University receives improved marks in sustainability

The university received an "A-minus" on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's 2011 College Sustainability Report Card, marking the first time the university has earned a top grade for its sustainability efforts.

The university has come a long way since landing a "C" on the report card in 2007, making steady half-letter-grade improvements every year with efforts like energy-efficient shuttle buses and the solar panels on the roof of the North Campus Diner.

But the university also fell flat in some areas. Institute Senior Research Fellow Rebecca Caine said the university received an "F" in the category of shareholder engagement, explaining that although the university is invested in renewable energy funds and has fund managers who consider sustainability issues, it does not have a direct say in how investments are made.

Office of Sustainability Manager Mark Stewart said the steady climb says a lot about how the university has prioritized the environment.

"It signifies what a lot of us already know," Stewart said. "Sustainability on campus is a growing initiative."

But Stewart added that although the report card is more comprehensive than other sustainability assessments like the Princeton Review, the Sustainable Endowments Institute needs to practice better transparency in calculating grades.

"There's an ongoing debate among sustainability offices about the validity of the Sustainable Endowments Institute," Stewart said.

Caine said the institute is working on making results and calculations clearer and more accessible, but said the detailed questions make the report card one of the most accurate ways to determine a school's overall sustainability.

"We try to make the grading as objective as possible based on numbers," she said.

The College Sustainability Report Card was created in 2007 to examine the sustainability efforts of hundreds of colleges and universities across the country. Every year, the institute conducts surveys at participating schools to observe practices ranging from eco-friendly transportation to locally sourced food purchases.

Participating universities answer a series of sustainability-related questions that fall under nine categories, which are used to calculate a school's overall grade using a standard GPA system.

The university earned an "A" in eight of the nine categories, including administration, climate change and energy, student involvement and transportation, according to the report. The report credited initiatives like the Green Greek Challenge and the Department of Transportation Services' carpooling incentives for the university's high grade.

The university stacked up well against its five peer institutions, with only the University of North Carolina on par with this university with an overall "A-minus." The University of California, Berkeley was close behind with a "B-plus," and the remaining three peer institutions all received a "B."

Caine said the university bested many schools across the country as one of only 52 schools with an "A-minus" or better out of more than 320 surveyed.

"The difference between ‘A-minus' and ‘A' schools wasn't all that big," Caine said. "An ‘A-minus' is an incredibly respectable grade."

Jesse Yurow, a senior environmental science and technology major and the Student Government Association's agricultural leader, said while the university's grade is impressive, it shouldn't be considered the result of a finished product.

"I think the university should be applauded for what it's done in the past, but we should always be reaching higher," he said. "We're not the best, and there's still a lot we could be doing."

Stewart said although the university will work toward receiving that solid "A" on the 2012 green report card, it will be setting its sights on bigger sustainability goals in the future.

"We're doing more every year to reduce environmental impacts on the campus," he said.

saravia at umdbk dot com