Wabash College

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

The Environmental Concerns Committee, consisting of faculty, students, and administrative staff, advises the administration on ways that Wabash can incorporate environmental stewardship into decision making and operations at the college.

The college has taken some measures to improve energy efficiency and utilizes a central heating and cooling plant. The main boiler plant operates at 84 percent efficiency. An HVAC system in one building has been upgraded.

Dining services participates in a Farm to Fork program and spends 23 percent of its total food budget on local and organic items, including produce, dairy, and meats. All eggs served in the cafeteria are cage-free, all seafood is sustainably harvested, and all poultry and hamburgers are hormone- and antibiotic-free. Wabash also offers fair trade coffee. Food waste is composted in the dining hall, and a recycling program diverts some materials from the waste stream.

The college has requested that its designers use LEED standards as guidelines for new building projects. Some LEED Silver design strategies have been selected for use in recent projects.

Students for Sustainability has focused its efforts on raising environmental awareness through education and has been instrumental in expanding recycling in residential areas. The group has also purchased new bikes for the campus bike-sharing program and has encouraged the administration to adhere to LEED standards for new building projects.

Students for Sustainability initiated and maintains the Green Bikes program, a fleet of about 15 bicycles available for use around campus at no cost.

The college has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record.

The college aims to optimize investment return and has not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The college has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.