University of Michigan

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

The University of Michigan has several full-time employees who work on sustainability initiatives, including an environmental stewardship coordinator, four energy reduction management engineers, an energy management liaison, a recycling coordinator, and a recycling program assistant. Additionally, the housing department has one part-time sustainability coordinator. The Office of the President works as a member of the Environmental Task Force, which includes faculty, staff, and students.

U-M has replaced old lighting technology and is conducting audits of most campus buildings to ensure top efficiency. The university has realized significant emission reductions by using natural gas in its cogeneration power plant. The housing department sponsors an “Ecolympics” competition to involve students in energy conservation programs. For its energy conservation efforts, the university was designated as the EPA’s 2004 Energy Star Partner of the Year.

The Fresh Michigan program incorporates fresh, local produce in many of its menus, including herbs from student gardens. A number of fair-trade and organic products are available, including coffee, apples, vegetables, and cage-free eggs. The recycling program covers roughly 30 percent of the waste stream and was recognized by the National Recycling Coalition as the best campus recycling program in the country in 2004.

The university has a LEED Gold standard building on its Ann Arbor campus. The new Children’s and Women’s Hospital, currently under construction, will be the largest LEED-certified health care institution in the nation. Energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems are incorporated into every new construction or renovation project as part of the university’s master design guidelines.

U-M has the largest active, alternative-fuel vehicle fleet in the state and one of the largest in the country, with 87 percent of the university’s passenger-vehicle fleet using alternative fuels exclusively. The university operates its own free bus system and had partnered with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority to provide free transportation for faculty and staff. The Ann Arbor campus is bike-friendly and can accommodate over 4,700 bicycles.

Endowment holdings are made available to the public. This information can be accessed at the investment office or the vice president’s office. The university has not made proxy voting records available because there has not been a request for this sort of information.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles.

The university provides their investment managers with guidelines to determine their proxy votes.