Auburn University

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

Auburn established the Office of Sustainability, staffed by one full-time and two part-time employees, in fall 2008. The office’s 12-member sustainability advisory committee is commencing a climate action planning process in fall 2009. The 2008 strategic plan states that the school is deepening its commitment to sustainability, both in the academic and operational spheres.

Facilities has performed lighting retrofits in 31 buildings, and temperature setbacks have been implemented across campus. Additionally, HVAC systems in five campus buildings have undergone retrocommissioning, and automation systems have been installed in many campus buildings.

The university’s dining services offers some local food, including honey and produce. All whole eggs used in the dining hall are cage-free, and all fish is sustainably caught. Auburn has an electronics recycling program that accepts computers, lightbulbs, and printer cartridges. All of the campus’s landscape waste is composted.

The Gorrie Center has been certified LEED Gold, and a new research complex is seeking LEED certification. A student-designed green roof was installed in a recent renovation project. Occupancy sensors have been installed in 24 existing buildings. The university is developing a green building policy.

The Office of Sustainability employs nine student interns, and two student organizations focus on awareness, recycling, and energy use. The student government’s environmental committee works to implement sustainable practices in student government projects and events.

All buses in the Tiger Transit program, a free shuttle system for students, run on B-20 biodiesel. Subsidies allow faculty, staff, and students to ride in-county public transit for free. In an effort to develop a pedestrian campus core, roads in central campus have been converted to pedestrian and bicycle paths.

The university makes a list of all holdings available to the public at the investment office. The university does not make its shareholder voting record public.

The university seeks to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds.

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