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Dartmouth College Office of Public Affairs • Press Release
Posted 10/25/07 • Sue Knapp • (603) 646-3661
For the second year in a row, Dartmouth has received a grade of A- in the College Sustainability Report Card for its efforts in endowment transparency and environmentally sound practices. The grade was given by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a Cambridge, Mass., organization involved in research and education on the sustainability of higher education endowments.
The A- grade, the highest awarded, again puts Dartmouth in the Overall College Sustainability Leader category, along with Carleton College, Harvard University, Middlebury College, the University of Vermont, and the University of Washington.
For the latest report, the institute looked at the 200 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada with the largest endowments. The authors noted that since their last report card issued in January, 68 percent of schools improved their grades, and there was an increase in schools buying at least some food from local farms and producers, and an increase in green building policies.
"This report card is great feedback for the efforts we're making toward sustainability," says Mary Gorman, the associate provost at Dartmouth. "Sustainability issues have been important to the College for many years, and today's students, faculty, and staff are working together to make a positive impact on our campus and the planet."
Dartmouth received an A in four of the seven categories: food and recycling, green building, endowment transparency, and shareholder engagement. The categories concerning administration, climate change and energy, transportation, and investment priorities earned a B grade. (download the report card - 112kb PDF)
The report card specifically highlighted Dartmouth's Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility as a good way to engage and inform the Dartmouth community about investments. This committee makes its annual report available on the College's website. The Farm to Dartmouth Project, the initiative where food comes from local producers, was also mentioned, as was the College's strong support of the regional and downtown shuttle system and its Transportation Demand Management Program, which pays employees not to park on campus.
"We're now working to develop a carbon reduction plan on campus, and to strengthen the transportation plan," says Gorman. "There are always new and innovative ways we can do more."
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