University of Maryland

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

President Mote has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. The university’s Environmental Stewardship Committee conducted a comprehensive assessment of environmental initiatives and produced the first campus sustainability report and website. The committee also developed environmental stewardship guidelines that were unanimously approved by the Facilities Council. An Office of Sustainability has been approved with the first full-time staff to begin in fall 2007.

A greenhouse gas inventory is currently being conducted by an on-campus research center and a climate action task force will be convened to develop a plan for reducing emissions. The university has an Energy Star–certified combined heat and power plant that generates most of the electricity used by the campus. Lighting retrofits have taken place across campus and the university uses a thermal energy storage system to increase efficiency.

Dining services has implemented a composting program for pre- and postconsumer food waste that averages 20 tons per month. Recycling participation has increased to nearly 35 percent throughout campus, and dining services requires suppliers to reuse packaging. Currently, no local or organic foods besides coffee are offered.

All new construction and renovation projects are designed to take into account building orientation, materials, and energy and water efficiency. However, LEED criteria are not necessarily followed. The university’s Inn & Conference Center is LEED-certified and another project is registered for LEED certification.

All buses in the shuttle fleet run on a biodiesel mix and have been outfitted with bike racks. Participants in the Smart Park Carpool program pay a reduced fee for parking permits and there is a car-sharing program for students and staff. The campus master plan won an award from the National Wildlife Federation in 2003 for its sustainability efforts.

The university makes neither its proxy voting record nor its list of endowment holdings public. This information is only available to trustees and senior administrators.

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

The university asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.