Arizona State University

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

President Crow is a co-founder of the Presidents Climate Commitment and chairs its steering committee. The university employs an executive director for sustainability initiatives and advisor to the president through its Office of Sustainability Initiatives, which includes four full-time staff. In the next phase of the initiative, a new campus sustainability office will be housed in the Global Institute for Sustainability with an anticipated staff of three full-time staff and five students.

A carbon emissions inventory has been completed and will be used to develop a strategic plan to reach carbon neutral status. ASU recently issued a mandate for building temperatures to be raised two degrees in the summer and lowered two degrees in the winter. The new cogeneration plant on campus recently received an award from the EPA for its superior energy efficiency. Two additional solar arrays are currently under construction, with a 4-megawatt system being developed.

Dining services purchases seasonally from ten local producers, and citrus, herbs, dates, and other produce are sourced from an on-campus garden. Only recyclable containers are used, and convenience stores offer a twenty-five-cent discount with reusable bags. In addition to aluminum cans, plastic, and paper, batteries, toner and ink cartridges, cell phones, and sneakers are recycled. The university has also had a contract since 1995 to demanufacture electronics. The recycling program is being expanded in order to increase the current diversion rate of 15 percent to 50 percent.

All new buildings must meet LEED Silver standards under an executive order from the president. The university has also adopted a green building policy that uses LEED design standards. ASU has met or succeeded its building policy requirements. Five LEED Silver, two Gold, and one Platinum-certified building have been constructed on campus.

The university offers intra- and inter-campus shuttle and rideshare services, and provides free municipal bus passes to the campus community. The campus is bike-friendly and has a bike co-op that offers repair services. ASU recently signed an agreement with a car-sharing service for the Tempe campus and is investigating the possibility of a pilot program offering special parking privileges for hybrid and electric vehicles.

The university and ASU Foundation have no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or shareholder voting records. Therefore, there is no known ability to access this information.

The university and ASU Foundation aim to optimize investment return and have not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

The University and ASU Foundation have not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.