University of New Mexico

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

President Schmidly signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. The sustainability council addresses governance, research, teaching, and outreach as they affect the environmental, economic, and social implications of campus practices. An associate director of sustainability will be hired in 2008.

In 2007, the university completed a campus greenhouse gas inventory. The sustainability council has a carbon neutral task force that implements strategies for reducing carbon emissions from campus buildings and transportation, including addressing commuting and business travel. UNM has purchased renewable energy credits to offset 2,300 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from its student union building.

The university sponsors the student-created UNM Lobo Grower’s Market on campus featuring local producers. Four commingled recycle bins on campus collect cans, plastic, and glass. The student union has a “Red and Green” initiative that encourages students to recycle and conserve energy. The university also collects landscape waste for off-site shredding.

The university is subject to New Mexico governor’s executive order 2006-001, which requires new buildings and major renovations to meet LEED Silver standards and achieve a 50 percent energy consumption reduction. In 2008, UNM renovated the sustainability studies office to feature sustainable design concepts. All building and dormitory occupants can trade in their lightbulbs for low-energy compact fluorescent lamps.

The student-organized Lobo Growers Market features nearly 50 vendors of local food and goods. Representatives from the sustainability studies program attend freshmen orientation to educate students about the program. The UNM Net Impact chapter actively engages students to promote sustainable business practices.

All new campus vehicles use E85 fuel and the university will soon test a solar-powered car for use by the physical plant department. Students, faculty, and staff are provided with free bus passes, and a free shuttle connects the local commuter train station to the campus. A car-share program is available on campus.

The University of New Mexico Foundation makes a list of endowment holdings and its shareholder voting record available primarily to the school community, but also to the public, as per open records laws. This information is available at the investment office.

The foundation 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.

The foundation does not have the ability to vote proxies, as the entire equity portion of the endowment is invested in mutual funds.