Georgia Institute of Technology

College Sustainability Report Card 2008

President Clough has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment and Georgia Tech has set explicitly stated goals to reduce material consumption, water runoff, and the use of natural resources. The Institute for Sustainable Technology and Development works on both curriculum and campus initiatives to promote sustainability.

The president has committed the institute to climate neutrality and the operations department has embraced sustainability by applying a multitude of energy conservation efforts. Inefficient energy equipment and systems are being replaced, and energy audits have been performed for selected buildings. The aquatic center has a solar array, and researchers are developing an offshore wind farm.

The institute composts yard waste and has an award-winning recycling program. The program includes a regional recycling day, during which more than 74 tons of used equipment were collected in 2005; an annual student move-in/move-out collection and re-use program; and the publication of “The Green Purchasing Guide.” Georgia Tech offers some fair-trade coffee and encourages its food service provider to purchase products locally. They are currently running a biodiesel pilot program with used cooking oil from dining services.

The institute relies on the principles of sustainability in its campus strategic plan and its campus and landscape master plans. The new management building is LEED Silver, a new construction project is seeking LEED Silver certification, and ten other buildings were designed following LEED standards.

Georgia Tech operates its own transportation system that annually carries 2.1 million people and supplements the city of Atlanta’s Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) mass transit system. All eight of the Tech Trolley vehicles are powered by natural gas and provide free ridership in the midtown area to members of the Georgia Tech community and its neighbors. Fourteen percent of the motor pool is electric and 20 percent of the vehicles use some form of alternative fuel.

The institute has no known policy of disclosure of endowment holdings or its shareholder voting record. Therefore, there is no known ability to access this information.

The institute aims to optimize investment return and has also made several investments in alternative energy, most of which are in venture capital funds.

The institute has not made any public statements about active ownership or a proxy voting policy.