Lehigh University

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

In 2008, the president appointed the Lehigh Environmental Advisory Group, composed of students, faculty, and staff, to provide leadership on environmental activities. The group also cooperates with ECO, the umbrella student environmental organization.

Lehigh is currently reviewing its first greenhouse gas inventory. A recent lighting upgrade, building temperature regulators, and a boiler conversion project that allows the unit to run on biofuel, are expected to save 21 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually. Students can participate in an optional wind energy purchase program.

The university sources produce from 10 to 12 local farms and contracts with a local dairy. Dining services offers fair trade, organic coffee and organic breads, cereal, and snack foods. Lehigh offers 100 percent biodegradable to-go containers. Grounds waste is composted.

The university aims to have all major renovations and construction designed using green building principles. A new science building is intended for LEED certification.

Numerous student environmental groups work under ECO, Lehigh's umbrella sustainability group. Students have been working with the orientation office and the residence hall advisers to incorporate sustainability education into new-student orientation events.

Lehigh emphasizes pedestrian-friendly planning in its campus initiatives. The campus police use some Segways, and the university hosts online rideshare boards.

A listing of investment managers is available on the university’s website for both the university community and the public. A Lehigh community member may view a hard copy listing of all publicly traded shares owned directly by the university as well as proxy votes for those shares at the investment office.

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

The university's investment managers follow guidelines, supportive of good corporate governance and environmental policies and climate change, to determine its proxy votes.