Babson College

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

Sustainability decisions are handled by the energy management and sustainability division of the facilities department. The college is in the process of creating a new sustainability steering committee to guide future policies. Various staff devote portions of their time to sustainability-related activities.

Babson recently built a small-scale wind turbine and has added solar-powered lights to one campus pathway. The college recently completed energy efficiency upgrades to some campus systems, including an extensive lighting upgrade that replaced 99 percent of lights with compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs.

Babson dining halls purchase food from 12 local farms and offer fair trade coffee, organic yogurt, and sustainably raised seafood. The dining hall has a pre- and postconsumer composting program. The college's comprehensive recycling program accepts most materials, including electronic waste, and has achieved a 50 percent diversion rate.

All construction must meet LEED specifications. Maintenance and renovation projects are designed to incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability criteria.

The Babson Energy and Environmental Club has been instrumental in recent sustainability efforts at the college, including the recently installed wind turbine. The club is working to create a student-supported green fund to help finance the purchase of renewable and clean energy for campus. The college sponsors an annual inter-dorm energy competition. In addition, the undergraduate student organization CREATE sponsors awareness programs.

The college owns multiple rechargeable electric vehicles, and kitchen oil is recycled into biodiesel for campus lawn equipment. Babson provides preferred parking locations to carpools and has a commercial car-sharing program on campus.

The college makes a list of endowment holdings available to all members of the school community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This information is sent to individuals upon request. The college does not make proxy voting records available.

The college aims to optimize investment return and is exploring, but not currently invested in, renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles.

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