Amherst College, Bard College, Barnard College, Bates College ...

Amherst College, Bard College, Barnard College, 

Bates College, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr 

College, Bucknell University, Carleton 2010 College, 

Centre Sustainability College, Colby Reporting College, of Colgate the 

Top 50 Liberal Arts Cross, Colleges* Colorado 

Pacific Sustainability Index Scores 

vidson College, 

A benchmarking tool for online sustainability reporting 

ollege, Franklin 

n University, 

lege, Hamilton 

ge, Haverford 

yette College, 

College, Mount 

ge, Occidental 

College, Reed 

cripps College, 

uth, Skidmore 

Olaf College, 

College, Union 

cademy, United 

ssar College, 

Helping Commerce 

ity, Help Wellesley 

Nature 

* Claremont McKenna College intentionally omitted from the rankings 

hitman College, 

J. Emil Morhardt, Elgeritte Adidjaja, Bianca Garcia, Bukola Jimoh, Daria Dulan, Elizabeth Perez, Gracie Beck, Jacyln T. D'Arcy, Jaleesa D. Parks, 

Quentin Jones, Joseph Bryan Swartley, Marcia Marcella McWilliams, Marissa L. Garvin, Markus Kessler, Rishabh Rajen Parekh, Tigist Kassahun, 

and Timothy M. Fine.

Claremont McKenna College 

Roberts Environmental Center 

Contents 

Topics 

Page 

College Ranking 3 

Director’s Foreword 4 

Student Involvement 5 

Landscaping 6 

Green Buildings 7 

Food Recycling and Purchasing 8 

Green Purchasing 9 

Transportation Initiatives 10 

Community Development 11 

PSI Overview 12 

PSI Scoring in a Nutshell 13 

Environmental Intent Topics 14 

Environmental Reporting Topics 15 

Social Intent Topics 16 

Social Reporting Topics 17 

Environmental Intent Element of the PSI 

18 

Scores 

Environmental Reporting Element of the PSI 19 

Scores 

Social Intent Element of the PSI Scores 20 

Social Reporting Element of the PSI Scores 21 

Environmental Intent Scores Ranking 22 

Environmental Reporting Scores Ranking 23 

Environmental Performance Scores Ranking 24 

Social Intent Scores Ranking 25 

Social Reporting Scores Ranking 26 

Social Performance Scores Ranking 27 

Visual Cluster Analysis 28 

Company Rankings Based on the Number of 30 

Goals Reported 

Company Rankings Based on the Better 

31 

Performance Reported 

Analyst’s Comments, alphabetically listed by 32 

company name 

Questions should be addressed to: 

Dr. J. Emil Morhardt, Director 

(emorhardt@cmc.edu) 



925 N. Mills Ave. Claremont, CA 91711-5916, USA 

Direct line: (909) 621-8190 

Elgeritte Adidjaja, Research Fellow: (909) 621-8698 

(eadidjaja@cmc.edu) 

Departmental secretaries: (909) 621-8298 

The Roberts Environmental Center has been the foremost 

analyst of corporate sustainability reporting for over a 

decade. We analyze corporate online disclosure using our 

Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) and publish the results on 

this website. 

Industrial Sector** 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 

Aerospace and 

X 

defense 

Airlines 

X 

Banks, Insurance 

X 

Chemicals X X X 

Computer, Office 

X 

Equipment, and 

Services 

Consumer Food, Food 

X X X 

Production, & 

Beverages 

Electronics and 

X X X 

Semiconductors 

Energy and Utilities* X X X 

Entertainment 

X 

Food Services 

X 

Forest and Paper 

X X X 

Products 

General Merchandiser 

X 

Homebuilders 

X 

Industrial and Farm 

X 

X 

Equipment 

Mail, Freight, & 

X 

Shipping 

Medical Products & 

X 

Equipment 

Metals, Mining, Crude 

X 

Oil* 

Metals 

X 

Mining, Crude Oil 

X 

Motor Vehicle and X X X 

Parts 

Oil and Gas Equipment 

X 

Petroleum and Refining X X 

Pharmaceuticals X X X X 

Scientific, Photo, & 

X 

Control Equipment 

Telecommunications, 

X 

Network, & 

Peripherals 

Utilities, Gas, and 

X 

Electric 

* Multiple-sector category was separated in later years. 

**As of February 2010. 

The goal of corporate report analysis conducted by the Roberts 

Environmental Center is to acquaint students with environmental and 

social issues facing the world’s industries, and the ways in which 

industry approaches and resolves these issues. The data presented in 

this report were collected by student research assistants and a 

research fellow at the Roberts Environmental Center. Copyright 2010 © 

by J. Emil Morhardt. All rights reserved. 

www.roberts.cmc.edu 

2010 Sustainability Reporting of the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges 

2



Sustainability Reporting of the Top 50 

Liberal Arts Colleges* 

Williams College 

Bucknell University 

Amherst College 

Colorado College 

Gettysburg College 

Bard College 

Haverford College 

Wellesley College 

Mount Holyoke College 

Oberlin College 

St. Olaf College 

Barnard College 

Reed College 

Pomona College 

Skidmore College 

DePauw University 

W esleyan University 

Macalester College 

Hamilton College 

Furman University 

Dickinson College 

Bowdoin College 

Vassar College 

Bates College 

Franklin and Marshall College 

Carleton College 

Grinnell College 

Lafayette College 

Middlebury College 

Davidson College 

Smith College 

College of the Holy Cross 

Colgate University 

W ashington and Lee University 

Pitzer College 

Connecticut College 

Whitman College 

Swarthmore College 

Sewanee--University of the South 

United States Military Academy 

Union College 

Bryn Mawr College 

Colby College 

Richmond University 

Trinity College 

Harvey Mudd College 

Kenyon College 

Centre College 

United States Naval Academy 

Scripps College 

Occidental College 

College Rankings 

33.81 39.77 

30.74 

30.68 

28.81 

27.81 

27.11 

27.07 

26.85 

26.37 

26.15 

26.11 

25.06 

25.02 

24.76 

24.63 

24.54 

24.06 

23.76 

22.67 

22.11 

21.89 

21.76 

21.61 

20.80 

20.54 

20.19 

19.76 

19.49 

19.06 

18.71 

18.54 

18.15 

18.06 

18.02 

17.09 

16.01 

15.97 

15.58 

15.45 

15.14 

14.53 

14.19 

13.05 

12.00 

11.84 

10.62 

8.44 

6.01 

5.05 

3.39 

0 25 50 75 100 

This report is an analysis of the voluntary environmental and social reporting 

of colleges* on the U.S. News and World Report's Colleges and Universities 

rankings. Data were collected from corporate websites during the initial 

analysis period in the Fall of 2009. 

*Intentionally omitting Claremont McKenna College which ranks 11th on the U.S. News and World Report list. 

A+ 

A- 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

D+ 

D+ 

D 

D 

D- 

















Wesleyan University 

















Washington and Lee University 




















3



Director’s Foreword 

This is our second sector report on College and University sustainability reporting. The first, 

in 2007, covered only a few institutions, all we could find that mentioned the subject on their 

websites. In just three years there has been a revolution with just about every institution we 

look at addressing the issues, and many having extensive coverage. In fact so many of 

these institutions are reporting we have decided to produce separate reports on the top 50 

Liberal Arts Colleges and the top 50 American national universities, based on U.S. News 

and World Report 2009 rankings. We have omitted our own institution (which is ranked 11 th 

by U.S. News and World Report) not because we think our reporting is inferior, but because 

we don’t think that we should be the ones judging it. 

One question that might come to mind, particularly since so many colleges are now 

reporting, is why Williams College, which we ranked highest, only receives 40% of the 

possible points on our metric, the Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI), when the top-ranked 

companies receive 60% or more? 

Part of the answer is that the scholarly institutions are marching to a different drummer. Industry has almost universally 

adopted the sustainability reporting guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an international industry-supported effort 

to specify appropriate reporting in excruciating detail for just about every conceivable aspect of environmental and social 

corporate activity. Even though the PSI does not map the GRI guidelines very closely, it does address most of the issues 

covered by GRI, many of which are hardly ever mentioned by colleges. 

Colleges, on the other hand, seem not to have heard of GRI, and seem instead to be driven by the Association for Advancement 

of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and the associated American College & University Presidents Climate 

Commitment (ACUPCC), as well as the Sustainability Endowments Institute (SEI) and its College Sustainability Report Card at 

greenreportcard.org. 

The GRI G3 reporting guidelines cover a lot more ground than these college-specific efforts, in particular information about 

manufacturing (in which most institutions of higher learning do not engage), and social responsibility to employees and external 

communities (in which colleges are certainly engaged, but report externally only haphazardly). Furthermore, students are 

not employees, and faculty are often treated differently than staff, so there tend to be multiple codes of conduct, different sorts 

of benefits, and different demographics, decreasing further the parallels with business enterprises and complicating the 

process of GRI-style reporting even if colleges were so inclined. 

So, the PSI covers more ground than colleges normally consider reporting, and it lacks the emphasis on fiscal transparency 

that makes up a third of SEI’s College Sustainability Report Card grade. Finally, the PSI is based entirely on the material freely 

available on college web sites, while the College Sustainability Report Card depends entirely on completion of a detailed 

questionnaire. We have looked at the detailed questionnaires for all of the colleges that chose to make them publicly available 

on greenreportcard.com, and the level of sophistication in filling them out appears to be about as variable as the inclusion of 

sustainability information on college web sites. 

In other words, even colleges that attempt to report their sustainability, either online or in response to questionnaires, are often 

not very good at it. We judge that neither the PSI nor the College Sustainability Report Card does a good job yet at capturing the 

actual sustainability of colleges. This will change as external grading becomes more widely cited, providing stronger incentives 

for high quality sustainability reporting and performance. 

J. Emil Morhardt, Ph.D. 

Roberts Professor of Environmental Biology 

Director, Roberts Environmental Center 

Claremont, California 

January 22, 2010 


4 

2010 Sustainability Reporting of the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges



Student Involvement 

By: Markus Kessler & Tigist Kassahun 

In 2009, students at the nation’s top Liberal Arts Colleges exhibited a genuine commitment to sustainability through 

involvement in and leadership of organizations, initiatives, and achievements. Like movements in the past, students 

today play an important role in colleges and universities nationwide committing them to a more sustainable future. 

It is largely the ambition and passion of students that creates institutional change in the college communities. Here 

is just a glance at how a few college students are leading the way in student involvement on their campuses. 

Gettysburg College has a diverse array of student-initiated and managed programs, organizations, and 

sustainability positions in which students are portrayed as major players in sustainability programs. Student 

groups include the Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization and Gettysburg Research and Action by 

Students for Sustainability. Student environment leaders at Gettysburg College were vital in developing the 

campus-wide Sustainability Advisory Committee, initiating the college-wide compost program, authoring a 

seventeen page campus-wide sustainability proposal, creating and managing the Painted Turtle farm, which 

provides produce for the local food bank and the campus Dining Center, and creating the R3 House, where 

residents commit to reducing, reusing, and recycling. Additionally, first year students are introduced to 

sustainability initiatives by student leaders upon their arrival on campus. These are only a few of numerous 

initiatives students at Gettysburg have been involved with to commit to a more sustainable future. 

Bowdoin College is another example of the important role student involvement plays in maintaining an 

environmentally responsible campus community. Bowdoin has a great campus group called EcoReps. Students fill 

these positions and function as liaisons between the students and the administration on campus-related 

environmental issues. This program has been very successful in addressing and prompting sustainable living 

practices, especially within first year dorms. The student-run organization, Sustainable Bowdoin, meets monthly to 

discuss and implement sustainable initiatives. Some of the campus’ sustainable practices such as the campus 

composting program were initiated by Sustainable Bowdoin. Additionally, as a means of promoting green living, 

the campus has three EcoMascots whose visible campus presence reminds students of their ability to contribute 

to a greener future. 

Pomona College cultivates an environment committed to sustainability, and this is exceedingly clear through the 

involvment of the student body. Pomona’s student-run Green Bikes program loans bikes to students for free at the 

beginning of each semester and runs a sustainable repair shop year round. The program also offers workshops 

and events to promote and educate about the use of alternative and green modes of transportation. Pomona’s 

unique Sustainability Action Fellowship provides the opportunity for students to be involved in coordinating 

sustainability outreach and researching other campus’ sustainable efforts in order to better Pomona’s green goals. 

The student held position must be applied for and can also count for one full course credit. 

The Clean Sweep and ReCoop initiative was started by Pomona students and has radically reduced Pomona’s 

waste production. Students involved in Clean Sweep spend two weeks collecting thousands of items left in the 

residence halls at the end of each school year. The items collected in this process are sold through Pomona’s 

ReCoop, which puts on a large sale at the beginning of the year and maintains an on-campus store for the 

remainder of the school year. 

Examples of original, zealous, and effective student involvement in sustainability efforts such as these can serve as 

truly inspiring influences to other colleges, as well as to other college students. 


5 




Landscaping 

By: Joe Swartley 

Different ways of landscaping can greatly affect the sustainability of a college and its efforts to become more 

environmentally conscious. In the analysis of the top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges we saw a great variety of initiatives 

being implemented across the nation to reduce use of water, fertilizer, and pesticide and to utilize more native 

plant species that fit the specific region and climate of the campus. Many of these projects are very simple and 

require few changes to make an impact, while others involve a complete transformation of landscaping techniques 

and often have a more significant impact. Sustainable grounds management and landscaping has taken large 

leaps over the past few years and colleges seem to be applying these practices in light of both financial and 

environmental concerns. 

The most obvious changes that campuses are making involve water usage and irrigation efficiency. For example, 

in 2007, Harvey Mudd College issued a report estimating that over half of its water usage was unnecessary. To 

tackle this problem the college switched many of its sprinkler systems to drip lines and continues to do so. Since 

their implementation, the school has saved an average of eight million gallons of water per year, enough to fill over 

12 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This drip irrigation system, along with many of the drip lines put in place on 

campuses, is situated underground so it can feed water directly to the plant roots and is connected to a central 

computer and weather station that monitors soil conditions. The computer can calculate how much watering is 

necessary for each line system based on real-time humidity, rainfall, wind, and moisture content in the soil. 

Oberlin College operates and maintains a unique and sustainable water system that reuses all grey water from 

indoor facilities such as toilets, sinks, and showers. Oberlin’s “Living System” processes this wastewater through 

natural purification methods used by wetlands and methods used by municipal wastewater treatment facilities. 

Water processed through this system is reused in the college’s toilets and irrigation. Treatment systems such as 

this can recycle thousands of gallons of water per day, thus saving the college money and minimizing its 

environmental impact. 

Native plants are another crucial element of sustainable landscaping on college campuses. The wave to plant 

more native (and often times more drought-tolerant) species of plants has reduced water usage during irrigation, 

helped to battle invasive-species, promoted healthier vegetation, and created a home for native animals and 

insects around the campus. By returning a habitat to its former state, low-maintenance ecological systems can 

prosper. Native plants are already adapted to the climate and are programmed to survive through dry summers 

and wet winters without extensive irrigation or fertilizer or pesticide use. 

