University of Saskatchewan

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

Sustainability is a key commitment in the university’s current integrated plan. Accordingly, a Sustainability Commitment Working Group was formed in 2008 and is finalizing a sustainability plan for the university. The university employs three full-time and one part-time sustainability staff. A campus-wide green purchasing protocol will be launched in fall 2009.

The University of Saskatchewan completed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory in 2007 that will be updated in 2010. The university has committed to reducing its emissions to 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The university is in the process of retrofitting light fixtures and retrocommissioning campus buildings.

Dining services uses some produce grown by the horticulture club, purchases some fair trade-certified coffee, and offers vegan options daily. The university composts or mulches 90 percent of its landscaping waste. After conducting a campus waste audit, the university has devised a plan to reduce campus solid waste by 90 percent by 2012. The campus recycling program, which annually provides five to seven part-time student jobs, handles paper and beverage container recycling on campus and will soon expand to include other materials.

The University of Saskatchewan anticipates achieving LEED certification for four campus buildings currently under construction or awaiting certification. A campus water baseline study was conducted in 2008. The university is developing a plan to reduce water consumption by 20 percent by 2012.

The university's sustainability office offers three full-time internships during the summer and three part-time internships during the academic year. Student groups engaged in sustainability include the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union, the Biology Club, Footprint Design (Engineering), the Environmental Studies Students’ Association (ESSA, undergraduate level), the Horticulture Club, ROOTED (urban agriculture), and the School of Environment and Sustainability Students Association (SENSA, graduate level).

All diesel vehicles in the university fleet now use a biodiesel fuel blend. The university participates in a nationwide carpooling program and, in collaboration with the City of Saskatoon, provides low-cost U-Passes to students. Bicycle repair tools can be rented for free on campus.

The university makes a list of all holdings, as well as a list of votes cast on proxy resolutions on a company-specific level, available at the investment office to all members of the school community including faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

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

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