Yeshiva University

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

Yeshiva University has hired a sustainability coordinator to develop and expand the sustainability program. Staff, faculty, students, and a trustee serve on the Energy Task Force, which focuses on sustainability and energy initiatives at the university. The school purchases Energy Star appliances and environmentally preferable cleaning and paper products.

The university has completed its first greenhouse gas emissions inventory and has committed to a five-year capital plan to replace or retrofit existing systems for energy efficiency. A gas-fired boiler plant for staff housing was recently shut down and the school's steam supply now comes from a more efficient central plant.

Food services purchases some local produce and is contracted with a local dairy. All coffee served on campus is fair trade. Excess food is donated to a local City Harvest program. Funds generated through printer cartridge recycling are diverted to a tree planting initiative in Israel.

The university has committed to constructing all new buildings and major renovations to LEED Silver standards or Green Globes ratings. Two buildings on campus meet LEED criteria, and low-flow plumbing technology has been installed in some buildings.

The Energy/Environmental Club runs education programs and coordinates competitions such as RecycleMania and YU Unplugged, a residence energy challenge. They have also worked to remove Styrofoam from the cafeteria and to educate the campus community to raise environmental awareness.

Yeshiva provides a free shuttle service that links the campus with local light rail stations and bus terminals. Employees are offered a pretax benefit for the use of public transit. On campus, a local car-sharing program makes 24 vehicles available for rental. The university fleet has nine hybrid and two electric vehicles.

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

The university aims to optimize investment return and invests in renewable energy funds that meet this objective.

Yeshiva has very limited proxies given the composition of its investments. In cases where proxies are voted, the university asks that its investment managers handle the details.