Key Findings

In the 200 schools surveyed this year, the level of campus sustainability initiatives far outpaces that of endowment sustainability activity. The chart (at right) illustrates the percentage of "A" grades in each of the eight categories. For all schools in the College Sustainability Report Card 2008, key findings include:

Almost one in three schools earned an overall grade of "B-" or better. The cumulative grade distribution is as follows: 3 percent of schools earned "A" level grades, 28 percent earned "B" level grades, 41.5 percent earned "C" level grades, 25.5 percent earned "D" level grades and 2 percent earned "F" level grades.

Campus sustainability initiatives outshine endowment sustainability activity. Strong performance across all five campus categories resulted in a collective total of only 106 "F" grades. In contrast, a widespread lack of endowment sustainability activity resulted in 131 "F" grades in the Shareholder Engagement category and 116 "F" grades in the Endowment Transparency category.

Six schools are recognized as overall College Sustainability Leaders. Schools whose campus operations and endowment practices merited an overall grade of "A-" qualify as College Sustainability Leaders–our highest recognition. The schools are: Carleton College, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Middlebury College, University of Vermont, and University of Washington.

More than two dozen schools attained Campus Sustainability Leader status. High marks for all 5 campus categories resulted in 25 colleges and universities achieving the Campus Sustainability Leader designation. All such schools received an average grade of "A-" or better for the campus categories. See the list on the Leadership Challenge page.

Only three schools qualify as Endowment Sustainability Leaders. Carleton College, Dartmouth College, and Williams College were the only schools to receive an average grade of "A-" or better across the three endowment categories.

A significant percentage of schools have endowment investments in renewable energy funds. Currently, 19 percent of schools report having endowment investments in renewable energy funds. An additional 17 percent report exploring endowment investments in this area. As a result of this and other factors, 22 percent achieved "A" grades in the Investment Priorities category. Click for more details.

Schools are weakest in Shareholder Engagement and Endowment Transparency categories. The weakest category was Shareholder Engagement, with an average grade of "D-"; 66 percent of schools received an "F" grade while only 11 percent attained an "A." Similarly, schools fared poorly in the Endowment Transparency category, receiving an average grade of "D"; overall, 58 percent of schools received an "F" grade, while only 4 percent earned an "A" grade. For more details, go to Endowment Transparency and Shareholder Engagement.

Schools perform best in Food & Recycling category. An impressive 29 percent of schools earned an "A" grade in this category while only 3 percent of schools received an "F" grade. Notably, 70 percent of schools devote at least a portion of food budgets to buying from local farms and/or producers. Click for more details.

More than one in three schools have full-time staff dedicated to sustainability. A considerable number of schools have recognized the need for full-time campus sustainability administrators. Currently, 37 percent report having dedicated sustainability staff with several additional schools announcing imminent hiring plans. For the Administration category as a whole, 21 percent of schools achieved an "A" grade. Click for more details.

Increased attention to climate change reflected in aggressive carbon reduction commitments. With the urgency of confronting climate change receiving increasing attention, almost half the schools have made a commitment to carbon reduction. Almost one in three schools have committed to achieving carbon neutrality in the long term by signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Many schools are already taking action with 37 percent purchasing at least some renewable energy while 34 percent have onsite wind and/or solar energy production. Click for more details.

Three in five schools have green building projects. A substantial 61 percent of schools have at least one building certified through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system or are in the process of constructing one. Notably, however, only 18 percent received an "A" grade in the Green Building category because many schools lack comprehensive green building policies. Click for more details.

The Transportation category, new this year, shows significant positive activity. Hybrid or electric vehicles can be found in fleets at 42 percent of schools. Biodiesel is made and/or used at 31 percent of schools, and 23 percent of schools have bicycle-sharing programs, encouraging the use of alternative transportation. Click for more details.

For further facts and analysis, please refer to the eight category summaries and the individual school profiles. The category summaries provide descriptions of each category and brief highlights of leading schools in each group. Each category also recognizes leadership by including a list of schools that received an "A" grade.

" A" Grades by Category