Bryn Mawr College

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

The college's new strategic plan, currently in progress, will include Bryn Mawr's commitment to sustainability. Five administrative councils address sustainability, and the sustainability committee has worked toward increasing the prevalence of local foods and green cleaning products on campus. The college employs a part-time sustainability coordinator.

Bryn Mawr has implemented energy-saving projects including temperature set points and upgrading the automated energy and temperature management system. The college has also reduced the number of electrical transformers and installed variable-frequency drives. Incandescent lightbulbs have been banned on campus and can be swapped for free compact fluorescent bulbs.

Bryn Mawr purchases produce from three local farms and offers organic produce and cereal. All milk is local, organic, and hormone free, and all seafood meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch standards. The BMC Greens student group conducts food waste audits and publicizes the results. Students donate unwanted items at the end of the year to be sorted and sold, the proceeds of which are donated to charity.

All new buildings and renovations must meet LEED Silver standards. The campus currently has one building that meets LEED criteria and eight have been renovated to be more energy-efficient. All laundry machines are water conserving, and all faucets, showerheads, and toilets are low-flow models.

The BMC Greens student group has successfully campaigned for the elimination of incandescent bulbs, worked on a vegetable garden, eliminated bottled water from departmental budgets, and convinced the school to install motion sensor lighting. The group also ran a food waste campaign and hosted a clothing swap. Batten House is a housing co-op for students who want to address environmental and social responsibility. The Greens sponsor the Energy Diet in which students compete to conserve the most electricity. During the most recent contest, a reduction was achieved that amounted to 2.5 percent of the college’s electric bill for the month.

Faculty, staff, and students can purchase discounted regional rail passes. Free buses run between Bryn Mawr and two other area colleges. The school partners with a car-sharing program. Buses and vans run on biodiesel and natural gas, and there are three hybrid cars in the campus fleet.

The college makes a list of all holdings available at the investment office to all members of the school community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. A list of votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level is available at the investment office to trustees, senior administrators, and other select members of the school community. A list of votes cast on proxy resolutions only by category is sent upon request to the public.

The college aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds.

A committee with three administrators and five trustees deliberates and makes decisions on proxy votes.