University of Kentucky

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

The University of Kentucky has an administrative sustainability task force that reports to the president and is charged with coordinating at least one campus-wide, public-interest activity annually to increase public awareness of sustainability issues. A campus sustainability coordinator works mainly on recycling implementation.

The university intends to perform an energy audit, but to date there is no record of implementation. Efficient lighting has been installed on campus. Since 2006, students have paid an $8 fee to help fund renewable energy purchases.

Dining services purchases produce from nearly 60 local farms and sources some products from the horticultural program's on-campus farm. In addition, kitchen scraps are composted at the on-campus farm. In partnership with the recycling program and the libraries, the university offers reusable mugs, which are the only beverage containers allowed in the libraries.

The university has no green building policy and no LEED-certified projects. There are plans for the new College of Law, the hospital, and the pharmacy buildings to seek LEED certification.

The campus has one sustainability-focused student organization and has participated in RecycleMania.

Grounds staff use electric golf carts, and some buses run on biodiesel. The university assists employees in buying homes near campus in a Live Where You Work program, and carpool commuters pay reduced parking permit rates. There is a bike-sharing program, a bike rental program, and planning initiatives that have improved bike traffic on campus and to the surrounding areas.

While the majority of the endowment is in commingled funds, the university keeps a record of the proxy voting done by its endowment managers for separate investment accounts, which is made available to the public as per open records laws. The list of investment holdings is available to the school community and is included in reports discussed at quarterly Investment Committee meetings, which are open to the public.

The university aims to optimize investment return and has not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

In cases where the university has the ability to vote, proxy voting is delegated to investment managers who are required to vote all proxies in the best interest of the endowment.