College of Wooster

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

The College of Wooster has made an official statement of commitment to environmental stewardship and has a sustainability component in its strategic plan. The Committee for a Sustainable Campus, comprised of faculty, staff, and students, has worked to develop new waste- and energy-reduction and sustainability education initiatives.

The college runs a cogeneration plant and has a steam trap system. HVAC systems have been retrocommissioned and energy-efficient lighting is present in some buildings.

Dining services devotes a third of its budget to the purchase of local foods, including produce, meats, fish, breads, and dairy. The dining halls source vegetables from an on-campus garden, and most seafood is purchased in accordance with sustainability guidelines. Fair trade coffee is offered, and discounts are given to customers who bring reusable mugs. Pre- and postconsumer composting programs exist in 90 percent of dining facilities. The campus diverts nearly half of recyclable materials from the landfill through a comprehensive program for traditional and electronic materials.

The college has installed motion sensors in some restrooms and there is one building on campus built to LEED standards. Thirty-five percent of construction waste is recycled.

Green House, an active student group, is working toward the implementation of trayless dining and the creation of a revolving loan fund for energy efficiency projects. The group also ran an energy competition, which resulted in a 5.7 percent reduction in energy use. This year, Green House hosted the most widely attended environmental festival in the college's history. The Organic Farming group volunteers at local farms, and students participating in the Green House residential program lead environmentally responsible lifestyles. Three full-time sustainability internships are available to students during the summer.

A student-run bike-sharing program makes five bikes available for rental at no cost. More than half of the campus population commutes via environmentally preferable transit. The campus catering van runs on waste vegetable oil from the dining hall.

The college makes a list of all holdings and a list of votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level available to trustees, senior administrators, and other select members of the school community.

The college aims to optimize investment return and currently does not invest in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

A member of the college administration determines proxy votes.