Case Western Reserve University

College Sustainability Report Card 2007

Case Western Reserve University has an Energy Advisory Committee, which includes faculty, student, and staff representatives. The Committee sponsors events such as a "Sustain-a-Palooza," and manages recommendations and strategies for sustainability initiatives at the University. The University's Adopt-a-Building program attracts Volunteer Energy Ambassadors to act as energy conservation advocates in campus buildings.

The University committed to a campus-wide effort to reduce energy use by 15 percent by 2007. Motion sensors and efficient lighting fixtures installed in the library, which had previously been the largest consumer of electricity on campus, have reduced energy consumption by 30 percent. An energy audit of buildings across campus was conducted by a team of experts in January 2006, looking for short,- medium-, and long-term energy saving strategies. Retrofits of HVAC systems, windows, lighting, and roofing material have also contributed to energy savings.

Dining services, working with Bon Appetit, gets its coffee from Pura Vida, an organic coffee company that uses profits to support at-risk families and children in coffee-growing countries. Other local and organic food efforts, including produce, baked goods, and cheeses, are taken through Bon Appetit’s Farm to Fork program. An extensive recycling program is also in place, with a recycling coordinator and student representatives in different parts of campus.

The University's $130 million housing project, the Village at 115, is registered for LEED certification. It includes a comprehensive system to monitor real-time energy consumption in order to encourage student participation in energy conservation. Green design techniques are also being applied to the construction of the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Leadership.

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

The University prioritizes investing to maximize profit and is also currently invested in renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles.

The University provides their investment managers with guidelines to determine proxy votes.