University of Arkansas

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

Chancellor White has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. The university, with a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, has established the Applied Sustainability Center in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Cochairs have been appointed to lead a sustainability stewardship council that is actively developing a comprehensive sustainability stewardship mission. In addition, the university has just announced the formation of the Green Team: a group of students, faculty, and staff who are working to institute sustainability initiatives on campus, including expanding campus recycling efforts. There are multiple active student groups.

The university is conducting a greenhouse gas emissions inventory to be completed in 2008. Two lighting retrofit projects have been completed in buildings totaling 184,000 square feet. The campus is implementing two energy service performance contracts projects that are projected to reduce carbon emissions by 3,584 tons annually.

Small quantities of organic food are purchased and fair-trade coffee is available on campus. A cage-free egg program is being explored and dining services is in the process of selecting eco-friendly disposables to be introduced in 2008. The university’s food service vendor has a delivery truck that runs on recycled frying oils. The campus also has a comprehensive recycling program with a 28 percent diversion rate.

New campus facilities or full-building renovations of more than $1 million are required to achieve a level equivalent to a LEED Silver rating or the two globes rating using the Green Globes system. Design and construction guidelines are being revised to include more requirements for sustainable materials and energy efficiency. The university’s Innovation Center was the first building in the state of Arkansas to achieve LEED certification. The campus has installed a green roof on two small buildings to test the viability of green roofs on a larger scale.

The university provides free transit to all students, staff, and faculty. Six new, more efficient buses will reduce tailpipe emissions by 95 percent, and the costs and benefits of using B20 fuel in the campus fleet are being examined. The university is expanding the number of bicycle racks on campus and is developing a program to make bicycles available for campus use at no charge.

Endowment holdings are made available only to trustees and senior administrators. Proxy voting records are not made available to anyone.

The university aims to optimize investment return and does not invest in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The university provides its investment managers with guidelines for proxy voting.