Auburn University

The recently approved strategic plan includes commitments to increase sustainability. The Auburn Sustainability Initiative seeks to educate, initiate, and support sustainability efforts on campus and in the Auburn community. The initiative has one full-time director and nine student interns.

In 2008, Auburn completed an initial carbon emissions inventory and participated in Focus the Nation. Automation systems and lighting upgrades have been installed in many campus buildings. All traffic lights on campus use LEDs instead of incandescent bulbs.

The university’s dining services department does not offer any local food, but serves cage-free eggs and sustainably raised seafood. Facilities operates a single-stream recycling program, accepting mixed paper, plastic, and light metal, and has a stated goal of achieving 50 percent waste reduction by 2010.

The Gorrie Center has been certified LEED Gold and a new research complex is seeking LEED certification. A recent renovation project included the installation of a student-designed green roof. The university is developing a green building policy.

The Auburn Sustainability Initiative takes on nine student interns per semester. There are multiple environmental student organizations on campus, including the Environmental Awareness Organization and the Auburn Sustainability Action Program.

All buses in the Tiger Transit service, a free shuttle system for students, run on biodiesel. The Campus Bike Committee seeks to increase bike usage and facilities on campus, and two federal grants are being used to expand bicycle paths. Through its master plan, Auburn is transitioning its campus to become exclusively bicycle and pedestrian accessible.

The university makes a list of endowment holdings available to the public by request, as per open records laws.

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

The university does not have the ability to vote proxies, as the entire endowment is invested in mutual funds.