Texas A&M University

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

The campus master plan supports sustainability in teaching and planning. An environmental management committee provides recommendations on sustainability-related programs and initiatives. A sustainability office was established in March 2008 and currently employs one sustainability officer.

The energy management office promotes educational efforts that involve students, faculty, and staff. A campus-wide initiative has lead to the implementation of various energy management services, including automated building control systems, utility metering, and management of overall energy use.

Local food is provided from a farmers market. Last year, the university recycled 758 tons of paper, 2 tons of toner cartridges, and about 1.5 tons of plastic beverage containers collected from football games. In addition to recycling traditional materials, surplus scrap metal is salvaged from warehouse operations and recycled.

The campus master plan stipulates that buildings should aim for LEED Silver certification when possible. The interdisciplinary life sciences building, currently under construction, will be the first university facility to be LEED Silver-certified. Two other facilities under construction will also qualify for Silver ratings.

Residence halls compete in energy conservation contests sponsored by residence life and the energy conservation office. The sustainability office, in conjunction with a student campus sustainability council, has encouraged participation in new community volunteer programs. Students hold leadership positions on the campus environmental management committee.

A fleet of free shuttle buses provides transportation, and campus dining vehicles are powered by biodiesel made from kitchen waste oil. The university promotes AlterNet Rides, a free rideshare program. This year the university will participate in the AlterNet Ride Challenge with the hope of encouraging alternate forms of transportation and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

The university makes a list of endowment holdings and proxy voting records available to the public by request, as per open records laws. This information is sent to individuals upon request. The Texas A&M Foundation has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is exploring, but not currently invested in, renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles. Although none of Texas A&M Foundation's funds are dedicated to renewable energy, there are renewable energy investments in some of the venture capital portfolios.

The university and the Texas A&M Foundation ask their investment managers to handle the details of proxy voting.