Swarthmore College

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

Swarthmore College is currently engaged in a long-range planning effort in which sustainability is a major consideration. The college, aided by the Organization for Sustainability, has several projects being implemented, including a wind power purchase equaling 35 percent of campus needs, participation in the Pennsylvania Farm-to-College program, and a new science center that was recently LEED-certified.

The college has made efforts to conserve energy through schedule monitoring and the installation of energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling equipment. A student group works to identify waste and communicate conservation strategies to students. Swarthmore has committed to purchasing 35 percent of its total energy use from wind power sources.

The college is a participant in Pennsylvania’s Farm-to-College program. They offer a variety of local and organic items. The Good Food Project, a student-run garden and co-op, sells produce to dining services in the summer and fall and is in talks to begin a compost project. The college has a campus-wide recycling program and most yard waste is composted. Corn- and sugar-based disposables have replaced the use of Styrofoam in cash operations.

The new science center is LEED-certified. The college is completing a large capital project that architects have designed to LEED standards, although it is not certified. Funds were used to provide 5,000 square feet of vegetated roof and an additional 5,000 next year. Energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling equipment continues to be installed.

The Swarthmore campus is a pedestrian zone with parking lots limited to the perimeter of the campus. Just over 100 student parking permits are issued each year, limiting the number of cars on campus. The college has purchased two electric vehicles for its maintenance operations.

The proxy voting decisions made by the Committee on Investor Responsibility are available to the school community and also to the public, and are accessible on the college website. A list of endowment holdings is only available to trustees, senior administrators, and the investment office staff.

The college 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 Committee on Investor Responsibility (CIR) serves as advisor to the Investment Committee of the board of managers, and consists of four students, three staff, and two members of the board’s Investment Committee. The CIR prepares proxy recommendations on social and environmental issues and has filed several shareholder resolutions. The college’s investment managers vote governance issues.