West Virginia University

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

The university has developed an institutional blueprint for sustainability in order to develop specific action plans. The sustainability committee is being expanded to further broaden the scope and effectiveness of sustainability initiatives at WVU. A sustainability position statement was issued in 2007 and the faculty senate adopted a resolution in 2005 supporting ecologically sound principles in campus operations and construction.

The university has been implementing an energy-saving performance plan that includes the installation of several energy-saving retrofits and guarantees carbon emissions reductions. The West Virginia University Energy Conservation Awareness Now (WE CAN) Campaign was launched in October 2007 to encourage students to reduce waste and save energy.

Dining services purchases from two local farms and one bakery, accounting for approximately 9 percent of the annual food budget. Some fair trade coffee and organic teas are available and discounts are offered for using refillable mugs. The university runs a fairly comprehensive recycling program, including electronic waste recycling days. The Mountaineers Recycle is an athletic event recycling program that raises money for the WVU Children's Hospital.

Two major renovations, completed in 2007, incorporated several LEED features and sustainable building principles, including a green roof. The faculty senate passed a resolution in 2005 resolving to incorporate green building principles into construction and renovation at the university.

WE CAN held its first annual Ecolympics Challenge in which 12 residence halls participated to reduce energy consumption and increase recycling. WE CAN, in cooperation with WVU's Center for Civic Engagement, works with students to organize events and run awareness campaigns. The university has a West Virginia Recycling Ambassadors program to engage students in recycling efforts.

The university operates a Personal Rapid Transit program that provides over 2.25 million passenger trips per year. Public transportation is provided for free to the campus community through a partnership with the local transit authority. A transportation and planning committee was formed to expand these programs. Online carpool matching and vanpool programs will begin in fall 2008.

The WVU Foundation, as a private foundation, does not make a list of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record available.

The WVU Foundation aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds or similar investment vehicles.

The WVU Foundation provides its investment managers with guidelines that determine its proxy votes.