Middlebury College

President Liebowitz signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. Sustainability principles are outlined in the mission statement and are currently being integrated into the new master plan. Middlebury employs a sustainability coordinator and six student interns, as well as a recycling coordinator. The college has a standing environmental council that advises the president.

Middlebury has committed to carbon neutrality by 2016 and plans to build a biomass facility that will reduce carbon emissions by 12,500 tons per year. The college has a solar array on campus and has built a 10-kilowatt wind turbine that is currently supplying power to the grid. Thermostats in residence halls were lowered two degrees at the request of students. Biofuel is used in heating furnaces.

Dining services spends just under $1 million per year on local food products from over 40 local farms, orchards, and manufacturers. Thirty percent of the college’s food budget is spent on food from within Vermont, and 15 organic products are regularly incorporated into the menu. Strong recycling efforts contribute to a solid waste diversion rate of about 60 percent, including food waste composting, which comprises 20 percent of recycled materials.

Green building standards, which incorporate innovative design practices and the use of green-certified wood, have been used in the past five major campus construction projects. The historic renovation of the Hillcrest Environmental Center was completed in June 2007 and will be the first LEED-certified building at the college.

Support from Middlebury helped the regional transit service put biodiesel-fueled buses into operation, and students and employees may use the service free of charge. The college’s fleet includes some alternative vehicles and hybrid Zipcars were made available to students fall 2007.

Endowment holdings are made available to select members of the school community such as the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investment. Proxy voting records are available only to trustees and senior administrators.

The college aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles. The college has established a green fund as part of its current capital campaign to which the class of 2007 and other donors have directed gifts.

In 2006, the college created the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investment, which includes three students and one alumni, faculty, and staff representative. The committee is charged with making recommendations to the investment committee of the board of trustees in regard to proxy voting and related matters of shareholder engagement.