The majority of the colleges analyzed practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a means of grounds 

maintenance. IPM is a widely used strategy to deal with landscape and structural pests while drastically reducing 

the use of pesticides that may harm the environment, people, or surrounding property. This approach involves pest 

prevention, observation, and intervention. If pests reach an unacceptable level, physical actions (hand picking, 

mulching, pruning, etc.) are used to eradicate or control the pest. Biological controls (introduction of beneficial 

insects, fungi, nematodes, etc.) are then used if other actions did not work, followed by chemical controls 

(pesticides) as a last resort. IPM has been in use for over 30 years and continues to evolve into a more sustainable 

and ecological approach that works to maintain healthy plant systems. As colleges experiment with IPM and 

landscaping techniques specific to their campuses, they can envision a more sustainable future. 


6 




Green Buildings 

By: Jaclyn D’Arcy & Charles Butler 

Colleges around the United States are investing in green buildings to reduce their carbon footprints. From low-flow 

showers and toilets to geothermal and solar thermal heating systems, colleges are making an effort to decrease 

greenhouse gas emissions. Through certifications like LEED, Green Seal, and Energy Star, colleges can be 

evaluated by third party regulators and to encourage sustainable practices. 

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—LEED—is a rating system created and used by the Unites States 

Green Building Council (USGBC) to rate levels of environmental sustainability in construction. Ratings are based on 

a point system in which buildings receive a point for each prerequisite they complete. Prerequisites review water 

efficiency, sustainable practices on the construction site, efficient energy use, source of materials and other 

resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovative building design techniques. The specific criteria change 

depending on the type of buildings being constructed and are constantly being updated. LEED certifications are 

available for new constructions, older buildings, homes, schools, neighborhood developments, and a variety of 

other buildings. If a college wishes to have a LEED inspection, it simply submits a report to the USGBC and waits 

for the report to be reviewed. Building may receive a platinum LEED, gold LEED, silver LEED, or bronze LEED 

certification, depending on points received in the report. 

Most Colleges and Universities are building new LEED-certified buildings and renovate current buildings to meet 

LEED standards. Some colleges prefer to focus on the source of the building material and use local products to 

help improve the environment, while others focus on efficiently using natural resources. For example, Middlebury 

College was able to purchase 80% of its construction materials as recycled or reclaimed. Colleges compete to 

have the highest LEED certification and the most LEED certified buildings. In some cases they incorporate 

sustainable practices not included in the official LEED list. Colleges understand that a more environmentally 

friendly work and living environment will ensure healthier more productive students. Some colleges use Green 

Seal products and Energy Star devices to help satisfy some LEED prerequisites and to improve the overall 

sustainability efforts of the college. 

Green Seal is an independent non-profit third party certification organization that certifies environmentally 

sustainable products for the marketplace. Products that have the Green Seal Label have undergone an intense 

review to discover what their impact will be on the environment and quality of human life. The review focuses on 

the entire lifecycle of the products from the harvesting of the resource necessary to construct them until the 

product are discarded. 

Colleges wanting to discourage non-green consumption frequently purchase as many Green Seal product as 

possible. Green Seal products seem to work just as well if not better than other products but with significantly 

fewer health risks because of a reduction in toxins. 

Energy Star is a certification given to products that are deemed to use energy efficiently. This certification is based 

on a set of criteria agreed to by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and United States Department 

of Energy. The specific set of criteria varies from product to product. Energy Star products use less energy than 

their conventional counterparts, allowing colleges to redirect these resources into other programs to help improve 

the quality of the school. Colleges sometimes reduce their carbon footprints in ways not included in certification 

processes, for example, by planting gardens on the roofs of their buildings to increase insulation and be visibly 

“green”. Whether it is new building projects, renovation of existing dorms and building, or just replacing 

incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones and using eco-friendly cleaning products, colleges are 

recognizing the importance of green building and purchasing and are instilling these decisions into their students. 


7 




Food Recycling and Purchasing 

By: Marissa Garvin and Quentin Jones 

The colleges leading in sustainability have implemented formal policies encouraging local food purchasing, and 

many also purchase food from organic providers including those specifying “cage-free eggs”, “confinement-free 

meat products”, and “hormone and antibiotic-free dairy products.” “Fair Trade Certified” products are imported 

from developing countries at a higher price to promote sustainability there. Putting these labels on the food 

products brings increased awareness to students of sustainable food purchasing and growing practices. Some 

colleges have their own gardens or farms on or near campus that provide some food to the dining halls. Excess 

prepared food is donated to soup kitchens or other organizations where it will not go to waste. Dining facilities are 

almost all becoming “tray-less” to decrease the amount of waste per individual and the costs of washing trays. 

Dishware that is disposable is often made of “post-consumer recycled content” and is biodegradable or 

compostable. Used cooking oil is processed into bio-diesel fuel, which emits less particulate matter than 

petroleum diesel fuel and is nominally "carbon-neutral" to the degree it is of plant origen. Materials that market 

dining facilities are printed on recycled paper. Napkins are made from recycled paper and dispensed one-at-atime 

to minimize waste. 

Student sustainability coordinators often facilitate ongoing student dialogue on how to become more 

environmentally sustainable and act as ambassadors for new sustainable initiatives. Sustainability councils can 

create policies intended to decrease the impact of the dining facilities on the world at large. An interesting 

program tried by Sewanee College is an inter-dorm competition to reduce overall waste through both food 

composting and office recycling. Comments and suggestions on sustainability are solicited via e-mail and 

responses are displayed at dining facilities. The colleges can set criteria to ensure a margin of sustainable 

practice for a potential supplier. Dining facilities offer financial incentive for individuals to utilize reusable 

containers. 


8 




Green Purchasing 

By: Daria Dulan 

Green purchasing is the affirmative selection and promotion of products and services that most effectively 

minimize negative environmental impacts over their life cycles. Some examples are products and processes that 

conserve energy and water, minimize waste and release of pollutants, and use energy from renewable resources. 

Others are products that are manufactured from recycled materials, that can be reused or recycled, and use 

alternatives to hazardous or toxic chemicals and radioactive materials. 

It is important that our higher education institutions practice and promote green purchasing in order to lead the 

communities surrounding them by example. The colleges reviewed in this report have almost all made some kind of 

commitment to be more sustainable and one easy and cost-efficient way of doing so is to practice green 

purchasing. Green purchasing at the colleges occurs in many forms, from having a budget to purchase locally 

grown foods in the dining halls to providing Energy Star light bulbs to students and faculty. 

Barnard College is an example of minimal, yet significant, practices of green purchasing. When possible, all 

student room renovation projects use Energy Star appliances, low VOC paints, low or formaldehyde-free millwork, 

linoleum flooring, recycled glass countertops, occupancy sensors, and low flow toilets and shower heads. In 

addition, the Department of Residential Life has established a sole vendor program with a company that has a set 

of eco-friendly operating guidelines for the purchase of residential hall furniture. There is not much information 

describing Barnard’s promotion of green purchasing to the students. 

Haverford, on the other hand, goes beyond expectations when it comes to practicing green purchasing on campus. 

Over half of Haverford College’s fleet consists of golf carts, which are electric and its faculty and staff are offered 

pretax incentives on public transportation. Haverford has a committee dedicated to holding people on campus 

accountable for progressing towards sustainability. There is also a student garden at Haverford in which compost 

from the dining halls is collected and added to the soil. Also in the student dining halls, locally processed foods 

account for about one-third of the college’s food budget. 

It is common for schools to change the types of paper they purchase when practicing green purchasing. For 

instance, Most of Hamilton's high-volume, high-end publications printed off-campus are now Forest Stewardship 

Council (FSC) certified, printed on recycled paper stock containing post-consumer waste (PCW). FSC certification 

is the "gold standard" in printing and sustainability. In order to be FSC certified, the publication must follow a 

stringent "chain-of-custody" from the forest, to the paper manufacturer, to the paper merchant, to the printer. In 

addition, all of the copy paper used in printers and copiers across campus is 100 percent recycled. 

There are many other things that are common among this group of colleges when it comes to promoting green 

purchasing to students. On many of the websites, there are lists of appliances or materials that are energy efficient 

and the schools encourage their students to buy these products as opposed to other, less efficient products. 

Overall, green purchasing is an important aspect of sustainability and it is one of the easiest ways to get everyone 

involved in becoming more sustainable. 


9 




Transportation Initiatives 

By: Bukola Jimoh & Grace Beck 

Just as many corporate businesses are undertaking sustainable transportation initiatives to minimize their 

environmental impact, colleges too are expanding on their “green” transportation options. After scoring the Top 50 

Liberal Arts Colleges in 2009 using each college’s web pages and the PSI database, we were able to determine 

which colleges are putting the most effort and money into sustainable transportation options for students and 

faculty. 

Every college on the list claimed to have several alternative transportation programs. The most common of these 

includes Zipcar, a program through which students can rent a hybrid vehicle by the hour or day. This program 

provides a sustainable transportation option to those students who don’t have cars on campus. In addition, 

student-run bike rental and repair programs are a norm at almost every college on the list. Most schools, such as 

Pomona College, have “green” bike programs through which bikes can be checked out by the day or week. At 

some schools, these bike rental programs are free of charge in order to encourage students to bike around 

campus rather than drive. At others, the costs are minimal. 

Many colleges with large campuses or harsh weather conditions, such as Colgate College, provide a free shuttle 

service around campus for students and faculty. Most of these shuttles are equipped with EPA-approved lowemission 

diesel engines or run on biodiesel, both of which are green alternatives to petroleum. In general, the top 

50 Liberal Arts Colleges are headed in the right direction in terms of their green transportation initiatives. Some 

colleges in particular, however, are paving the way towards the improvement of alternative transportation on 

college campuses. 

The Claremont Colleges, for example, offer monetary incentives to employees who walk, bicycle, use public 

transportation, or carpool to work. This practice encourages employees to cut down on their individual carbon 

footprints, which in turn cuts down on the colleges’ overall environmental impact. Similarly, Smith College initiated 

a “parking opt-out” program that pays faculty and staff not to drive to work. Smith also provides discounted 

parking permits to carpool groups at one-fifth of the cost of a regular permit. Another notable program is Smith 

College’s “Bicycle Kitchen.” Unlike other bike-sharing programs now common at Liberal Arts Colleges, Smith’s 

program rents bicycles to students for the entire semester for $15. The program allows students to have easy, 

cheap continuous access to emissions-free transportation. In total, approximately 22% of Smith College’s faculty 

and staff use more-sustainable forms of transportation. Like Smith College, Macalester College offers incentives to 

students and faculty who carpool. The college designates priority parking spaces for low-emission vehicles and 

carpoolers. Along with offering subsidized bus passes and restricting student-parking permits, these initiatives 

help Macalester toward its goal to reduce single-occupancy vehicles by at least 50% by 2025. 

Dickinson College’s Biodiesel Project is another noteworthy transportation initiative. The student-run project 

recycles waste vegetable oil from nearby restaurants into biofuel for biodiesel vehicles. Union College also 

participates in a biofuel project by recycling waste oil used in dining services. Union college estimates that the 

recycling of waste oil diverts hundreds of gallons of waste oil from landfills to “clean, closed loop fuels.” Both 

programs contribute to efforts by all the colleges to reduce the disposal of waste and the consumption of 

petroleum fuel. 

Like corporations, colleges are becoming more concerned with developing sustainable transportation initiatives. 

While not all of the colleges have extensive sustainable transportation programs in place, progress will 

undoubtedly be made in the future. Transportation projects implemented at colleges such as Smith, Macalester, 

and Dickinson provide exceptional models for other Liberal Arts Colleges. Their leadership and innovation will 

encourage other colleges to follow their example and promote sustainable transportation on college campuses. 


10 




Community Development 

By: Bianca E. Garcia 

Involvement in the community is a key component when it comes to sustainability. For a college to be successful in 

its sustainability efforts, it is necessary to involve community support and outreach. Several colleges have 

implemented programs that are geared towards their college community as well as their local community. Colleges 

have also performed research about their outside community so that they can better understand how to meet the 

needs of the community in order to become more sustainable. 

DePauw University has a community service program in Greencastle and in the Putnam community. This program 

not only addresses the green aspect of sustainability, but also addresses issues of social justice. The DePauw 

Community Service (DCS) takes action in schools, shelters, nursing homes, and a variety of other community 

agencies. This program provides an understanding of community dynamics which is necessary in understanding 

the needs of the community. 

DePauw also has another program called the DePauw Environmental Club. This club focuses more on 

environmental awareness. The members participate in programs and activities in the DePauw and Greencastle 

community and use their efforts to promote awareness through education. Members of this club practice 

sustainable living activities such as recycling, composting, Energy Wars, carbon reduction policies, and other 

activities that encourage the local community to lower their impact on global warming. 

Another college with strong community initiatives is Mount Holyoke College. It has a Center for the Environment 

that is dedicated to connecting “People, Community, and Earth” which assists students in making connections that 

assist them in understanding environmental concepts within their community and in their lives. This center also 

supports the exploration of social, cultural, historical, political-economic, and scientific dimensions of 

environmental concerns and allows students to dig into their community and make direct connections between the 

world of academia and real-world issues. 

Mount Holyoke also has an Environmental Action Coalition (EAC). Its mission is to educate and engage the college 

community in ecological responsibility, which locally as well as globally focused. This group encourages students 

to analyze their impact on immediate as well as larger environments. its achieves these goals through a process of 

interactive campaigns, collective learning, and community involvement that extends past the college campus. 

One of the many programs directed by the EAC is The Farm, on the outskirts of the campus, intended to increase 

the purchase of locally grown food. The EAC is also hoping to start a community garden soon, as well as a 

greenhouse and education center to be available to students, faculty, staff, and community members. 

Mount Holyoke is also participating in a larger program called Focus the Nation. This program for the college as well 

as from the outside community, focuses on global warming awareness, discussion, and action. Mount Holyoke is 

working closely with its community to create a plan that will ensure the success of this program. 

Sustainability is a communal effort. Successful sustainability programs require research on not only a topic, but 

also the surrounding environment. Without understanding the needs of a community, it is difficult to provide for it. 

Without the support or involvement of the community, it can be difficult to achieve sustainable success. 


11 




The Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) Overview 

the PSI Scoring System 

The Pacific Sustainability Index (PSI) uses two systematic questionnaires to analyze the quality of the sustainability 

reporting—a base questionnaire for reports across sectors and a sector-specific questionnaire for institutions within the 

same sector. The selection of questions is based on, and periodically adjusted to, the most frequently-mentioned topics 

in over 1,900 corporate sustainability reports analyzed from 2002 through 2009 at the Roberts Environmental Center. 

The Roberts Environmental Center 

The Roberts Environmental Center is an environmental research institute at Claremont McKenna College (CMC). Its 

mission is to provide students of all the Claremont Colleges with a comprehensive and realistic understanding of today’s 

environmental issues and the ways in which they are being and can be resolved--beyond the confines of traditional 

academic disciplines and curriculum--and to identify, publicize, and encourage policies and practices that achieve 

economic and social goals in the most environmentally benign and protective manner. The Center is partially funded by 

an endowment from George R. Roberts (Founding Partner of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts Co. and CMC alumnus), other 

grants, and gifts, and is staffed by faculty and students from the Claremont Colleges. 

