Earlham College

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

Earlham College's Environmental Responsibility Committee initiates sustainability projects, and the director of facilities devotes part of her time to environmental stewardship projects. Sustainability is outlined as a priority in the college's master plan, strategic plan, and environmental policy.

Experimental solar photovoltaic panels on campus provide some power to a science building. Energy efficiency projects have included retrocommissioning of HVAC systems, system tune-ups, and temperature setbacks. Students are encouraged to conserve resources through cash incentives from utilities savings.

Dining halls do not offer any disposable containers. Instead, students may rent reusable to-go containers. Composting programs are run in most facilities, and all campus houses have their own composting receptacles. The college spends $30,000 on local food each year and purchases cage-free eggs. All coffee in the dining halls is fair trade, and about 30 vegan options are available each day.

Earlham has two buildings on campus that are built to LEED Silver standards and three renovated buildings are built to LEED-EB standards. Lighting upgrades include motion sensors, ambient light sensors, and lighting timers. The college has installed water-saving technologies including efficient laundry units, low-flow faucets and showerheads, and waterless urinals.

The Earlham Environmental Action Coalition works to promote environmental awareness and campus sustainability. There are two environmentally focused residential communities on campus, and four student interns are employed to work on sustainability initiatives.

Earlham has established environmental guidelines for the use of the college's vehicle fleet. Students receive a 25 percent discount on public transportation and a free shuttle runs to local destinations on weekends. A bike-sharing program is in place on campus and 96 percent of the community commutes via environmentally preferable transit.

The college makes a list of external managers, mutual funds, and multiple other holdings available on a password-protected website to all members of the school community including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Additionally, a list of votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level is accessible on a password-protected website to all members of the school community. Information about endowment holdings and proxy voting is also available to the public upon request.

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

An advisory committee with three students, two faculty members, one administrator, and three trustees makes recommendations to the board of trustees.