University of Pittsburgh

College Sustainability Report Card 2007

The University of Pittsburgh began its public commitment to sustainability sixteen years ago. At that time, it was one of twenty international universities to draft and sign the Talloires Declaration, committing to incorporate sustainability in teaching and in operations. In 2003, the Mascaro Sustainability Initiative (MSI) was created as a center of sustainable engineering, specifically focusing on the design of sustainable communities and green building techniques, however, this resource is generally focused outward rather than on campus initiatives.

In 2004, the University received special recognition from the EPA's Energy Star program. However, renewable energy and conservation measures on campus have not been formally implemented and the University does not currently obtain energy from renewable sources.

The University has a recycling policy and a full-time recycling coordinator. However, dining services does not integrate local or organic foods into the menu.

The University's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine was certified as LEED Gold in November 2005, making it the first university in Pennsylvania to receive this rating. Unfortunately, this ambitious accomplishment has not yet been followed up by an official green building policy.

The University has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record.

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 has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.