Methodology 

Student analysts download relevant English language web pages from the main 

College web site for analysis. Our scoring excludes data independently stored 

outside the main corporate web site or available only in hard copy. When a 

College subsidiary has its own sustainability reporting, partial credit is given to the 

parent company when a direct link is provided in the main corporate web site. We 

archive these web pages as PDF files for future reference. Our analysts use a 

keyword search function to search reporting of specific topics and, they fill out a 

PSI scoring sheet (http://www.roberts.cmc.edu/PSI/scoringsheet.asp), and track 

the coverage and depths of different sustainability issues mentioned in all online 

materials. 

scores and ranks 

When they are finished scoring, the analysts enter their scoring results into the PSI database. The PSI database 

calculates scores and publishes them on the Center’s web site. 

What do the scores mean? 

We normalize all the scores to the potential maximum score. Scores of subsets of the overall score are also normalized 

to their potential maxima. The letter grades (A+, A, A-, B+, etc.), however, are normalized to the highest scoring company 

analyzed in the report. Colleges with scores in the highest 4% get A+ and any in the bottom 4% get F. We assign these by 

dividing the maximum PSI score obtained in the sector into 12 equal parts then rounding fractional score up or down. 

This means that A+ and F are under-represented compared the other grades. The same technique applies to the 

separate categories of environmental and social scores. Thus, we grade on the curve. We assume that the highest score 

obtained in the sector and any scores near it represent the state of the art for that sector and deserve an A+. 


12 




1. intent 

The “Intent” topics are each worth 2 points; 1 point for a discussion of intentions, vision, or plans, and a 1 point for 

evidence of specific actions taken to implement them. 

2. reporting 

PSI Scoring in a Nutshell 

Our analysis of sustainability reporting has a set of basic topics applied to all organizations as well as a series of sectorspecific 

topics. The topics are divided into environmental and social categories—the latter including human rights—and 

into three types of information: 1) intent, 2) reporting, and 3) performance. 

The “Reporting” topics are each worth 5 points and are either quantitative (for which we expect numerical data) or 

qualitative (for which we don’t). 

For quantitative topics, 1 point is available for a discussion, 1 point for putting the information into perspective (i.e. 

awards, industry standards, competitor performance, etc., or if the raw data are normalized by dividing by revenue, 

number of employees, number of widgets produced, etc.), 1 point for the presence of an explicit numerical goal, 1 point 

for numerical data from a single year, and 1 point for similar data from a previous year. 

For qualitative topics, there are 3 criteria summed to 5 points: 1.67 points for discussion, 1.67 points for initiatives or 

actions, and 1.67 points for perspective. 

3. Performance 

For each “Reporting” topic, 1 or 2 performance points are available. 

For quantitative topics, we give 1 point for improvement from the previous reporting period, and 1 point for better 

performance that the sector average (based on the data used for this sector report normalized by revenue). 

For qualitative topics we give 1 point for any indication of improvement from previous reporting periods, and 1 point for 

perspective. 

The 11 “human rights” topics are scored differently, with 5 “reporting” points; 2.5 points for formally adopting a policy or 

standard, and 2.5 points for a description of monitoring measures. In addition, there are 2 “performance” points; 1 point 

for evidence of actions to reinforce policy and 1 point for a quantitative indication of compliance. 

Distribution of Scores by topics 

Social, 

Qualitative 

Data 

30% 

Social, 

Quantitative 

Data 

7% 

Social, Human 

Rights Data 

14% 

Environmental, 

Qualitative 

Data 

29% 

Environmental, 

Quantitative 

Data 

20% 


13 




Liberal Arts Colleges 

Social Intent Topics 

Percent of total possible score for all colleges combined. 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

* 

51 

54 

* 

17 

18 

52 

53 

82 

* 

45 

47 

49 

* 

80 

Accountability 

Health and Safety, or Social organizational structure 

Third party validation 

Management 

Workforce profile: Ethnicities/Race 

Workforce profile: Gender 

Workforce profile: Age 

Emergency preparedness program 

Employee training for career development 

Policy 

Social policy statement 

Code of conduct or business ethics 

Supplier screening based on social or 

environmental performance/ Supplier management. 

Social Demographic 

Employment for individuals with disabilities 

0 


Management 

Policy 

Social Demographic 

The College Sustainability Report 

Card Criteria 

Vision 

* 

288 

292 

294 

295 

296 

* 

42 

43 

The College Sustainability Report Card 

Criteria 

Formal Sustainability Commitments 

Student involvement 

Endowment Transparency. 

Investment Priorities. 

Shareholder Engagement. 

Vision 

Social visionary statement 

Social impediments and challenges 

Notes: 

* These numbers correspond to the numbers in the PSI questionnaire. Items with numbers higher than 99 are sector 

specific questions. 



14




Environmental Reporting Topics 


40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Emissions to air 

Energy 

Management 

Materials usage 

Recycling 

Waste 

Water 

* Emissions to air 

111 Greenhouse gases, total 

112 Carbon dioxide (CO2) or equivalents (i.e. GHG) 

* Energy 

26 Energy used/consumption 

27 Renewable energy consumption 

* Management 

38 Environmental notices of violation 

39 Environmental expenses and/or investments 

40 Environmental fines 

163 Transportation Initiatives 

164 Comparative Reporting 

165 Land Use 

2499 Procedures for selecting environmental 

performance indicators used by the company 

2599 Rationale for environmental initiatives and 

mitigations 

5499 Rationale for goals and targets 

* Materials usage 

146 Green Material Used 

161 Pesticide Use 

162 Fertilizer Use 

166 Green Food Purchasing 

* Recycling 

30 Waste recycled 

32 Office recycling rate 

* Waste 

34 Waste disposed of 

35 Hazardous waste produced 

37 Hazardous waste released 

110 Waste water released 

* Water 

29 Water used 

Notes: 





15




Environmental Intent Topics 


90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

* 

4 

19 

* 

297 

* 

16 

20 

21 

23 

* 


Report contact person 

Environmental structure or management 

College Sector Specific Indicator 

Dormitory/Classroom Waste Recycling 

Management 

Environmental education 

Environmental management system 

Environmental accounting 

Stakeholder consultation 

Policy 

40 

9 

10 

Environmental policy statement 

Climate change/global warming 

30 

11 

Habitat/ecosystem conservation 

20 

12 

Biodiversity 

13 

Green Purchasing 

10 

0 

* 

The College Sustainability Report Card 

Criteria 


College Sector Specific Indicator 

Management 

Policy 

The College Sustainability Report 

Card Criteria 

Vision 

289 

290 

291 

293 

* 

5 

6 

Climate Change & Energy. 

Food & Recycling. 

Green Building. 

Transportation 

Vision 

Environmental visionary statement 

Environmental impediments and challenges 

Notes: 





16




Social Reporting Topics 


40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Human Rights 

Management 

Qualitative Social 

Quantitative Social 

* 

1 

7 

8 

58 

59 

60 

61 

62 

63 

64 

65 

* 

2 

* 

66 

67 

68 

70 

72 

* 

3 

74 

75 

76 

77 

81 

Human Rights 

Sexual harassment 

Political Contributions 

Bribery 

Anti-Corruption practices 

Corporal punishment of employees 

Equal opportunity, elimination of discrimination, 

promotion of diversity, or non-discrimination policy 

Free association and collective bargaining of 

employees 

Fair compensation of employees 

Forced labor of employees 

Working hours 

Use of illegal child labor 

Management 

Women in Management 

Qualitative Social 


Employee Satisfaction Survey 

Community Education 

Occupational health and safety protection 

Employee volunteerism 

Quantitative Social 

Turnover Rate 

Recordable incident rate/ Accident indices 

Lost workday case rate 

Health and safety citations 

Health and safety fines 

Social community investment 

Notes: 





17




Environmental Intent Element of the PSI Scores 

Transportation 

Green purchasing 

Environmental education 

.Food & Recycling 

Environmental visionary 

statement 

.Climate Change & Energy 

Environmental policy 

statement 

.Green Building 

Climate change/global 

warming 

Report contact person 

Environmental structure or 

management 

Habitat/ecosystem 

conservation 

Environmental impediments 

and challenges 

Dormitory/Classroom Waste 

Recycling 

Biodiversity 

Stakeholder consultation 

Environmental accounting 

Environmental management 

system 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 

= Percentage of colleges addressing the topics 

= Percentage of the total possible number of points awarded to all colleges combined for each topic, 

indicating the depth of reporting coverage measured by PSI criteria for each topic. 



18




Environmental Reporting Element of the PSI Scores 

Greenhouse gases, total 

Green Food Purchasing 

Waste recycled 

Transportation Initiatives 

Energy used/consumption 

Renewable energy consumption 

Office recycling rate 

Water used 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) or equivalents (i.e. GHG) 

Waste disposed of 

Green Material Used 

Land Use 

Rationale for goals and targets 

Rationale for environmental initiatives and mitigations 

Pesticide Use 

Hazardous waste produced 

Fertilizer Use 

Waste water released 

Comparative Reporting 

Environmental expenses and/or investments 

Procedures for selecting environmental performance indicators 

used by the company 

Hazardous waste released 

Environmental notices of violation 

Environmental fines 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 





19 





Social Intent Element of the PSI Scores 

Student involvement 

Employment for individuals with disabilities 

Social visionary statement 

Emergency preparedness program 

Health and Safety, or Social organizational structure 

Formal Sustainability Commitments 

Code of conduct or business ethics 

Employee training for career development 

Investment Priorities. 

Social policy statement 

Endowment Transparency. 

Workforce profile: Gender 

Workforce profile: Ethnicities/Race 

Supplier screening based on social or environmental 

performance/ Supplier management. 

Third party validation 

Shareholder Engagement. 

Social impediments and challenges 

Workforce profile: Age 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 


= Percentage of the total possible number of points awarded to all colleges combined for each topic, indicating 

the depth of reporting coverage measured by PSI criteria for each topic. 



20




Social Reporting Element of the PSI Scores 


Community Education 

Employee volunteerism 

Sexual harassment 

Occupational health and safety protection 

Equal opportunity, elimination of discrimination, promotion of 

diversity, or non-discrimination policy 

Social community investment 

Fair compensation of employees 

Women in Management 

Anti-Corruption practices 

Working hours 

Employee Satisfaction Survey 

Health and safety citations 

Health and safety fines 

Political Contributions 

Recordable incident rate/ Accident indices 

Corporal punishment of employees 

Lost workday case rate 

Forced labor of employees 

Turnover Rate 

Bribery 

Free association and collective bargaining of employees 

Use of illegal child labor 

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% 






21



Environmental Intent Scores 

EI Scores Rankings 




















































0 25 50 75 100 

Environmental intent scores include topics about the firm’s 

products, environmental organization, vision and commitment, 

stakeholders, environmental policy and certifications, environmental 

aspects and impacts, choice of environmental performance 

indicators and those used by the industry, environmental initiatives 

and mitigations, and environmental goals and targets. 

A+ 

A+ 

A+ 

A+ 

A 

A 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

A- 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C 

C 

C 

D+ 

D 

D- 






















































22



Environmental Reporting Scores 

ER Scores Rankings 




















Sewanee--University of the 
































0 25 50 75 100 

Environmental reporting scores are based on the degree to which 

the company discusses its emissions, energy sources and 

consumption, environmental incidents and violations, materials use, 

mitigations and remediation, waste produced, and water used. They 

also include use of life cycle analysis, environmental performance 

and stewardship of products, and environmental performance of 

suppliers and contractors. 

A+ 

A 

A- 

A- 

A- 

B 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

B- 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C 

C 

C 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D 

D 

D 

D- 

D- 

D- 

F 

F 

F 






















































23



Environmental Performance Scores 

EP Scores Rankings 








Sewanee--University of the 


































Washington and Lee 










0 25 50 75 100 

Environmental performance scores are based on whether or not the 

firm has improved its performance on each of the topics discussed 

under the heading of environmental reporting, and on whether the 

quality of the performance is better than that of the firm’s peers. 

Scoring for each topic is one point if performance is better than in 

previous reports, two points if better than industry peers, three 

points if both. 

A+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 






















































24



Social Intent Scores 

SI Scores Rankings 




















































0 25 50 75 100 

Social intent scores include topics about the firm’s financials, 

employees, safety reporting, social management organization, social 

vision and commitment, stakeholders, social policy and 

certifications, social aspects and impacts, choice of social 

performance indicators and those used by the industry, social 

initiatives and mitigations, and social goals and targets. 

A- 

B+ 

A 

B 

A- 

A 

A- 

A 

C+ 

A- 

B 

C+ 

B 

A- 

A- 

B- 

B 

B 

B+ 

C+ 

B- 

C+ 

B 

B- 

B 

B- 

C+ 

A- 

B 

B+ 

B- 

B- 

C 

C+ 

A- 

C- 

C 

C+ 

C- 

C 

C 

D+ 

D 

D+ 

C- 

D+ 

D+ 

D 

D+ 

F 

F 






















































25



Social Reporting Scores 

SR Rankings 




















































0 25 50 75 100 

Social reporting scores are based on the degree to which the 

company discusses various aspects of its dealings with its 

employees and contractors. They also include social costs and 

investments. 

A+ 

A- 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B+ 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B 

B- 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

C- 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

F 

F 






















































26



Social Performance Scores 

SP Rankings 




















































0 25 50 75 100 

Social performance scores are based on improvement, 

performance better than the sector average, or statements of 

compliance with established social standards. 

A+ 

B- 

B- 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C+ 

C- 

C- 

C- 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D+ 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

D- 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 






















































27



Visual Cluster Analysis 

Visual cluster analysis multivariate data of the sort produced by the PSI are difficult to summarize. Here we have created radar diagrams 

of the performance of each college analysed in the sector by its environmental and social intent, reporting, and performance sorted by 

company ranking. Maximum scores will match the outer sides of the hexagon which total up to 100 percent. 

