Northeastern University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

President Aoun has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. A sustainability committee was established in 2006. This fall, the university will have a “town meeting” on sustainability, which will engage all student environmental groups on campus, including the Husky Energy Action Team and Students for Environmental Action. The university’s standard practice is to use green-certified cleaning products in all campus buildings. A website is currently under development.

A carbon emissions inventory is in progress. The university’s total energy usage has decreased by 9 percent since 2005 when the energy conservation action plan was launched. The university has spent $5.4 million to pursue energy efficiency, equipping over 2,000 rooms with occupancy sensors, among other things. The student center features a 90-panel solar array that produces over 21 kilowatts of power.

Dining services buys local food when available from its distributor, and serves fair-trade coffee and cage-free eggs. The director of dining services hosts the Food User’s Committee for students, which includes student participants from the Students for Environmental Action. Last year, 90 tons of food waste and 318 tons of yard waste were composted. The university began recycling in 1989 and now recycles 13 different categories of items, including asphalt and construction materials.

Northeastern has adopted a policy for LEED certification for all new buildings and major renovations. Three current projects, two under construction and one in the design stage, are targeting LEED Silver certification. These projects comprise over 500,000 square feet, or 9 percent of the campus. All renovations now include a full assessment of the project’s environmental impact.

Northeastern owns 22 electric vehicles. As of July 2007, all diesel vehicles use ultra-low sulfur biodiesel. The university implements and publicizes vanpools and carpools and provides preferential parking for vanpools. Sixty-seven bike racks were installed this year. Since 1998, the number of single-occupant commuters to campus has been reduced by over 37 percent.

Endowment holdings are made available only to trustees and senior administrators.

The university aims to optimize investment return and currently invests in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles. Investment managers consider environmental sustainability, among other factors, when making investments.

The university does not have the ability to vote proxy, as the entire endowment is invested in mutual funds. Investment managers consider environmental sustainability, among other factors, when making investments.