University of Delaware

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

A multidisciplinary Environmental Concerns Committee works on environmental initiatives along with Students for the Environment. The university, however, has not made any public commitment to sustainability.

Under contract, the university purchases electricity from the city of Newark, Delaware, which buys renewable energy for 2 percent of its electricity needs. UD also purchases the maximum allowable renewable energy credits through the city’s existing program. Facilities has an energy conservation committee that explores potential efficiency programs. Energy-efficient lighting and higher efficiency replacement equipment has been installed.

Several local, organic vendors provide products for campus convenience markets and dining services is exploring further action. Kitchen oil and grease is recycled among other efforts to reduce waste in dining facilities. The university operates a comprehensive recycling program.

The university has no green building policy; However, design principles, utilized by the university since before the LEED program began, incorporate pragmatic methods aimed at reducing resource consumption. Projects have included tightening building envelopes and retrofitting HVAC systems.

Several hybrid vehicles have been added to the campus fleet with plans to purchase more. UD operates a free shuttle system for the university and city residents. A hydrogen fuel cell bus has just been added to the shuttle fleet as part of a research program with the College of Engineering. The university, in conjunction with the city of Newark, has developed designated bike paths and has expanded the bike path system to join the campus and the local community.

The university has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record. Therefore, there is no known ability to access this information.

The university 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 university has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy, although students at UD have been working to increase student involvement in investment decisions.