EI = Environmental Intent, ER = Environmental Reporting, EP = Environmental Performance 

SI = Social Intent, SR = Social Reporting, SP = Social Performance 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 






ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 




Mount Holyoke 

College 


ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

100 

ER 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 






ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 






ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 





Franklin and 

Marshall College 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

100 

ER 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 







28 




ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 


College of the Holy 

Cross 



University 


ER 

100 

100 

ER 

ER 

100 

100 

ER 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 




Sewanee-- 

University of the 

South 

United States 

Military Academy 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 






ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

EI 

75 

50 

EP 

25 

25 

25 

25 

25 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SI 

SP 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

SR 

Harvey Mudd 




United States Naval 

Academy 


ER 

100 

EI 

75 

50 

25 

0 

EP 

SI 

SP 

SR 



29 




Number of Explicit numerical goals Reported 









United States Military 












Sewanee--University of 




2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

3 

4 

5 6 

5 

5 

5 

0 5 10 15 20 25 

Explicit Goals Most Frequently Reported 


14 


12 

3 Carbon dioxide (CO2) or 

7 

equivalents (i.e. GHG) 

4 Water used 

7 


6 


4 



30



Number of Topics Showing Performance Improvement over Previous Year Data 






























1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

3 

3 

3 

4 

5 

5 

5 

0 5 10 15 20 

Topics Most Frequently Reported as Having Improvements over previous year data 


9 

2 Water used 

7 


6 


5 

5 Transportation Initiatives 

5 

6 Community Development 

4 

7 Carbon dioxide (CO2) or 

4 

equivalents (i.e. GHG) 

8 Office recycling rate 

4 

9 Green Food Purchasing 

3 


2 

11 Employee volunteerism 

2 

12 Rationale for environmental 

2 

initiatives and mitigations 

13 Hazardous waste produced 

1 

14 Rationale for goals and targets 

1 

15 Waste water released 

1 

16 Comparative Reporting 

1 

17 Women in Management 

1 

18 Social community investment 

1 



31



B+ 


Amherst College 2009 Web Pages 

Amherst College, like many colleges across the nation has committed to sustainable practices and education. It has pledged to conserve and to 

support the sustainable use of natural resources through policies, programs, and practices. In comparison to other colleges, Amherst stands as a 

beacon for sustainable goals. Amherst College is very environmentally and socially aware, and it works to bring sustainability issues to the forefront 

of discussion. Along with major changes in structure, such as an increase in green building, Amherst has made sustainability an everyday practice. 

With an increase in transportation sharing programs such as Zipcar, and even smaller implementations such as placing eco-friendly napkin 

dispensers in the dining halls to reduce the amount of wasted napkins, sustainability has become a way of life for many Amherst students and 

faculty. The College also has the ability to get campus involvement in more abstract forms of sustainability such as getting more than 1,700 students 

and faculty to pledge to place their computers on sleep mode when idle. With a decrease in waste, an increase in recycling, the use of clean 

renewable energy, local organic food production, mixed with campus awareness and participation Amherst should reach all goals relatively soon. 

Marcia Marcella McWilliams 

Jaleesa D. Parks 

E=Total Environmental Score, ESA=Environmental Sector Average Score, EI=Environmental Intent, ER=Environmental Reporting, EP=Environmental Performance, S=Total 

Social Score, SSA=Social Sector Average Score, SI=Social Intent, SR=Social Reporting, SP=Social Performance 

Comparison with sector averages 

Source of points 

Distribution of points 

E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

78% 

S 

22% 

78 

52 

31 

14 

12 4 

EI ER EP SI SR SP 


Environmental Intent 

Question Category Score Max Score % General Comment 

Accountability 2 6 33 Needs improvement 

College Sector Specific Indicator 2 2 100 Excellent 

Management 6 8 75 Excellent 

Policy 9 10 90 Excellent 

The College Sustainability Report Card Criteria 6 6 100 Excellent 

Vision 3 4 75 Excellent 

Environmental Reporting 


Emissions to air 4 7 57 Good 

Energy 8 14 57 Good 

Management 30 63 48 Needs improvement 

Materials usage 6 21 29 Needs improvement 

Recycling 6 14 43 Needs improvement 

Waste 6 28 21 Needs substantial improvement 

Water 3 7 43 Needs improvement 

Social Intent 


Accountability 2 4 50 Good 

Management 0 10 0 Needs substantial improvement 

Policy 1 6 17 Needs substantial improvement 

Social Demographic 0 2 0 Needs substantial improvement 

The College Sustainability Report Card Criteria 6 10 60 Good 

Vision 2 4 50 Good 

Social Reporting 


Human Rights 0 77 0 Needs substantial improvement 


Qualitative Social 12 35 34 Needs improvement 

Quantitative Social 4 42 10 Needs substantial improvement 


32 




B 


Bard College 2009 Web Pages 

In 2008, Bard College collaborated with Jerusalem’s Al-Quds University to form the first dual-degree collaboration between a Palestinian University 

and an American institution of higher education. Al-Quds Bard is set to open in phases in 2009-2010 and center on the Honors College for Liberal 

Arts and Sciences, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program, and the Model School. To help reduce building costs Bard is evaluating using the 

United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) process for campus construction. NYSERDA has 

awarded the college $200,000 to install a solar thermal heating system at the Stevenson Gymnasium. The project is expected to reduce fuel oil use 

by 25%. Bard is an Energy Star campus. In Bard’s employee handbook in the Environmental Policy section, staff is encouraged to sort and collect 

bottles and cans, cardboard, and paper products. Bard College President Leon Botstein received the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic 

Leadership Award of $500,000 for effecting positive change, not only for students, but also for the local community and the world at large. 

Quentin Jones 






E 

56 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

54% 

S 

46% 

33 

33 

26 

17 

2 






College Sector Specific Indicator 0 2 0 Needs substantial improvement 

Management 4 8 50 Good 

Policy 5 10 50 Good 






Energy 6 14 43 Needs improvement 


Materials usage 3 21 14 Needs substantial improvement 



Water 1 7 14 Needs substantial improvement 

Social Intent 





Social Demographic 2 2 100 Excellent 

The College Sustainability Report Card Criteria 2 10 20 Needs substantial improvement 

Vision 1 4 25 Needs improvement 



Human Rights 26 77 34 Needs improvement 





33 




B 


Barnard College 2009 Web Pages 

In its mission statement, Barnard College has a specific goal of how much it would like to reduce emissions and states it is fully committed to 

environmental sustainability. In 2007, two students and a faculty member constructed a Barnard College Sustainability Report. This report gives a 

brief overview of where Barnard stands in relation to certain environmental issues and describes how the students, faculty, and administration play 

a role in sustainability at Barnard. This was something nearly unique; the only other school that had its own sustainability report in 2007 (as far as 

we are aware) is Claremont McKenna College. Barnard’s sustainability website also has a Technical Energy and Water Savings audit which 

documents goals, analyzes energy use, and develops short term and long term plans for Barnard. This was a useful resource for grasping numerical 

initiatives and improvements for the institution. Overall, although Barnard mentions much of what is used on the PSI scoring sheets, I would not 

necessarily say that it is doing an exceptional job in maintaining a sustainable campus. The College could do a better job listing specific goals and 

numbers about consumption on campus in order to paint a more vivid picture of actual improvements or work being done, if any. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

63% 

S 

37% 

71 

72 

31 

9 

9 4 













Emissions to air 1 7 14 Needs substantial improvement 




Recycling 3 14 21 Needs substantial improvement 



Social Intent 


Accountability 0 4 0 Needs substantial improvement 


Policy 2 6 33 Needs improvement 











34 




B- 


Bates College 2009 Web Pages 

Bates College had a clear visionary statement that included how it was acting on environmental challenges, and there was information about its 

environmental administration and management system. Bates has LEED certified buildings and active recycling, and green food practices and 

purchasing were well reported along with transportation initiatives and detailed student involvement. Bates has also been involved in social and 

environmental community development. There was some discussion of rationale and procedures for choosing environmental initiatives and targets, 

and the historical progression of Bates’ environmental policy and initiatives was an interesting and useful resource. But there was no mention of 

Bates position on habitat conservation or biodiversity, no information on age gender or race/ethnicity, supplier screening, employment of individuals 

with disabilities or on employee training, and no information on environmental accounting (expenses and fines). Investment priorities were not 

reported either, but Bates reported to greenreportcard.org that its holdings were available to certain administrators; if this information were made 

public it would improve Bates’ PSI score. There were no data on hazardous waste produced or released either, but there was discussion of several 

key environmental factors such as total greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy used, waste disposed of, and water recycled. There were no 

recordable incidents or accident incidences reported. Pesticide and fertilizer use were not reported and land use was only briefly discussed. Health 

and safety precautions or citations were not well reported, nor was human rights compliance. 

Marissa L. Garvin 

Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

75% 

S 

25% 

79 

30 

33 

4 

8 0 












Emissions to air 4 14 29 Needs improvement 







Social Intent 


Accountability 3 4 75 Excellent 




The College Sustainability Report Card Criteria 4 10 40 Needs improvement 






Qualitative Social 8 35 23 Needs substantial improvement 



35 




B- 


Bowdoin College 2009 Web Pages 

“Sustainability is more than an intellectual concept at Bowdoin.” Bowdoin College has definitely committed itself to making sure sustainability 

reaches every point of learning and practice at the institution. Along with the Environmental Studies major, students can “pair up” this major with 

another, such as Geology, Physics or even English. Such unique coordination offers students a holistic view of sustainability and the world. Students 

also participate in EcoReps, an organization that helps foster communication between students and administration to improve student life and its 

commitment to environmental issues. Bowdoin also has participated for a third year in a row in Recycle Mania, a nationwide recycling competition, 

thus showing how sustainability is a concern that reaches outside of the campus. Transportation is another aspect Bowdoin tries to incorporate into 

its sustainability vision. It has created several ways for students and employees to carpool or look for other ways of traveling off campus. Some of 

these methods include the Bowdoin Yellow Bike Club which provides bicycles across campus, the Bowdoin College Ride Share Board, an online 

forum which helps students communicate with one another to get transportation, the Bowdoin Shuttle Service which provides students with 

transportation on campus while classes are in session, and lastly, a ZipCar fleet which allows students and employees to rent cars by the hour. 

Elizabeth Perez 

Markus Kessler 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

69% 

S 

31% 

82 

56 

22 

11 

5 2 

















Recycling 9 14 64 Good 



Social Intent 















36 




C- 


Bryn Mawr College 2009 Web Pages 

Bryn Mawr College is strongly dedicated to energy conservation. It has had several workshops dedicated to renewable energy (specifically 

windmills) and continue to increase its green purchasing by using LED lights in signs. A campus group called “The Greens” has been initiated to get 

students educated and involved with sustainability initiatives and get the support from administrators as well. Bryn Mawr claims to have the lowest 

energy consumption of any of its peers and has started an Energy Diet that reduces dorm energy consumption by 12%. For the dining halls, the 

college purchases some organic food, and recycles waste oil by using it as biodiesel, and there is a recycling program on campus. There is no 

information about campus greenhouse gas emissions however. The social policy statement is limited; most of the information is in the Honor Code. 

Bryn Mawr does report that 49% of its faculty is female and that there is an effort to increase the attendance of women. There is no information 

about safety incident rates or health and safety fines, but there is an Environmental Health and Safety office, which manages occupational health 

and safety protection. Through its student-run organizations, Bryn Mawr demonstrates efforts in community development, education, and 

volunteerism. Overall Bryn Mawr offers a large amount of information about energy, green buildings and green transportation. It needs to develop 

more environmental initiatives and select performance indicators to get feedback. It would be useful to widen its environmental awareness; 

although it appears to be doing an admirable job in conserving energy, other areas of the environment including biodiversity, habitat conservation, 

and global warming are unaddressed. 

Jacyln T. D'Arcy 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

43% 

S 

57% 

44 

50 

8 

12 

0 

2 














Energy 2 14 14 Needs substantial improvement 






Social Intent 















37 




A- 


Bucknell University 2009 Web Pages 

Bucknell University has an extremely detailed Comprehensive Environmental Assessment on its website, one of the most thorough we have seen, 

providing an exemplary model for those conducting similar analyses. It explicitly avoids most social aspects of sustainability reporting, hence its 

score on the PSI is not has high as might be expected for such a massive effort, but we imagine that a social analysis can't be far behind. A 

particularly interesting feature is its formal discussion of letter grades Bucknell received on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's "2008 College 

Sustainability Report Card" and responses which produced better results in 2009. A few of the topics covered in the analysis are listed below: The 

fuel efficiency is recorded for all Bucknell University vehicles. The frequency of North American native trees on campus is recorded. Pesticides and 

fertilizers used are listed. The Campus Greening Council is made up of students, faculty, and staff, who make environmental policy 

recommendations to the administration. The Environmental Management Assistance Program serves to reduce raw material purchase costs, 

reduce compliance burdens and costs associated with environmental permits, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, reduce waste 

management, treatment and disposal costs, and reduce long-term liabilities associated with hazardous waste management. In 1998 Bucknell’s 

power plant was converted from a conventional coal-burning facility to a co-generation power plan fueled by natural gas. This conversion has led to 

a 40% reduction in the University’s greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning in 2000 Bucknell began purchasing wind power to supplement its on-site 

power generation. As of January 2008, wind power represented 100% of Bucknell’s purchased energy, for a total of approximately 4 million kilowatt 

hours per year. Bucknell students can report incidents of abuse by the Lewisburg Police, Penn. State Police, E. Buffalo Police, or Public Safety to 

the Bucknell Student Government. Since Spring of 2008 the Dining program has distributed "E-comment" cards. The responses are displayed via a 

digital picture frame outside the Bostwick marketplace. Coffee is purchased from a particular plantation community in Nicaragua. This is done in 

compliance with "Free Trade Coffee." 

Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

76 

52 

39 

14 

20 

7 
















Materials usage 11 21 52 Good 


Waste 10 28 36 Needs improvement 

Water 5 7 71 Good 

Social Intent 





Social Demographic 1 2 50 Good 







38 








39 




C+ 


Carleton College 2009 Web Pages 

“Assessing Carleton’s Sustainability: A Campus Environmental Audit” was conducted as a student project with help from Good Company and its 

“Sustainable Pathways Toolkit.” The report is structured as a collection of indicators and associated goals, benchmarks and recommendations. The 

report does an excellent job at noting areas in which institutional policy could be introduced to improve environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, 

without direct institutional support, the report is incapable of demonstrating institutional intent or discussing management systems. Also, the report 

fails to touch on social sustainability, greatly reducing its total PSI score. 

Gracie Beck 

Bukola Jimoh 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

74% 

S 

26% 

91 

31 

22 

7 

9 

0 




















Social Intent 















40 




D+ 


Centre College 2009 Web Pages 

Centre College has signed the President's Climate Commitment, and has assigned committees to work out the details, but the material online is very 

limited, with almost no quantitative goals and very little other quantitative information. Mostly it seems to be whatever seemed interesting to the 

public relations staff, but with no systematic treatment of the issues. 

J. Emil Morhardt 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

66% 

S 

34% 

41 

22 

6 

0 

3 0 




















Social Intent 







Vision 0 4 0 Needs substantial improvement 








41 




C- 


Colby College 2009 Web Pages 

Colby College has done a truly outstanding job of addressing the need for education about the environmental challenges of today. The College 

started its environmental studies program in the 1970’s and has been alerting students to sustainability problems ever since. This is reflected in the 

number of different green programs Colby students are involved in, from lobbying Capitol Hill about climate change to giving out florescent light 

bulbs to save energy, Colby students are trying to bring about change on their campus, in their state, and in their country. The administration at 

Colby deserves praise for more than just fostering and supporting the initiatives and actions of its students. In 2003 Colby made the historic shift to 

100% renewable power, a costly initiative that demonstrated the College’s commitment to the environment. The College considers both its 

environmental impact and its endowment when making purchasing decisions and has found ways to take care of both, building LEED certified 

buildings that use less power and purchasing washers that use less water and detergent. It is clear that Colby has a large number of sustainability 

initiatives in place, however in some cases the College hasn’t posted the numerical results of these initiatives which have made it hard to judge the 

effect of many of them. 

