Bucknell University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

The campus master plan currently under development incorporates sustainability into its guiding principles. A part-time sustainability coordinator began working at the Bucknell Environmental Center in 2006. The coordinator works with students, the facilities department, and the general campus population on sustainability initiatives and will lead an environmental audit this fall.

A student produced an emissions inventory in 2006. In 1998, Bucknell’s power plant was converted from a conventional coal-burning facility to a cogeneration power plant that captures and reuses waste heat for an overall efficiency of 75 to 80 percent. Beginning in 2002, Bucknell has purchased one million kilowatt-hours of wind energy per year. In August 2006, the Solar Scholars helped install a 2.5-killowatt solar array, which serves as a power source for the Bucknell University Environmental Center. In April 2007, two more arrays were installed at the Bucknell Mods.

Bucknell has committed to making 20 percent of food purchases—including produce, bread, and hormone-free dairy—from local growers, suppliers, and dairies. Bucknell buys $1,000 worth of coffee beans from a Nicaraguan fair-trade coffee plantation each semester. Members of the campus community make trips to this plantation to help build the community. Bucknell avoids buying processed vegetables, which cuts down on packaging and allows them to buy from a local farmers market. Dining services contributes organic waste to an anaerobic digester that engineering students developed.

LEED reviews are performed at the start of the design process to incorporate best practices without a specific certification target. Two facilities administrators, who are involved in guiding the construction, renovation, and operation of buildings, have qualified as certified sustainable development professionals through the Association of Energy Engineers.

The university’s fleet contains one hybrid car. Additional bicycle racks have been placed at locations suggested by students and staff. The campus master planning continues to transform the campus into a more pedestrian-friendly place. In recent years, parking has been restricted to the perimeter of campus.

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