Ohio Wesleyan University

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

The President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability, a committee of administrators, faculty, and staff, is working with a student government task force to develop a campus culture of sustainability and the institutional structure for implementing a sustainability policy. The university purchases Energy Star-labeled appliances and EPEAT-rated technology.

The university has conducted a preliminary carbon emissions inventory and installed digital energy management systems in ten buildings that monitor performance and efficiency. Other steps to increase energy efficiency include temperature setbacks and performing system tune-ups.

The university's dining services provider uses close to 20 percent of its budget to purchase local produce, dairy, and other locally processed food items. Dining halls serve strictly cage-free eggs and sustainably caught seafood. Through the Trim Trax program, dining services weighs and logs all kitchen preconsumer food waste in their residential all-you-can-eat dining room and mixes it with postconsumer waste for use in a student-run campus compost project.

Ohio Wesleyan University is committed to applying for LEED certification for any major renovation or new construction project. The Meek Aquatics and Recreation Center will utilize geothermal heating and cooling system and is registered for LEED Silver certification.

The Tree House is a themed small living unit whose residents organize two programs per year to support the house's mission of increasing environmental awareness. The student group Bike Movement will implement a communal bike-sharing program in fall 2009. The Environment and Wildlife Club met with the university president to campaign for signing the Presidents Climate Commitment.

Two electric vehicles and one hybrid vehicle are part of the university's motor pool. The campus is in the process of creating a bike-sharing program.

The university makes a list of holdings available to all members of the school community including faculty, staff, students, and alumni at the investment office. The university does not make its shareholder voting record public.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds and is exploring, but not currently invested in, on-campus sustainability projects.

The university provides its investment managers with general guidelines that determine its proxy votes.