Timothy M. Fine 

Tigist Kassahun 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

80% 

S 

20% 

50 

21 

28 

7 

0 2 




















Social Intent 















42 




C 


Colgate University 2009 Web Pages 

Sustainability at Colgate begins with a strong environmental visionary statement, and is followed by extensive policies and initiatives that will help 

the College realize its vision. Along with discussing several of the most pertinent environmental and social issues, Colgate also reports its energy 

consumption and the amount of waste disposed of. While much of Colgate’s web site details school-wide programs and quantitative information, 

Colgate also highlights the importance of student environmental education. For example, Colgate’s Guide to Green Living provides students with tips 

to reduce their energy and water consumption. Colgate also provides students with opportunities to get involved in the College’s sustainability 

mission. Colgate University provides an adequate example of basic sustainability reporting for a college, but there is clearly room for improvement. 

The University needs to begin covering more topics and reporting more quantitative data. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

55% 

S 

45% 

50 

44 

18 

12 

2 

4 




















Social Intent 















43 




C+ 


College of the Holy Cross 2009 Web Pages 

College of the Holy Cross, like many other colleges committed to sustainability, has joined the American College & University Presidents Climate 

Commitment. It has set a short term goal of reducing “carbon emissions by 2015, and a long term goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.” Theses 

quantitative goals are supplemented with everyday practices at Holy Cross. With new construction occurring around campus, Holy Cross seeks to 

have LEED silver certification for every new building constructed. The latest, The Integrated Science Complex, “will have constant volume low flow 

hoods utilizing 30% less exhaust air than standard hoods.” Numbers and goals like these make sustainability an exciting new concept for everyone. 

Students are also making sustainability a tangible practice on campus. A community garden has been created to grow vegetables and fruits so that 

more organic produce will be available for the Holy Cross community. Students also participate in projects and internships at non-profit 

organizations within the Worchester area. The Environmental Studies program provides students with information and resources where “all things 

sustainable” can be known of and implemented. The student environmental group, Eco-Action, focuses on issues such as global warming on a 

national scale to issues of local land preservation. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

65% 

S 

35% 

50 

33 

25 

10 

2 

4 



Cross 




College Sector Specific Indicator 1 2 50 Good 














Social Intent 















44 




B+ 


Colorado College 2009 Web Pages 

Colorado College has proven itself to be a leader in sustainability practices. The Campus Sustainability Council, Office of Sustainability, and 

numerous student groups have worked to promote on-campus sustainability and the initiatives of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, of which 

President Richard Celeste is a signatory. In June 2008, the college released its Environmental Inventory and Sustainability Management Plan with 

the help of an engineering consulting group. This document, available on the college website, gives recommendations for improving energy 

efficiency, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions, reducing water usage, improving transportation, etc. •Colorado College has already 

supported numerous such projects. A solar electric system with a capacity of 25-kW was installed on top of the Edith Gaylord Apartments. Both the 

science and arts centers have earned LEED certifications, and the administration pledges to reach LEED certification for all new buildings. Bon 

Appetit has been providing food services since 2008 and has stressed the importance of local and organic food, even buying fruits and vegetables 

from the student-run, sustainable Colorado College Garden. Furthermore, the college aims to set up a sustainable investment fund which will 

generate income through investments that are both environmentally and socially responsible. 

Joseph Bryan Swartley 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

58% 

S 

42% 

79 

75 

36 

18 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















45 




C 


Connecticut College 2009 Web Pages 

Connecticut College employs a full-time environmental coordinator and makes contact readily available. The college also has many goals regarding 

the practice and policy of sustainability and has come a long way from past years towards implementing them. There is a problem, however, in the 

amount of performance reported. With all of the great things taking place on Connecticut’s campus, such as the reduction of 20% of greenhouse gas 

emissions since 2004 and the large amount of renewable energy purchased, the information available on many of the topics considered in the PSI is 

subpar. Connecticut College, however, appears to be aware of this shortcoming and I believe that with the help of the environmental coordinator, 

the college will not only increase its sustainability practices but also more thoroughly and readily report it. 


Rishabh Rajen Parekh 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

75% 

S 

25% 

76 

21 

19 

0 

9 0 




















Social Intent 















46 




C+ 


Davidson College 2009 Web Pages 

Although Davidson College published a 2009 Sustainability Report, the college’s reporting still lags behind the reporting of some of its peer 

institutions. A progressive Climate Action Plan is in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but current quantitative data regarding emissions 

and energy use are not reported. Davidson touches on several of the most important social and environmental issues and has a few initiatives that 

promote both student and administrative involvement. These initiatives and goals have resulted in improvements in areas such as bottled water and 

energy usage and recycling; however, in general Davidson College’s reporting shows considerable room for improvement. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

55% 

S 

45% 

62 

44 

15 

15 

2 

2 




















Social Intent 















47 




B- 


DePauw University 2009 Web Pages 

Many of the categories in the PSI were answered by the President’s Statement and DePauw’s mission statement on page 19. One thing that I 

noticed about the mission statement as is often the case, was very general and without any specific proposed actions. I enjoyed the video about the 

new compost stations. It is a great way to bring awareness to the situation and the initiatives taken. I also enjoyed reading about the Carbon 

Footprint Project, but I would like to see current examples of what they have already done with this project and their results as of now. There is a 

“Get Involved” events calendar, but there were no future events listed, although there had been some good programs that involved the outside 

community. The DePauw Community Service volunteers in the community of Greencastle and I would like to see distinct examples of some of the 

projects DCS has done in the community and on campus, but I could not find any on the web site. Many of the projects and programs are student run 

and even though the majority of the people at the university are students, I would like to see exactly how the university gets their faculty and staff 

involved directly. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

68 

64 

20 

16 15 

2 




















Social Intent 












Qualitative Social 21 35 60 Good 



48 




B- 


Dickinson College 2009 Web Pages 

Dickinson College is a leader in campus sustainability. Dr. William G. Durden, the president of Dickinson, signed the Presidents Climate Commitment 

in 2007 that has since become a core component of the College’s sustainability program. The College runs both an Office of Sustainability with hired 

sustainability coordinators and a Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education where a full time director was hired in 2008. Dickinson 

College has been recognized numerous times for its innovative execution of sustainable food service initiatives. The College dining services 

purchase from seven local farms and producers, including a local dairy farm. In addition, the Dickinson College Organic Farm has been developed to 

provide produce to the college’s dining services. By purchasing vegetables from the college farm at market price, dining services is saving food and 

transportation cost while also reinvesting more than $6,500 into the College farm in the last fiscal year. Investment priorities and shareholder 

engagement are two more exceptional areas of strength of the College, areas that the majority of other colleges struggle with. The College currently 

invests in socially screened funds, green funds, and community development funds. Additionally, a unique Socially Responsible Investment 

Discussion Group was formed in 2007 consisting of four students, four faculty members, one alumnus, and two administrators, all of whom study 

socially responsible and sustainable investment. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

51% 

S 

49% 

71 

50 

15 

20 

5 

4 




















Social Intent 















49 




C+ 


Franklin and Marshall College 2009 Web Pages 

Franklin and Marshall’s environmental consciousness is definitely student focused; including, for example competitions such as Recyclemania, 

which resulted in approximately 30% of campus waste being recycled. The Environmental Action Alliance promotes environmentally responsible 

behavior on campus as well as running green programs throughout the campus. A way to bridge the gap between students and the administration 

at Franklin and Marshall is with the Campus Sustainability Committee, the committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff who advise the 

college president on environmental issues on campus and in the community. The committee’s most visible work is during Sustainability Week; 

through a series of events and campaigns the Week challenges the Franklin and Marshall community to be greener. 

Some other interesting initiatives the campus has implemented are through food services. The dining hall operates with a tray-less policy as well as 

the recycling of the fryer oil in the kitchen. The school also participates in green community outreach with student involvement and school support 

of the Eastern Market program -- managed by a Franklin and Marshall alumni -- which creates a local food network that provides healthy and fresh 

local food to the urban neighborhoods. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

49% 

S 

51% 

59 

50 

17 

17 

9 

0 


Franklin and 



















Social Intent 















50 




B- 


Furman University 2009 Web Pages 

With the opening of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability in July 2008, Furman University showcased its commitment to sustainability through a 

new focus on outreach programs, curricular development, and original research. Though the Shi Center is new, Furman’s engagement in 

sustainability is not. The board of trustees at Furman committed to promote sustainability over a decade ago and, in 2002, the Board voted to require 

all new buildings and renovations to meet a minimum of LEED silver certification. Six buildings are currently registered for LEED certification, 

including Cliffs Cottage, the carbon-neutral home of Furman's sustainability center that seeks a LEED Platinum rating. Students have worked hard in 

developing a new organic garden that will provide produce for the dining halls as well as receive compost from recyclable waste and food scraps 

from dining services. The college also purchases from 20 local farms and offers fair trade coffee and a variety of organic items. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

63% 

S 

37% 

79 

42 

24 

14 

2 

4 




















Social Intent 















51 




B+ 


Gettysburg College 2009 Web Pages 

Gettysburg College's environmental strength lies in its student involvement. The College employs three students to work in sustainability-related 

programs. Student groups included Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization and Gettysburg Research and Action by Students for 

Sustainability. Student management also includes a campus kitchen recycling project and Painted Turtle Farm. All first year students are introduced 

to sustainability initiatives upon arrival in the residence halls, The dining services use local dairy products and most produce comes from local 

farmers or from the campus garden. Compost is collected for the campus garden and the college recycles cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and glass, 

diverting 24% of waste from the landfill. The school does not allow first year students to have cars on campus, provides shuttles to the town, 

prohibits cars from driving on campus, and provides a bike lending program to the college community. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

61% 

S 

39% 

68 

50 

33 

14 

19 11 




















Social Intent 















52 




C+ 


Grinnell College 2009 Web Pages 

Grinnell College is engaged in the issues of sustainability through water conservation projects, sustainable landscaping techniques, and reduction 

of pest management. The environmental council advises the college through environmental speakers, workshops, and student involvement (i.e. 

EcoCampus and Campus Garden groups) so that their environmental vision is attained. To address climate change, Grinnell has invested in a twoyear 

green power contract for the dorms to experiment with using renewable energy. The college uses 100% recycled paper in offices and promote 

green transportation and commuting to work on bicycles. As far at Grinnell’s code of conduct, it explicitly illustrates employment policies and 

opportunities for advancement as well as social and human rights. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

49% 

S 

51% 

68 

58 

12 

14 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















53 




B- 


Hamilton College 2009 Web Pages 

Hamilton College does a pretty good job of working towards sustainability. The mission statement for sustainability at Hamilton College reads: “As 

leaders in education and environmental stewardship, students, faculty, and staff at Hamilton College are committed to protecting and sustaining the 

environment through institutional processes, management of facilities, and curriculum. This leadership extends across the environmental spectrum 

from greenhouse gas reduction to preventing pollution of natural resources.” The mission statement goes on to list a set of goals that the College is 

working towards. Hamilton has taken many steps towards practicing sustainability. For instance, in 2007, Hamilton College joined the American 

College and University President’s Climate Committee (ACUPCC). Additionally, Hamilton participated in Power Shift 2009, which included high school 

students in the conference. It also has a very informative, easy to use website called “Building Dashboard” that is dedicated to comparing energy 

and electricity consumption in different buildings of the school. It gives the perspective of dollars spent or saved, energy saved, how many miles 

that would be saved, etc. I haven’t seen a site like this on any of the other schools that I have researched; it’s pretty useful and puts things into 

perspective. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

60% 

S 

40% 

56 

56 

28 

7 

14 

4 




















Social Intent 















54 




C- 


Harvey Mudd College 2009 Web Pages 

Harvey Mudd College publishes a Sustainability Policy Statement on its web site, has a LEED certification for one of its residence halls, and 

addresses a few of the PSI topics such as greening of the dining halls, minimizing landscape water usage, and installation of its 60 panel photovoltaic 

dorm-top installation. Mostly these are qualitative accounts with precious few data. This seems a little surprising considering the intensely 

quantitative nature of a Harvey Mudd education. The main quantitative and substantive contribution is a detailed consultant’s report on tuning up 

campus buildings. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

83% 

S 

17% 

56 

17 

22 

0 

0 0 


Harvey Mudd 



















Social Intent 















55 




B 


Haverford College 2009 Web Pages 

The Haverford Sustainability program is centered on its Committee for Environmental Responsibility. This committee was founded on the socially 

responsible principles of the college. On the website it states, “CER has a deep concern and respect for all communities of which it is a part, both 

social and ecological. Our mission, therefore, is to educate our community towards an awareness of global concerns and to set a positive example 

of forward thinking, environmental stewardship for our campus and for other colleges to follow.” In order to do this, CER works to ensure that 

environmental concern is an integral part of Haverford College’s daily life informing our curriculum, administrative decisions and maintenance of 

facilities and grounds. Currently, Haverford is making an attempt to reach 100% wind power as its source of energy. •The student organization Food 

Fight is an active participant in Haverford sustainability. The organization seeks to protect the environment and human health through the prevention 

of eco-friendly, tasty food on campus. They work to re-establish a connection between people and their food, educate the Haverford community 

about food related issues, and promote the purchasing of local and sustainable foods. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

65 

64 

25 

22 

2 

11 




















Social Intent 















56 




D+ 


Kenyon College 2009 Web Pages 

Kenyon College’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety includes a comprehensive section on sustainability, including recycling, green 

electronics, energy efficiency, and student involvement. Unfortunately, the information is mostly cursory, and the college fails to report any 

quantitative social or environmental data. Furthermore, Kenyon College’s web pages do not mention the importance of climate change mitigation, 

habitat conservation, or the preservation of biodiversity. Several other pressing environmental and social issues are also ignored in the college’s 

sustainability reporting. Kenyon can improve its score by providing quantitative information, such as emissions and energy use, and expanding its 

qualitative reporting. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

27% 

S 

73% 

36 

24 

13 

2 4 

0 




















Social Intent 















57 




C+ 


Lafayette College 2009 Web Pages 

Lafayette College intends to expand its sustainability beyond its campus as well as to take sustainability initiatives for future generations. One of the 

ways Lafayette intends to do this is through a program called LEAP, which is a student-led environmental organization. Other partners in the 

College’s mission are the Campus Sustainability Committee, the Office of Plant Operations, and the Department of Facilities Planning and 

Construction. Lafayette’s dining services are provided through Sodexo. The company’s commitment to sustainability includes composting, 

biodegradable and compostable products, organic foods, local growers, and green waste management. This assists Lafayette in reducing its impact 

on the environment. Lafayette buys food from local vendors such as Sysco Central, Balford Farms and others. It also utilizes local in-season produce 

such as mushrooms, corn, apples, and tomatoes, and offers fair trade and organic coffee, practices “cook to order” techniques, and provides 

organic and natural produce. Green packaging is made available at the dining halls, including green-ware cups that are made from corn starch, 

compostable to-go containers, and compostable trash bags. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

