University of Nebraska

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

The University of Nebraska addresses sustainability issues by actively encouraging the growth of the alternative energy industry in Nebraska, mostly through its Rural Initiative. The initiative awards grants to small farms for renewable energy purchases or energy efficiency efforts, and also helps to grow the Nebraska biofuels industry.

The university’s Rural Initiative is intended to encourage the growth of the biofuel industry in Nebraska and also to significantly lower the university’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The university employs a recycling coordinator and has been involved in some campus composting of yard and food wastes. The university participates in the Campus Kitchens Project, a community service initiative aimed at turning unused food from college dining halls into nourishing meals for those in need.

The university integrates cost-effective energy efficiency measures into building and retrofits. By late 2007, design guidelines will meet LEED basic certification. The International Quilt Study Center, the multicultural center, and the physical sciences building at the Lincoln campus, as well as the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education at the Medical Center campus are, or will be, designed to achieve LEED certification.

As part of the university’s Rural Initiative, Chancellor Harvey Perlman mandated in 2005 the Lincoln campus’s fleet of 870 vehicles be powered by biodiesel or an ethanol-blend fuel. The Omaha campus fleet runs on an E10 ethanol blend. The Bike Shop offers bikes for rent and a shuttle connects campus with the airport and other Lincoln destinations for a fee.

The University of Nebraska Foundation has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or shareholder voting records. Therefore, there is no known ability to access this information.

The University of Nebraska Foundation 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 of Nebraska Foundation has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.