University of Delaware

College Sustainability Report Card 2007

A multidisciplinary Environmental Concerns Committee works on environmental initiatives along with Students for the Environment. These two groups have been unable to effectively encourage the University to make a public commitment to sustainability or to specific policies relating to green building or energy, however the University does support three research centers focused on sustainability challenges. The University of Delaware generally takes a broad-based approach to energy conservation, focusing on improvements that will impact multiple buildings, campus-wide. Though not formally committed, the University's philosophy coincides with sustainability and opens avenues for future progress.

Under contract, the University purchases electricity from the City of Newark, Delaware, which buys renewable energy for 2 percent of its electricity needs. Facilities has an energy conservation committee that explores potential efficiency programs. Among other efforts to address energy issues, photovoltaic panels provide electricity to the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy.

Several local, organic vendors provide products for campus convenience markets and dining services is exploring further action. Kitchen oil and grease is recycled among other efforts to reduce waste in dining facilities. The University operates a comprehensive recycling program and Students for the Environment holds a bi-weekly meeting to improve recycling efforts at the University. The possibility of a large scale composting operation is being investigated by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The University has no green building policy, however design principles, utilized by the University since before the LEED program began, incorporate pragmatic methods aimed at reducing resource consumption. Projects have included tightening building envelopes, lighting and HVAC retrofits, and the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy to provide electricity. This facility is registered with the U.S. Million Solar Roofs Program.

The University makes neither their proxy voting record nor their list of endowment holdings public.

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 their investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.