For the third year in a row, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has ranked the University of Vermont among the top schools nationally for green practices and policies, giving the school an overall grade of A- in its just released College Sustainability Report Card. Also receiving an A-, the highest grade given by the institute, were twenty-six other schools including Harvard University, Middlebury College, Brown University, and the University of New Hampshire.
The institute graded the 300 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities with the largest endowments (plus 32 others that applied) in nine categories and then awarded an overall grade. Its aim is to show a correlation between an institution’s green practices and its investment decisions.
In addition to its overall grade, UVM received A’s in the subcategories of Administration, Food & Recycling, Green Building, Transportation, Endowment Transparency and Shareholder Engagement. The University received B’s in three other subcategories.A number of specific programs helped boost UVM's score. Among many strengths noted on the Report Card were the fact that UVM purchases only Green-Seal certified cleaning products; its innovative Office of Sustainability; strong efforts to improve energy efficiency; sourcing local foods from 60 suppliers; UVM’s commitment to building all new construction to LEED standards; strong student involvement in GreenHouse, UVM’s environmentally-themed residence; and the Eco-Reps program.
The College Sustainability Report Card 2009 is the fourth such report from the Sustainable Endowments Institute, and is published as part of the Institute’s broader effort to encourage discussion on sustainability in higher education.The full College Sustainability Report Card 2009 is available on the Sustainable Endowments Institute website
Source: UVM. 10.8.2009
UVM, Middlebury top schools for green practices and policies
Submitted by tim
on