Georgetown University

College Sustainability Report Card 2007

Georgetown University has no formal policy addressing campus sustainability, but it has recently hired a coordinator to manage environmental issues pertaining to solid waste and recycling on campus. The Energy Advisory Committee is working to establish energy policies and to educate the campus on energy issues. Finally, the Georgetown Center for the Environment was established in 1996 as a forum for the exchange of ideas in regards to environmental issues.

The University's 337-kilowatt solar array is one of the biggest campus solar energy projects in the country, and has been in operation for twenty years. The University is also a pioneering force in the development of fuel cell technology for public transit. The Fuel Cell Bus Program is a university project to run campus public transportation entirely on fuel cell power and also to spur the growth of fuel cell use in the larger infrastructure of public transportation. The project has grant support from the Federal Transit Administration. In addition, the University has undergone extensive light, appliance, and motor retrofitting to increase energy efficiency.

The University's law school works with Bon Appetit to coordinate local and organic food deliveries, which appear in regular menus and convenience store inventories. Dining services, as a whole, use only organic, cage-free eggs, organic field greens for salads, and organic soy, rice, and almond milks. A comprehensive recycling program, led by a solid waste and recycling manager, cuts down on waste, and numerous food donations are made to local charities.

The University has a set of Green Design Initiatives, and utilizes the LEED guidelines in all building.

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 is also invested in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles.

Georgetown's Committee for Social Responsibility in Investing advises endowment fund managers on issues related to ethical investment.