University of Oregon

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

The University of Oregon was one of the first schools in the country to have a campus environmental issues committee (1991), a comprehensive environmental policy (1997) and a recycled paper policy (1995). More recently, President Frohnmayer signed the Presidents Climate Commitment and created a new position, the director of sustainability. The Facilities Services Sustainability Team draws together administrators from six offices who meet quarterly. The university’s long-standing Environmental Issues Committee has broad-based, campus-wide membership. Three campus positions currently include sustainability in their associated job descriptions.

The university has committed to climate neutrality and recently completed a carbon emissions inventory. The “Use Wisely, Every Watt Counts” campaign encourages energy conservation on campus. Students recently voted in favor of a tuition increase to purchase green power. Twenty-two percent of energy used on campus comes from carbon-neutral sources, including 1.3 percent from solar arrays and wind power.

The university purchases food from at least 12 local businesses and receives most of its beef, milk, and flour from local farms. Seventy-five percent of coffee sold by campus vendors is fair-trade. Fryer oil is collected and refined into biodiesel and 50 tons of preconsumer food scraps and coffee grounds are composted annually.

Campus sustainable development guidelines and a campus environmental policy require adherence to LEED Silver certification criteria and guide the university in energy-efficient design, construction, renovation, and operations of campus buildings. The LEED Silver-certified Lillis Business Complex has been called one of the greenest business schools in the nation. Two additional LEED Silver buildings exist on campus.

The University of Oregon instituted a bicycle program as early as the 1970s. In 2005, 69 percent of students and 30 percent of faculty used alternative forms of transportation. All students, faculty, and staff receive free bus passes, and 4,000 bicycle parking spaces currently exist on campus. Some biofuels are used by the facilities services and recycling vehicle fleets.

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.