Barnard College

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

The Administrative Services and Sustainable Practices Committee meets three times a semester to integrate sustainable business practices into the mission of the college, and includes student participation. The college uses Green Seal and Energy Star products.

Barnard is an active partner in PlaNYC, a challenge from Mayor Bloomberg for institutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent in ten years. Because buildings are the largest source of emissions in a dense urban environment, Barnard has performed energy efficiency upgrades such as lighting retrofits, retrocommissioning of HVAC systems, temperature setbacks, and steam trap system replacements.

Dining services offers exclusively cage-free eggs in breakfast items at the main dining hall, a variety of vegan entrees, and a small amount of sustainable produce from a local distributor. The campus cafe serves only fair trade coffee and offers a discount to those who bring their own reusable mugs. Barnard catering has eliminated the use of bottled water at catered events, and waste cooking oil is recycled.

All new buildings must adhere to LEED Silver standards, and interior renovations and retrofits include motion sensors, low flow toilets, and aerated shower heads.

Barnard has an Eco-Reps program to promote awareness, waste- and energy reduction initiatives, and competitions. In fall 2007, the student government initiated the Go Green Campaign to engage students with sustainability issues. The school participated in the RecycleMania benchmark division in 2009.

Barnard is a largely residential campus located in a densely populated urban area, and access to public transportation is widely available. The public safety vehicle is a hybrid.

The college has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or shareholder voting records.

The college 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 college has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.