University of South Florida

College Sustainability Report Card 2009

President Genshaft signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. The Climate Change Committee oversees 14 sustainability subcommittees including green building, recycling and waste management, transportation, emissions inventories, USF campus, finance, and student groups.

The university has installed energy meters in each building for all utilities, including, electricity, gas, and water, to allow for energy accounting and measuring the success of energy efficiency initiatives. Blow down discharge from the storm water and cooling tower is collected in on-campus ponds. Some of this storm water is utilized for landscape irrigation.

USF’s internal recycling program collects mixed paper, aluminum cans, and scrap metal. The USF Community Recycling Site is open for use to members of the general community as well as students, faculty, and staff who do not have access to home recycling pickup. A newly formed subcommittee that addresses recycling and waste management is a priority focus for the Climate Committee.

The board of trustees has adopted policies in the campus master plan to guide campus development and to address the location, design, and construction of site development and facilities. These policies incorporate both large scale and detailed green design principles, including preservation of open space, infill development, storm water management, erosion control, and tree protection.

Within the USF Climate Change Committee, a separate subcommittee comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from various environmental organizations and disciplines is charged with developing sustainability projects and coordinating student efforts. A student housing energy and carbon challenge was launched in August 2008.

USF operates the Bull Runner, a bus service that uses biodiesel fuel and is free with a valid USF identification card. The USF U-Pass, a partnership with the regional bus service (HART), allows students to ride free and staff and faculty to ride for 25 cents. There are more than 30 HART stops on campus, and all Bull Runner and regional buses are equipped with bike racks. USF has photovoltaic solar system for charging electric golf carts.

The university makes a list of endowment holdings available to the public by request, as per open records laws. The university does not make proxy voting records available.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is exploring investment in renewable energy funds.

The university asks its investment managers to handle the details of proxy voting.