement for construction, pilot partnership in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lab21 program, and a commitment to power 15 percent of the campus with renewable energy.

The University is a founding Green Power Partner and a recipient of a 2001 Green Power Leadership Award for making what was at the time the largest single retail purchase of wind energy in the nation. Currently, 15 percent of campus energy needs are supplied by renewable resources. The Synergy Solar house, used as a living laboratory and meeting space, generates its own hot water and exports power to the campus grid. Alternative-fueled vehicles are used on campus, local landfill gas is used instead of natural gas, and the University has received a Clean Cities Award for leadership in enhancing awareness of alternative fuels.

The University dining services has been working to include more local and organic foods in its menus, and keeps track of its distance from both suppliers and producers. The composting program is growing with a regional composting effort and the University employs a strong recycling effort to reduce its waste stream.

The University's building policy requires that all new buildings and renovations be LEED Silver-certified at a minimum. Three buildings have attained LEED Silver certification and four renovations will soon be Silver certified. One building has a LEED Gold rating. The University was a pilot partner in the Environmental Protection Agency's Lab21 program for green design in laboratory facilities, and four campus buildings have had green roofs installed.

The University makes neither its proxy voting record nor its list of endowment holdings public. This information is only available to trustees and senior administrators.

The University prioritizes investing to maximize profit and has not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The University asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.