Georgetown University

College Sustainability Report Card 2010

Georgetown employs numerous sustainability staff. The Energy and Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee was formed in 2007 and includes senior administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Georgetown's purchasing policy requires that all cleaning products meet Green Seal standards and all electronics meet EPEAT standards.

The university achieved more than a 12 percent drop in carbon emissions between 2006 and 2008. Monitors that display real-time energy use per resident are present in the lobby of each residential building. The monitors also compare use between residential buildings and highlight the building with the lowest consumption per capita. A 300-kilowatt photovoltaic array installed on an academic building generates solar power.

Georgetown diverts over 85 percent of its waste from the landfill to be recycled, composted, or incinerated to generate electricity. All coffee served on campus is certified fair trade. The dining halls offer daily vegan meal options. The Energy and Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee and student volunteers collect excess clothing, furniture, non-perishable food, and school and cleaning supplies to donate to local homeless shelters.

Georgetown has established a university standard for new construction and major renovations to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification. A new LEED Silver-certified building is opening for the fall 2009 semester. The university has incorporated thermal energy recovery wheels in five buildings.

Sustainability is incorporated into mandatory new-student orientation sessions. In April 2009, Project Hilltop, EcoAction, Corp Green, the biology department, the Center for the Environment, InterHall, and Campus Ministry cosponsored Green Square, an event showcasing sustainability in student life. Students participated in the Switch It Off competition to reduce residence hall energy consumption.

Georgetown provides free shuttle service between major subway stations and the campus to promote the use of public transportation. Employees who carpool may park on campus free of charge. Ten percent of the university's fleet consists of alternative-fuel vehicles, including 30 electric golf carts and a hydrogen fuel cell bus.

The university makes a list of endowment holdings available to trustees, senior administrators, and other select members of the school community and makes only asset allocation available to all other members of the school community. The university does not make its shareholder voting record public, but proxy voting information is on record at the investment office and made available to certain individuals upon request.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds and community development loan funds.

A committee of administrators, faculty, staff, and students makes proxy voting recommendations to the chief investment officer, who votes accordingly.