53% 

S 

47% 

56 

58 

18 

12 

0 

4 




















Social Intent 















58 




B- 


Macalester College 2009 Web Pages 

Macalester College is dedicated to student involvement in environmental programs that address climate change, biodiversity, and green 

purchasing. “Environmental State of the College,” prepared as part of a senior seminar, discusses Macalester’s successes and failures for ten 

different sustainability topics and then provides recommendations based on best practices at other institutions. The discussion of best practices at 

peer institutions seems to be the most effective component of the report. Students are encouraged to get involved with the community through 

volunteering in community development and environmental education. There is no information on human rights of the employees. Macalester 

College reported on Greenreportcard.org several statistics that were not on its website. First, that 60% of the college uses "green seal" cleaning 

products. Second, that in 2007, its GHG emissions reached 19,350 metric tons of CO2, 10.33 metric tons of CO2 per student. Finally, Macalester 

should include its Electronics Recycling Program that accepts batteries, cell phones, computers, light bulbs, and printer cartridges. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

65% 

S 

35% 

71 

50 

30 

5 

12 

2 




















Social Intent 















59 




C+ 


Middlebury College 2009 Web Pages 

The Environmental Council at Middlebury College is dedicated to environmental sustainability, and many student programs are involved in habitat 

and energy conservation. Through lunch seminars with lectures about energy conservation, the administration, the student body, and community 

are educated in pressing environmental issues. Twenty percent of the college’s total waste is composted and dining halls purchase local food and 

recycle the waste at composting sites, later used as fertilizer. The Franklin Environmental Center is LEED platinum certified and is a sustainable and 

completely green building. College vehicles run on biodiesel and Zipcars are available to students. Middlebury’s efforts for a sustainable and low 

energy consumption campus are very effective. The code of conduct and human rights information is limited. Middlebury reported on 

Greenreportcard.org their greenhouse gas emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide: 2006, 28,310, 2007, 27,787, and 2008, 28,742. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

59% 

S 

41% 

62 

50 

17 

7 

10 4 




















Social Intent 















60 




B 


Mount Holyoke College 2009 Web Pages 

Mount Holyoke’s mission statement mentions educating the college community about ecological responsibility that is both locally and globally 

focused, looking at environmental justice as not only pertaining to the students, but as to each person, place, and living system. There is a new 

program to minimize energy consumption. Within this program students will pledge to enable energy saving features on their computers. The school 

purchased “green energy” to run all student computers for a year. The school also extends edge to faculty and staff. This program also expands into 

other energy saving techniques broadening their focus to a larger community. There is also a lot of advice on recycling, but all presented in a fairly 

disorganized way. The use of fertilizer is mentioned, but only to compare the difference between organic compost and organic fertilizer treatments. 

There is information on manure use, and soil runoff for the Stony Broke land use in 1985, but nothing more recent or specific. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

74% 

S 

26% 

82 

50 

40 

7 

8 2 


Mount Holyoke 



















Social Intent 















61 




B 


Oberlin College Sustainability Report 2009 Web Pages 

Oberlin College provides a campus climate that is willing to discuss, create, and implement sustainability and sustainable practices. Oberlin has 

made it clear that they are dedicated to sustainability not only in ideology but in ways that run deeper, through the school’s administration, student 

involvement, building planning and academic offerings. For students there are a number of resources available to be active in maintaining green 

practices on campus, such as volunteering on George Jones Farm and Nature Preserve on Oberlin’s campus, from which fresh fruits and vegetables 

are used in the dining hall’s Farm to Fork program. This great program budgets a significant percentage of dining hall purchases for local foods that 

students can enjoy. Another option for students is the Green EDGE Fund, which provides funding for environmentally conscious and motivated 

projects proposed by Oberlin students. This program offers two kinds of funds; an efficiency loan, which is paid back not with money but rather by 

the monetary savings provided by the project and a sustainability grant, which requires no payback at all. Students are also offered housing with 

sustainable themes as well as the student-run Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, which provides cooperative student housing and dining. 

The administration also provides the students with a commitment to have all new buildings on campus align with the U.S. Green Building Council’s 

Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. This will add to the preexisting sustainable buildings and systems on the campus, such 

as the Living Machine Wastewater Treatment System, and the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies. Oberlin has made it clear that 

it is dedicated to sustainability not only in ideology, but in ways that run deeper, through the school’s administration, student involvement, building 

planning and academic offerings. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

64% 

S 

36% 

79 

32 

36 

17 

5 

11 




















Social Intent 














62 






63 




D- 


Occidental College 2009 Web Pages 

Overall, Occidental College still has a way to go in regards to sustainability. The good practices that the school has implemented include good 

administration, food, recycling, and green building policy. Unfortunately this does not make up for the lack of information provided for public 

consumption. I would recommend that Occidental College invest in creating a environmental and sustainability faculty or staff post. And also to 

make the information that it does have readily available by posting it on its website. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

80% 

S 

20% 

15 

5 

2 

0 0 

0 




















Social Intent 















64 




C 


Pitzer College 2009 Web Pages 

Pitzer College has many web pages detailing various sustainability issues and initiatives, plus a student-generated sustainability audit with a 

considerable amount of background information, but quantitative data for most topics were lacking. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

71% 

S 

29% 

76 

36 

18 

5 

6 2 




















Social Intent 















65 




B 


Pomona College 2009 Web Pages 

Pomona College has a Sustainability Integration Office staffed by a full time director, and, using a consulting engineering firm, did an extraordinarily 

detailed campus sustainability audit in 2008. The College has subsequently produced a GHG inventory report, a climate action plan, and a relatively 

brief but highly informative 2008-2009 sustainability annual report, along with a variety of hyperlinked web pages, all of which were available on the 

College website in autumn, 2009, when this analysis was done. We analyzed over 1000 pages of material from the Pomona College website, 

including the aforementioned reports plus a large number of hyperlinked web pages, and were impressed with the level of organization, number of 

initiatives, and general professional approach to making the campus as sustainable as possible. The lack of materials scored by the PSI in its social 

section was largely responsible for Pomona’s low ranking. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

76% 

S 

24% 

91 

36 

28 

4 

10 4 













Energy 11 14 79 Excellent 






Social Intent 















66 




B 


Reed College 2009 Susttainability Report 

Reed College is committed to creating a sustainable campus and to raising awareness about environmental issues. Reed promotes action on 

campus that positively affects the community, city, and the whole world. Reed implements these initiatives with classes, lectures, committees, 

programs, and more specifically targeted at being more sustainability and increasing awareness. Reed defines sustainability as meeting the 

resource needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Reed College has a Sustainability 

Committee that specifically focuses on enforcing the sustainability policies and programs. Some of the clubs that are working on sustainability 

issues are the Homestead House(Farm House), The Student Senate, Greenboard, Green Computing Task Force, Green Science Project, Reed 

Canyon, Reed Bike Co-op, Reed Transportation Committee, and Food Services. Reed has also adopted certain practices that led to the conservation 

of energy and reduction of waste such as Dorm Challenges, increase of green transportation, new green buildings, and better waste management. 

Reed College is making numerous strides at creating a more sustainable community. These strides are tangible and noticeable and cause a shift in 

college life for the better. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

61% 

S 

39% 

88 

65 

15 

16 

0 

0 
















Social Intent 














67 




C- 


Richmond University 2009 Web Pages 

Richmond University has been very vocal about its commitment to sustainability, signing both the Presidents Climate Commitment and the Talloires 

Declaration. Beyond simply talking about sustainability, the university has taken action to promote the sustainability of its campus. In 2003, the 

university built its first LEED certified building and in the last few years all new buildings have been LEED certified, while all major renovations have 

focused on sustainable design strategies. In keeping with these sustainable design strategies, the University has made a significant investment in 

reducing its power and water consumption, installing new more efficient equipment over the last several years. Indeed in almost every area 

imaginable, from transportation to dining, Richmond has several sustainability initiatives in place with more on the way. The sheer number of 

sustainability initiatives at Richmond is impressive, however it is hard to judge how effective these initiative are because the university publishes 

very little quantitative data on its website. The data that can be found rarely have a frame of reference making it impossible to tell how much of a 

difference the initiatives are making. As a result there is a possibility that Richmond is doing a better job making its campus sustainable than is 

indicated by our analysis, because the lack of data available has made it difficult to judge the true impact of many of Richmond’s initiatives. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

56 

28 

13 

2 

3 4 




















Social Intent 















68 




D 


Scripps College 2009 Web Pages 

Scripps College has a main web page on sustainability efforts touching on some of the topics considered by the PSI, and a few linked pages with 

additional detail, but most topics remain unaddressed and there are no quantitative data presented at all. 







E 

ESA 

S 

0% 

38 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

100% 

6 

0 0 0 0 




















Social Intent 















69 




C 


Sewanee College 2009 Web Pages 

Sewanee had a clear environmental statement and policy as well as information on impediments and challenges. The historical report of Sewanee 

College was interesting and helpful in understanding the progression of the college’s environmental policy. In the final appendix of the 

environmental policy, the college is taking productive steps toward a more environmentally responsible campus and the students are active in 

employing an environmentally responsible president. The internal competition between the dorms is a beneficial idea to encourage better 

environmental living practices. Sewanee has been received awards for its community development and ample volunteer and student activism, and 

has developed an organic garden and organic beef purchasing. There was thorough information on energy and renewable energy use. Water 

usage and wastewater information was available and indicated improvement but the data available were too old. Sewanee College produced no 

information on land use, pesticide use, green material used, or fertilizer use. Greenhouse gas emissions of any kind were not reported. There was 

no information on the endowment, environmental fines or expenses or investment practices. However, the information produced for the endowment 

and expenses on greenreportcard.org was extensive and if that was made public, it would imporve Sewanee's score. Sewanee has no concrete 

numerical goals for the future, with the exception of the energy produced, and was limited information on its recycling practices. Hazardous waste 

released and produced was not reported, nor was there any data on environmental violations, accident rates, or health and safety citations. Human 

rights information is lacking, only a little information about the sexual harassment and equal opportunity policy and no information on lost workday 

case rate. 


Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

59 

17 

5 8 12 

4 


Sewanee--University 

of the South 


















Social Intent 














70 






71 




B- 


Skidmore College 2009 Web Pages 

Skidmore College has made great leaps in becoming a highly environmental and socially responsible campus. Though it has not signed onto the 

Presidents’ Climate Commitment, it has adopted its own similar commitment involving reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a set target date. The 

college currently has numerous programs in place to meet these targets and shrink its carbon footprint. A unique program in place at Skidmore is its 

Eco-Reps program, involving students from each residence hall acting as sustainability advisors to the other students and promoting 

environmentally friendly habits and events. On Skidmore’s sustainability website, students can read about the different habits they can adopt to live 

a more environmentally responsible life. Events throughout the year, including “Skidmore Unplugged”, a residence hall competition to achieve the 

highest energy savings, also encourage student involvement and promote environmental awareness. The college is also committed to its North 

Woods program that aims to preserve the natural ecosystem for study and recreational purposes. Instead of developing this land, Skidmore pledges 

to protect 200 acres through 2050. However, the Skidmore College web pages fail to include any quantitative data on energy use, water use, or 

waste disposed of and recycled. To improve its score, more past and current data need to be analyzed and published on the college’s web pages. 

While Skidmore is planning to enact more sustainability initiatives, more work needs to be done to set specific goals and targets. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

74 

64 

19 

16 15 

0 




















Social Intent 















72 




B+ 


Amherst College 2009 Web Pages 

Amherst College, like many colleges across the nation has committed to sustainable practices and education. It has pledged to conserve and to 

support the sustainable use of natural resources through policies, programs, and practices. In comparison to other colleges, Amherst stands as a 

beacon for sustainable goals. Amherst College is very environmentally and socially aware, and it works to bring sustainability issues to the forefront 

of discussion. Along with major changes in structure, such as an increase in green building, Amherst has made sustainability an everyday practice. 

With an increase in transportation sharing programs such as Zipcar, and even smaller implementations such as placing eco-friendly napkin 

dispensers in the dining halls to reduce the amount of wasted napkins, sustainability has become a way of life for many Amherst students and 

faculty. The College also has the ability to get campus involvement in more abstract forms of sustainability such as getting more than 1,700 students 

and faculty to pledge to place their computers on sleep mode when idle. With a decrease in waste, an increase in recycling, the use of clean 

renewable energy, local organic food production, mixed with campus awareness and participation Amherst should reach all goals relatively soon. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

47% 

S 

53% 

56 

53 

13 

14 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















73 




B 


Bard College 2009 Web Pages 

In 2008, Bard College collaborated with Jerusalem’s Al-Quds University to form the first dual-degree collaboration between a Palestinian University 

and an American institution of higher education. Al-Quds Bard is set to open in phases in 2009-2010 and center on the Honors College for Liberal 

Arts and Sciences, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program, and the Model School. To help reduce building costs Bard is evaluating using the 

United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) process for campus construction. NYSERDA has 

awarded the college $200,000 to install a solar thermal heating system at the Stevenson Gymnasium. The project is expected to reduce fuel oil use 

by 25%. Bard is an Energy Star campus. In Bard’s employee handbook in the Environmental Policy section, staff is encouraged to sort and collect 

bottles and cans, cardboard, and paper products. Bard College President Leon Botstein received the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic 

Leadership Award of $500,000 for effecting positive change, not only for students, but also for the local community and the world at large. 

Quentin Jones 






E 

56 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

54% 

S 

46% 

33 

33 

26 

17 

2 




















Social Intent 










Human Rights 26 77 34 Needs improvement 





74 




B 


Barnard College 2009 Web Pages 

In its mission statement, Barnard College has a specific goal of how much it would like to reduce emissions and states it is fully committed to 

environmental sustainability. In 2007, two students and a faculty member constructed a Barnard College Sustainability Report. This report gives a 

brief overview of where Barnard stands in relation to certain environmental issues and describes how the students, faculty, and administration play 

a role in sustainability at Barnard. This was something nearly unique; the only other school that had its own sustainability report in 2007 (as far as 

we are aware) is Claremont McKenna College. Barnard’s sustainability website also has a Technical Energy and Water Savings audit which 

documents goals, analyzes energy use, and develops short term and long term plans for Barnard. This was a useful resource for grasping numerical 

initiatives and improvements for the institution. Overall, although Barnard mentions much of what is used on the PSI scoring sheets, I would not 

necessarily say that it is doing an exceptional job in maintaining a sustainable campus. The College could do a better job listing specific goals and 

numbers about consumption on campus in order to paint a more vivid picture of actual improvements or work being done, if any. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

63% 

S 

37% 

71 

72 

31 

9 

9 4 




















Social Intent 















75 




B- 


Bates College 2009 Web Pages 

Bates College had a clear visionary statement that included how it was acting on environmental challenges, and there was information about its 

environmental administration and management system. Bates has LEED certified buildings and active recycling, and green food practices and 

purchasing were well reported along with transportation initiatives and detailed student involvement. Bates has also been involved in social and 

environmental community development. There was some discussion of rationale and procedures for choosing environmental initiatives and targets, 

and the historical progression of Bates’ environmental policy and initiatives was an interesting and useful resource. But there was no mention of 

Bates position on habitat conservation or biodiversity, no information on age gender or race/ethnicity, supplier screening, employment of individuals 

with disabilities or on employee training, and no information on environmental accounting (expenses and fines). Investment priorities were not 

reported either, but Bates reported to greenreportcard.org that its holdings were available to certain administrators; if this information were made 

public it would improve Bates’ PSI score. There were no data on hazardous waste produced or released either, but there was discussion of several 

key environmental factors such as total greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy used, waste disposed of, and water recycled. There were no 

recordable incidents or accident incidences reported. Pesticide and fertilizer use were not reported and land use was only briefly discussed. Health 

and safety precautions or citations were not well reported, nor was human rights compliance. 


Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

75% 

S 

25% 

79 

30 

33 

4 

8 0 



















Social Intent 















76 




B- 


Bowdoin College 2009 Web Pages 

“Sustainability is more than an intellectual concept at Bowdoin.” Bowdoin College has definitely committed itself to making sure sustainability 

reaches every point of learning and practice at the institution. Along with the Environmental Studies major, students can “pair up” this major with 

another, such as Geology, Physics or even English. Such unique coordination offers students a holistic view of sustainability and the world. Students 

also participate in EcoReps, an organization that helps foster communication between students and administration to improve student life and its 

commitment to environmental issues. Bowdoin also has participated for a third year in a row in Recycle Mania, a nationwide recycling competition, 

thus showing how sustainability is a concern that reaches outside of the campus. Transportation is another aspect Bowdoin tries to incorporate into 

its sustainability vision. It has created several ways for students and employees to carpool or look for other ways of traveling off campus. Some of 

these methods include the Bowdoin Yellow Bike Club which provides bicycles across campus, the Bowdoin College Ride Share Board, an online 

forum which helps students communicate with one another to get transportation, the Bowdoin Shuttle Service which provides students with 

transportation on campus while classes are in session, and lastly, a ZipCar fleet which allows students and employees to rent cars by the hour. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

69% 

S 

31% 

82 

56 

22 

11 

5 2 




















Social Intent 















77 




C- 


Bryn Mawr College 2009 Web Pages 

Bryn Mawr College is strongly dedicated to energy conservation. It has had several workshops dedicated to renewable energy (specifically 

windmills) and continue to increase its green purchasing by using LED lights in signs. A campus group called “The Greens” has been initiated to get 

students educated and involved with sustainability initiatives and get the support from administrators as well. Bryn Mawr claims to have the lowest 

energy consumption of any of its peers and has started an Energy Diet that reduces dorm energy consumption by 12%. For the dining halls, the 

college purchases some organic food, and recycles waste oil by using it as biodiesel, and there is a recycling program on campus. There is no 

information about campus greenhouse gas emissions however. The social policy statement is limited; most of the information is in the Honor Code. 

Bryn Mawr does report that 49% of its faculty is female and that there is an effort to increase the attendance of women. There is no information 

about safety incident rates or health and safety fines, but there is an Environmental Health and Safety office, which manages occupational health 

and safety protection. Through its student-run organizations, Bryn Mawr demonstrates efforts in community development, education, and 

volunteerism. Overall Bryn Mawr offers a large amount of information about energy, green buildings and green transportation. It needs to develop 

more environmental initiatives and select performance indicators to get feedback. It would be useful to widen its environmental awareness; 

although it appears to be doing an admirable job in conserving energy, other areas of the environment including biodiversity, habitat conservation, 

and global warming are unaddressed. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

43% 

S 

57% 

44 

50 

8 

12 

0 

2 




















Social Intent 















78 




A- 


Bucknell University 2009 Web Pages 

Bucknell University has an extremely detailed Comprehensive Environmental Assessment on its website, one of the most thorough we have seen, 

providing an exemplary model for those conducting similar analyses. It explicitly avoids most social aspects of sustainability reporting, hence its 

score on the PSI is not has high as might be expected for such a massive effort, but we imagine that a social analysis can't be far behind. A 

particularly interesting feature is its formal discussion of letter grades Bucknell received on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's "2008 College 

Sustainability Report Card" and responses which produced better results in 2009. A few of the topics covered in the analysis are listed below: The 

fuel efficiency is recorded for all Bucknell University vehicles. The frequency of North American native trees on campus is recorded. Pesticides and 

fertilizers used are listed. The Campus Greening Council is made up of students, faculty, and staff, who make environmental policy 

recommendations to the administration. The Environmental Management Assistance Program serves to reduce raw material purchase costs, 

reduce compliance burdens and costs associated with environmental permits, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, reduce waste 

management, treatment and disposal costs, and reduce long-term liabilities associated with hazardous waste management. In 1998 Bucknell’s 

power plant was converted from a conventional coal-burning facility to a co-generation power plan fueled by natural gas. This conversion has led to 

a 40% reduction in the University’s greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning in 2000 Bucknell began purchasing wind power to supplement its on-site 

power generation. As of January 2008, wind power represented 100% of Bucknell’s purchased energy, for a total of approximately 4 million kilowatt 

hours per year. Bucknell students can report incidents of abuse by the Lewisburg Police, Penn. State Police, E. Buffalo Police, or Public Safety to 

the Bucknell Student Government. Since Spring of 2008 the Dining program has distributed "E-comment" cards. The responses are displayed via a 

digital picture frame outside the Bostwick marketplace. Coffee is purchased from a particular plantation community in Nicaragua. This is done in 

compliance with "Free Trade Coffee." 

Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

76 

52 

39 

14 

20 

7 




















Social Intent 












79 








80 




C+ 


Carleton College 2009 Web Pages 

“Assessing Carleton’s Sustainability: A Campus Environmental Audit” was conducted as a student project with help from Good Company and its 

“Sustainable Pathways Toolkit.” The report is structured as a collection of indicators and associated goals, benchmarks and recommendations. The 

report does an excellent job at noting areas in which institutional policy could be introduced to improve environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, 

without direct institutional support, the report is incapable of demonstrating institutional intent or discussing management systems. Also, the report 

fails to touch on social sustainability, greatly reducing its total PSI score. 

Gracie Beck 

Bukola Jimoh 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

74% 

S 

26% 

91 

31 

22 

7 

9 

0 




















Social Intent 















81 




D+ 


Centre College 2009 Web Pages 

Centre College has signed the President's Climate Commitment, and has assigned committees to work out the details, but the material online is very 

limited, with almost no quantitative goals and very little other quantitative information. Mostly it seems to be whatever seemed interesting to the 

public relations staff, but with no systematic treatment of the issues. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

66% 

S 

34% 

41 

22 

6 

0 

3 0 




















Social Intent 















82 




C- 


Colby College 2009 Web Pages 

Colby College has done a truly outstanding job of addressing the need for education about the environmental challenges of today. The College 

started its environmental studies program in the 1970’s and has been alerting students to sustainability problems ever since. This is reflected in the 

number of different green programs Colby students are involved in, from lobbying Capitol Hill about climate change to giving out florescent light 

bulbs to save energy, Colby students are trying to bring about change on their campus, in their state, and in their country. The administration at 

Colby deserves praise for more than just fostering and supporting the initiatives and actions of its students. In 2003 Colby made the historic shift to 

100% renewable power, a costly initiative that demonstrated the College’s commitment to the environment. The College considers both its 

environmental impact and its endowment when making purchasing decisions and has found ways to take care of both, building LEED certified 

buildings that use less power and purchasing washers that use less water and detergent. It is clear that Colby has a large number of sustainability 

initiatives in place, however in some cases the College hasn’t posted the numerical results of these initiatives which have made it hard to judge the 

effect of many of them. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

80% 

S 

20% 

50 

21 

28 

7 

0 2 




















Social Intent 















83 




C 


Colgate University 2009 Web Pages 

Sustainability at Colgate begins with a strong environmental visionary statement, and is followed by extensive policies and initiatives that will help 

the College realize its vision. Along with discussing several of the most pertinent environmental and social issues, Colgate also reports its energy 

consumption and the amount of waste disposed of. While much of Colgate’s web site details school-wide programs and quantitative information, 

Colgate also highlights the importance of student environmental education. For example, Colgate’s Guide to Green Living provides students with tips 

to reduce their energy and water consumption. Colgate also provides students with opportunities to get involved in the College’s sustainability 

mission. Colgate University provides an adequate example of basic sustainability reporting for a college, but there is clearly room for improvement. 

The University needs to begin covering more topics and reporting more quantitative data. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

55% 

S 

45% 

50 

44 

18 

12 

2 

4 




















Social Intent 















84 




C+ 


College of the Holy Cross 2009 Web Pages 

College of the Holy Cross, like many other colleges committed to sustainability, has joined the American College & University Presidents Climate 

Commitment. It has set a short term goal of reducing “carbon emissions by 2015, and a long term goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.” Theses 

quantitative goals are supplemented with everyday practices at Holy Cross. With new construction occurring around campus, Holy Cross seeks to 

have LEED silver certification for every new building constructed. The latest, The Integrated Science Complex, “will have constant volume low flow 

hoods utilizing 30% less exhaust air than standard hoods.” Numbers and goals like these make sustainability an exciting new concept for everyone. 

Students are also making sustainability a tangible practice on campus. A community garden has been created to grow vegetables and fruits so that 

more organic produce will be available for the Holy Cross community. Students also participate in projects and internships at non-profit 

organizations within the Worchester area. The Environmental Studies program provides students with information and resources where “all things 

sustainable” can be known of and implemented. The student environmental group, Eco-Action, focuses on issues such as global warming on a 

national scale to issues of local land preservation. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

65% 

S 

35% 

50 

33 

25 

10 

2 

4 



Cross 


















Social Intent 















85 




B+ 


Colorado College 2009 Web Pages 

Colorado College has proven itself to be a leader in sustainability practices. The Campus Sustainability Council, Office of Sustainability, and 

numerous student groups have worked to promote on-campus sustainability and the initiatives of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, of which 

President Richard Celeste is a signatory. In June 2008, the college released its Environmental Inventory and Sustainability Management Plan with 

the help of an engineering consulting group. This document, available on the college website, gives recommendations for improving energy 

efficiency, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions, reducing water usage, improving transportation, etc. •Colorado College has already 

supported numerous such projects. A solar electric system with a capacity of 25-kW was installed on top of the Edith Gaylord Apartments. Both the 

science and arts centers have earned LEED certifications, and the administration pledges to reach LEED certification for all new buildings. Bon 

Appetit has been providing food services since 2008 and has stressed the importance of local and organic food, even buying fruits and vegetables 

from the student-run, sustainable Colorado College Garden. Furthermore, the college aims to set up a sustainable investment fund which will 

generate income through investments that are both environmentally and socially responsible. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

58% 

S 

42% 

79 

75 

36 

18 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















86 




C 


Connecticut College 2009 Web Pages 

Connecticut College employs a full-time environmental coordinator and makes contact readily available. The college also has many goals regarding 

the practice and policy of sustainability and has come a long way from past years towards implementing them. There is a problem, however, in the 

amount of performance reported. With all of the great things taking place on Connecticut’s campus, such as the reduction of 20% of greenhouse gas 

emissions since 2004 and the large amount of renewable energy purchased, the information available on many of the topics considered in the PSI is 

subpar. Connecticut College, however, appears to be aware of this shortcoming and I believe that with the help of the environmental coordinator, 

the college will not only increase its sustainability practices but also more thoroughly and readily report it. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

75% 

S 

25% 

76 

21 

19 

0 

9 0 




















Social Intent 















87 




C+ 


Davidson College 2009 Web Pages 

Although Davidson College published a 2009 Sustainability Report, the college’s reporting still lags behind the reporting of some of its peer 

institutions. A progressive Climate Action Plan is in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but current quantitative data regarding emissions 

and energy use are not reported. Davidson touches on several of the most important social and environmental issues and has a few initiatives that 

promote both student and administrative involvement. These initiatives and goals have resulted in improvements in areas such as bottled water and 

energy usage and recycling; however, in general Davidson College’s reporting shows considerable room for improvement. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

55% 

S 

45% 

62 

44 

15 

15 

2 

2 




















Social Intent 















88 




B- 


DePauw University 2009 Web Pages 

Many of the categories in the PSI were answered by the President’s Statement and DePauw’s mission statement on page 19. One thing that I 

noticed about the mission statement as is often the case, was very general and without any specific proposed actions. I enjoyed the video about the 

new compost stations. It is a great way to bring awareness to the situation and the initiatives taken. I also enjoyed reading about the Carbon 

Footprint Project, but I would like to see current examples of what they have already done with this project and their results as of now. There is a 

“Get Involved” events calendar, but there were no future events listed, although there had been some good programs that involved the outside 

community. The DePauw Community Service volunteers in the community of Greencastle and I would like to see distinct examples of some of the 

projects DCS has done in the community and on campus, but I could not find any on the web site. Many of the projects and programs are student run 

and even though the majority of the people at the university are students, I would like to see exactly how the university gets their faculty and staff 

involved directly. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

68 

64 

20 

16 15 

2 




















Social Intent 















89 




B- 


Dickinson College 2009 Web Pages 

Dickinson College is a leader in campus sustainability. Dr. William G. Durden, the president of Dickinson, signed the Presidents Climate Commitment 

in 2007 that has since become a core component of the College’s sustainability program. The College runs both an Office of Sustainability with hired 

sustainability coordinators and a Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education where a full time director was hired in 2008. Dickinson 

College has been recognized numerous times for its innovative execution of sustainable food service initiatives. The College dining services 

purchase from seven local farms and producers, including a local dairy farm. In addition, the Dickinson College Organic Farm has been developed to 

provide produce to the college’s dining services. By purchasing vegetables from the college farm at market price, dining services is saving food and 

transportation cost while also reinvesting more than $6,500 into the College farm in the last fiscal year. Investment priorities and shareholder 

engagement are two more exceptional areas of strength of the College, areas that the majority of other colleges struggle with. The College currently 

invests in socially screened funds, green funds, and community development funds. Additionally, a unique Socially Responsible Investment 

Discussion Group was formed in 2007 consisting of four students, four faculty members, one alumnus, and two administrators, all of whom study 

socially responsible and sustainable investment. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

51% 

S 

49% 

71 

50 

15 

20 

5 

4 




















Social Intent 















90 




C+ 


Franklin and Marshall College 2009 Web Pages 

Franklin and Marshall’s environmental consciousness is definitely student focused; including, for example competitions such as Recyclemania, 

which resulted in approximately 30% of campus waste being recycled. The Environmental Action Alliance promotes environmentally responsible 

behavior on campus as well as running green programs throughout the campus. A way to bridge the gap between students and the administration 

at Franklin and Marshall is with the Campus Sustainability Committee, the committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff who advise the 

college president on environmental issues on campus and in the community. The committee’s most visible work is during Sustainability Week; 

through a series of events and campaigns the Week challenges the Franklin and Marshall community to be greener. 

