St. Olaf College

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

St. Olaf College adheres to a comprehensive green purchasing policy, and the Sustainability Task Force recommends programs and policies to the president. The Black, Gold, and Green website provides information about how sustainability fits into the St. Olaf strategic plan and mission. It lists principles and highlights current campaigns and ways to get involved in projects on campus.

St. Olaf was the first college to utilize a wind turbine, which produces about one-third of the campus electricity supply. Campus lighting has been upgraded and a highly efficient boiler helps the college better match seasonal steam loads, thus increasing year-round efficiency.

The college's food service provider buys everything that is grown on the student-run St. Olaf Garden Research and Organic Works farm project. Purchases last year were in the amount of $20,000. The college also purchases 90 percent of its fruit and vegetables from within North America and purchases fair trade bananas from Mexico.

St. Olaf has developed sustainable design guidelines that are incorporated into contracts for builders, architects, and engineers. The Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences will open for the beginning of the 2008–2009 academic year and is expected to receive LEED Platinum certification.

A student group worked with facilities to develop a proposal for a GREENHouse, a student residence that will research sustainability initiatives for campus residences, evaluate them for applicability, and implement them. The student government allocated seed money for a student-focused Clean Energy Revolving Fund.

St. Olaf grounds vehicles are fueled with B20 biodiesel. The grounds department will begin operating an on-campus biodiesel reactor with waste oil from food services as its feed stock. Priority parking for alternative-fuel vehicles will be designated for the start of the 2008–2009 academic year. The Green Machine Bicycle Program collects and recycles used and discarded bikes for students to use on campus.

The college makes a list of endowment holdings and shareholder voting records primarily available to the school community, but also to the public. This information is available at the investment office.

The college aims to optimize investment return, is currently invested in renewable energy funds and is exploring, but not currently invested in, community development loan funds.

A member of the college administration determines proxy votes.