American University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

Facilities management recently upgraded the position of sustainability coordinator to manger of sustainability programs. The position oversees energy management issues and facilitation of sustainability initiatives on campus. The university is in the process of developing a comprehensive sustainability policy.

Students voted in favor of implementing a student fee to fund the purchase of renewable energy, with the goal of having 50 percent of AU’s electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2012. The university currently purchases renewable energy certificates equal to 5 percent of the university’s 2005 energy load.

Dining services are provided by Bon Appétit, a company committed to sourcing sustainable, local foods. Food is purchased from a state farmers’ cooperative in addition to a local farm in Maryland. Grass-fed meat and organic produce is available in the cafeteria as part of the Farm to Fork program. Dining services uses 60 percent of all organic waste for compost. The university currently recycles metal, yard waste, used kitchen oil, newspaper, aluminum, plastic, computer equipment, batteries, cell phones, printer cartridges, fluorescent bulbs, and mixed paper, and separates construction debris for recycling review.

AU’s School of International Service building, scheduled to be completed in 2009, is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification. The university is participating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Existing Buildings Portfolio Pilot Program and currently has 30 buildings registered with the program. The university is in the process of implementing a green cleaning program across the entire campus.

The university is considering a range of transportation-related initiatives including coordination of vanpools, facilitation of carpools, and making the campus more bike-friendly.

The university has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record. Therefore, there is no known ability to access this information.

The university aims to optimize investment return and has not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The student government president serves as resource person on various committees, including the Finance and Investment Committee. The university has not made any public statements about a proxy voting policy.