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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.
 Events like the Waste-Free Community Cookout
illustrate Dartmouth's commitment to sustainability. (Photo by Joseph Mehling
’69)
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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 had improved their grades, 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 Associate Provost Mary Gorman. “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
online.
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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