Purdue University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

Several staff, as well as a campus task force, work part time in coordinating sustainability efforts. The Purdue Sustainability Council, with representation from physical facilities, housing and food services, faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and the Discovery Park Energy Center, began meeting in June 2007.

The university has embarked on an energy conservation initiative that includes retrocommissioning existing buildings for energy efficiency and metering of campus buildings for electricity, chilled water, and steam. The university plans to install a new co-firing boiler that will make use of such alternative fuel sources as switchgrass, as well as byproducts of ethanol production and a local corn syrup processing plant. A class, “Carbon Neutrality at Purdue,” worked with faculty and administrators to produce an inventory of the university’s emissions. Solar panels designed by students in a class competition heat water for one building.

A locally grown apple pilot program was met with minimal customer acceptance, and thus was discontinued. Organic milk from a small Indiana dairy is sold on campus, and a new Urban Market in the Memorial Union will highlight locally grown, natural, and organic food items. Fair-trade coffee is available in the Memorial Union retail area. The university continues to compost yard waste.

Purdue currently has four LEED-accredited professionals who will begin to incorporate additional sustainability principles into building design. Though there is no formal policy in place, the university uses green building design principles included in the Consultant Handbook, which is used for every design project. Construction on a recently completed project closely followed LEED standards and came within ten points of certification.

Purdue is replacing all vehicles in its rental car fleet with flex-fuel vehicles. All diesel-powered vehicles use a biodiesel blend. In 2006, the university purchased two hybrid vehicles and is considering adding more. Members of the police, fire, and radiological and environmental management use bikes and compact utility vehicles, instead of cars, for some of their transportation needs.

A list of the university’s endowment holdings, but not proxy voting record, is made available to both the university community and the public. This information is emailed to individuals upon request.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is invested in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles.

Purdue’s custodian bank votes proxies on the university’s behalf.