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Report Card 2008

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University of Illinois
College Sustainability Report Card 2008

  Compare with another school

B-
University of Illinois

School details:

  Grade higher than last year

 

Endowment: $1,500 million as of June 30, 2007

Location: Champaign, Illinois

 

Campus Survey: Yes

Dining Survey: Yes

Endowment Survey: No

 

Data compiled from independent research. For information on data collection and evaluation, please see the Methods section.

 
Overall grade  
B -
Administration
B 
The president of the University of Illinois has made sustainability a priority for the institution’s three campuses. The university’s Blue Illinois campaign is a comprehensive effort in partnership with the Environmental Council to promote sustainability initiatives on campus. The president appointed an energy task force to minimize energy consumption. There is a director of energy conservation and the Urbana campus recently appointed its first sustainability coordinator. Chancellor Sylvia Manning of the University of Illinois at Chicago has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment.
Climate Change & Energy
B 
The university is pursuing the purchase of three utility-scale wind turbines to install on one of the first university-owned, multi-turbine, on-campus wind farms in the nation. The $5.7 million project will provide roughly 2.7 percent of the university’s energy needs. Also, students at the Urbana campus pay a $2 per semester energy fee to support energy-saving initiatives.
Food & Recycling
B 
Dining services purchases from approximately seven local producers and supports a local dairy. A pilot program at the Urbana campus to compost all organic waste is being investigated. Recycling efforts have increased in recent years and residence hall cooking oil is recycled into fuel.
Green Building
A 
The university’s facilities and services staff is implementing the president’s call for increased sustainability on the campuses. All new construction and major renovation projects greater than $1 million will use the LEED rating system as a guideline. All projects will be considered for LEED certification and LEED-accredited professionals are on staff. The Springfield campus is requiring that all new buildings meet LEED Silver certification and the Business Instructional Facility at the Urbana campus—which features solar panels, triple-paned windows, and a green roof—is expected to achieve Gold certification.
Transportation
D 
Blue Illinois and the Campus Energy Policy Committee intend to work with the campus to promote alternatives to single-occupancy vehicle use.
Endowment Transparency
A 
Open records law requires that proxy voting records and a list of endowment holdings be available to the public. Information is sent to individuals upon request.
Investment Priorities
C 
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.
Shareholder Engagement
F 
The university has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.
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