Some other interesting initiatives the campus has implemented are through food services. The dining hall operates with a tray-less policy as well as 

the recycling of the fryer oil in the kitchen. The school also participates in green community outreach with student involvement and school support 

of the Eastern Market program -- managed by a Franklin and Marshall alumni -- which creates a local food network that provides healthy and fresh 

local food to the urban neighborhoods. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

49% 

S 

51% 

59 

50 

17 

17 

9 

0 


Franklin and 



















Social Intent 















91 




B- 


Furman University 2009 Web Pages 

With the opening of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability in July 2008, Furman University showcased its commitment to sustainability through a 

new focus on outreach programs, curricular development, and original research. Though the Shi Center is new, Furman’s engagement in 

sustainability is not. The board of trustees at Furman committed to promote sustainability over a decade ago and, in 2002, the Board voted to require 

all new buildings and renovations to meet a minimum of LEED silver certification. Six buildings are currently registered for LEED certification, 

including Cliffs Cottage, the carbon-neutral home of Furman's sustainability center that seeks a LEED Platinum rating. Students have worked hard in 

developing a new organic garden that will provide produce for the dining halls as well as receive compost from recyclable waste and food scraps 

from dining services. The college also purchases from 20 local farms and offers fair trade coffee and a variety of organic items. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

63% 

S 

37% 

79 

42 

24 

14 

2 

4 




















Social Intent 















92 




B+ 


Gettysburg College 2009 Web Pages 

Gettysburg College's environmental strength lies in its student involvement. The College employs three students to work in sustainability-related 

programs. Student groups included Gettysburg Environmental Concerns Organization and Gettysburg Research and Action by Students for 

Sustainability. Student management also includes a campus kitchen recycling project and Painted Turtle Farm. All first year students are introduced 

to sustainability initiatives upon arrival in the residence halls, The dining services use local dairy products and most produce comes from local 

farmers or from the campus garden. Compost is collected for the campus garden and the college recycles cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and glass, 

diverting 24% of waste from the landfill. The school does not allow first year students to have cars on campus, provides shuttles to the town, 

prohibits cars from driving on campus, and provides a bike lending program to the college community. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

61% 

S 

39% 

68 

50 

33 

14 

19 11 




















Social Intent 















93 




C+ 


Grinnell College 2009 Web Pages 

Grinnell College is engaged in the issues of sustainability through water conservation projects, sustainable landscaping techniques, and reduction 

of pest management. The environmental council advises the college through environmental speakers, workshops, and student involvement (i.e. 

EcoCampus and Campus Garden groups) so that their environmental vision is attained. To address climate change, Grinnell has invested in a twoyear 

green power contract for the dorms to experiment with using renewable energy. The college uses 100% recycled paper in offices and promote 

green transportation and commuting to work on bicycles. As far at Grinnell’s code of conduct, it explicitly illustrates employment policies and 

opportunities for advancement as well as social and human rights. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

49% 

S 

51% 

68 

58 

12 

14 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















94 




B- 


Hamilton College 2009 Web Pages 

Hamilton College does a pretty good job of working towards sustainability. The mission statement for sustainability at Hamilton College reads: “As 

leaders in education and environmental stewardship, students, faculty, and staff at Hamilton College are committed to protecting and sustaining the 

environment through institutional processes, management of facilities, and curriculum. This leadership extends across the environmental spectrum 

from greenhouse gas reduction to preventing pollution of natural resources.” The mission statement goes on to list a set of goals that the College is 

working towards. Hamilton has taken many steps towards practicing sustainability. For instance, in 2007, Hamilton College joined the American 

College and University President’s Climate Committee (ACUPCC). Additionally, Hamilton participated in Power Shift 2009, which included high school 

students in the conference. It also has a very informative, easy to use website called “Building Dashboard” that is dedicated to comparing energy 

and electricity consumption in different buildings of the school. It gives the perspective of dollars spent or saved, energy saved, how many miles 

that would be saved, etc. I haven’t seen a site like this on any of the other schools that I have researched; it’s pretty useful and puts things into 

perspective. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

60% 

S 

40% 

56 

56 

28 

7 

14 

4 




















Social Intent 















95 




C- 


Harvey Mudd College 2009 Web Pages 

Harvey Mudd College publishes a Sustainability Policy Statement on its web site, has a LEED certification for one of its residence halls, and 

addresses a few of the PSI topics such as greening of the dining halls, minimizing landscape water usage, and installation of its 60 panel photovoltaic 

dorm-top installation. Mostly these are qualitative accounts with precious few data. This seems a little surprising considering the intensely 

quantitative nature of a Harvey Mudd education. The main quantitative and substantive contribution is a detailed consultant’s report on tuning up 

campus buildings. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

83% 

S 

17% 

56 

17 

22 

0 

0 0 


Harvey Mudd 



















Social Intent 















96 




B 


Haverford College 2009 Web Pages 

The Haverford Sustainability program is centered on its Committee for Environmental Responsibility. This committee was founded on the socially 

responsible principles of the college. On the website it states, “CER has a deep concern and respect for all communities of which it is a part, both 

social and ecological. Our mission, therefore, is to educate our community towards an awareness of global concerns and to set a positive example 

of forward thinking, environmental stewardship for our campus and for other colleges to follow.” In order to do this, CER works to ensure that 

environmental concern is an integral part of Haverford College’s daily life informing our curriculum, administrative decisions and maintenance of 

facilities and grounds. Currently, Haverford is making an attempt to reach 100% wind power as its source of energy. •The student organization Food 

Fight is an active participant in Haverford sustainability. The organization seeks to protect the environment and human health through the prevention 

of eco-friendly, tasty food on campus. They work to re-establish a connection between people and their food, educate the Haverford community 

about food related issues, and promote the purchasing of local and sustainable foods. 

Daria Dulan 

Bianca Garcia 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

65 

64 

25 

22 

2 

11 




















Social Intent 















97 




D+ 


Kenyon College 2009 Web Pages 

Kenyon College’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety includes a comprehensive section on sustainability, including recycling, green 

electronics, energy efficiency, and student involvement. Unfortunately, the information is mostly cursory, and the college fails to report any 

quantitative social or environmental data. Furthermore, Kenyon College’s web pages do not mention the importance of climate change mitigation, 

habitat conservation, or the preservation of biodiversity. Several other pressing environmental and social issues are also ignored in the college’s 

sustainability reporting. Kenyon can improve its score by providing quantitative information, such as emissions and energy use, and expanding its 

qualitative reporting. 

Bukola Jimoh 

Gracie Beck 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

27% 

S 

73% 

36 

24 

13 

2 4 

0 




















Social Intent 















98 




C+ 


Lafayette College 2009 Web Pages 

Lafayette College intends to expand its sustainability beyond its campus as well as to take sustainability initiatives for future generations. One of the 

ways Lafayette intends to do this is through a program called LEAP, which is a student-led environmental organization. Other partners in the 

College’s mission are the Campus Sustainability Committee, the Office of Plant Operations, and the Department of Facilities Planning and 

Construction. Lafayette’s dining services are provided through Sodexo. The company’s commitment to sustainability includes composting, 

biodegradable and compostable products, organic foods, local growers, and green waste management. This assists Lafayette in reducing its impact 

on the environment. Lafayette buys food from local vendors such as Sysco Central, Balford Farms and others. It also utilizes local in-season produce 

such as mushrooms, corn, apples, and tomatoes, and offers fair trade and organic coffee, practices “cook to order” techniques, and provides 

organic and natural produce. Green packaging is made available at the dining halls, including green-ware cups that are made from corn starch, 

compostable to-go containers, and compostable trash bags. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

53% 

S 

47% 

56 

58 

18 

12 

0 

4 




















Social Intent 















99 




B- 


Macalester College 2009 Web Pages 

Macalester College is dedicated to student involvement in environmental programs that address climate change, biodiversity, and green 

purchasing. “Environmental State of the College,” prepared as part of a senior seminar, discusses Macalester’s successes and failures for ten 

different sustainability topics and then provides recommendations based on best practices at other institutions. The discussion of best practices at 

peer institutions seems to be the most effective component of the report. Students are encouraged to get involved with the community through 

volunteering in community development and environmental education. There is no information on human rights of the employees. Macalester 

College reported on Greenreportcard.org several statistics that were not on its website. First, that 60% of the college uses "green seal" cleaning 

products. Second, that in 2007, its GHG emissions reached 19,350 metric tons of CO2, 10.33 metric tons of CO2 per student. Finally, Macalester 

should include its Electronics Recycling Program that accepts batteries, cell phones, computers, light bulbs, and printer cartridges. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

65% 

S 

35% 

71 

50 

30 

5 

12 

2 




















Social Intent 















100 




C+ 


Middlebury College 2009 Web Pages 

The Environmental Council at Middlebury College is dedicated to environmental sustainability, and many student programs are involved in habitat 

and energy conservation. Through lunch seminars with lectures about energy conservation, the administration, the student body, and community 

are educated in pressing environmental issues. Twenty percent of the college’s total waste is composted and dining halls purchase local food and 

recycle the waste at composting sites, later used as fertilizer. The Franklin Environmental Center is LEED platinum certified and is a sustainable and 

completely green building. College vehicles run on biodiesel and Zipcars are available to students. Middlebury’s efforts for a sustainable and low 

energy consumption campus are very effective. The code of conduct and human rights information is limited. Middlebury reported on 

Greenreportcard.org their greenhouse gas emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide: 2006, 28,310, 2007, 27,787, and 2008, 28,742. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

59% 

S 

41% 

62 

50 

17 

7 

10 4 




















Social Intent 















101 




B 


Mount Holyoke College 2009 Web Pages 

Mount Holyoke’s mission statement mentions educating the college community about ecological responsibility that is both locally and globally 

focused, looking at environmental justice as not only pertaining to the students, but as to each person, place, and living system. There is a new 

program to minimize energy consumption. Within this program students will pledge to enable energy saving features on their computers. The school 

purchased “green energy” to run all student computers for a year. The school also extends edge to faculty and staff. This program also expands into 

other energy saving techniques broadening their focus to a larger community. There is also a lot of advice on recycling, but all presented in a fairly 

disorganized way. The use of fertilizer is mentioned, but only to compare the difference between organic compost and organic fertilizer treatments. 

There is information on manure use, and soil runoff for the Stony Broke land use in 1985, but nothing more recent or specific. 

Bianca Garcia 

Daria Dulan 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

74% 

S 

26% 

82 

50 

40 

7 

8 2 


Mount Holyoke 



















Social Intent 















102 




B 


Oberlin College Sustainability Report 2009 Web Pages 

Oberlin College provides a campus climate that is willing to discuss, create, and implement sustainability and sustainable practices. Oberlin has 

made it clear that they are dedicated to sustainability not only in ideology but in ways that run deeper, through the school’s administration, student 

involvement, building planning and academic offerings. For students there are a number of resources available to be active in maintaining green 

practices on campus, such as volunteering on George Jones Farm and Nature Preserve on Oberlin’s campus, from which fresh fruits and vegetables 

are used in the dining hall’s Farm to Fork program. This great program budgets a significant percentage of dining hall purchases for local foods that 

students can enjoy. Another option for students is the Green EDGE Fund, which provides funding for environmentally conscious and motivated 

projects proposed by Oberlin students. This program offers two kinds of funds; an efficiency loan, which is paid back not with money but rather by 

the monetary savings provided by the project and a sustainability grant, which requires no payback at all. Students are also offered housing with 

sustainable themes as well as the student-run Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, which provides cooperative student housing and dining. 

The administration also provides the students with a commitment to have all new buildings on campus align with the U.S. Green Building Council’s 

Leadership in Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. This will add to the preexisting sustainable buildings and systems on the campus, such 

as the Living Machine Wastewater Treatment System, and the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies. Oberlin has made it clear that 

it is dedicated to sustainability not only in ideology, but in ways that run deeper, through the school’s administration, student involvement, building 

planning and academic offerings. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

64% 

S 

36% 

79 

32 

36 

17 

5 

11 




















Social Intent 














103 






104 




D- 


Occidental College 2009 Web Pages 

Overall, Occidental College still has a way to go in regards to sustainability. The good practices that the school has implemented include good 

administration, food, recycling, and green building policy. Unfortunately this does not make up for the lack of information provided for public 

consumption. I would recommend that Occidental College invest in creating a environmental and sustainability faculty or staff post. And also to 

make the information that it does have readily available by posting it on its website. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

80% 

S 

20% 

15 

5 

2 

0 0 

0 




















Social Intent 















105 




C 


Pitzer College 2009 Web Pages 

Pitzer College has many web pages detailing various sustainability issues and initiatives, plus a student-generated sustainability audit with a 

considerable amount of background information, but quantitative data for most topics were lacking. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

71% 

S 

29% 

76 

36 

18 

5 

6 2 




















Social Intent 















106 




B 


Pomona College 2009 Web Pages 

Pomona College has a Sustainability Integration Office staffed by a full time director, and, using a consulting engineering firm, did an extraordinarily 

detailed campus sustainability audit in 2008. The College has subsequently produced a GHG inventory report, a climate action plan, and a relatively 

brief but highly informative 2008-2009 sustainability annual report, along with a variety of hyperlinked web pages, all of which were available on the 

College website in autumn, 2009, when this analysis was done. We analyzed over 1000 pages of material from the Pomona College website, 

including the aforementioned reports plus a large number of hyperlinked web pages, and were impressed with the level of organization, number of 

initiatives, and general professional approach to making the campus as sustainable as possible. The lack of materials scored by the PSI in its social 

section was largely responsible for Pomona’s low ranking. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

76% 

S 

24% 

91 

36 

28 

4 

10 4 













Energy 11 14 79 Excellent 






Social Intent 















107 




B 


Reed College 2009 Susttainability Report 

Reed College is committed to creating a sustainable campus and to raising awareness about environmental issues. Reed promotes action on 

campus that positively affects the community, city, and the whole world. Reed implements these initiatives with classes, lectures, committees, 

programs, and more specifically targeted at being more sustainability and increasing awareness. Reed defines sustainability as meeting the 

resource needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Reed College has a Sustainability 

Committee that specifically focuses on enforcing the sustainability policies and programs. Some of the clubs that are working on sustainability 

issues are the Homestead House(Farm House), The Student Senate, Greenboard, Green Computing Task Force, Green Science Project, Reed 

Canyon, Reed Bike Co-op, Reed Transportation Committee, and Food Services. Reed has also adopted certain practices that led to the conservation 

of energy and reduction of waste such as Dorm Challenges, increase of green transportation, new green buildings, and better waste management. 

Reed College is making numerous strides at creating a more sustainable community. These strides are tangible and noticeable and cause a shift in 

college life for the better. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

61% 

S 

39% 

88 

65 

15 

16 

0 

0 
















Social Intent 














108 




C- 


Richmond University 2009 Web Pages 

Richmond University has been very vocal about its commitment to sustainability, signing both the Presidents Climate Commitment and the Talloires 

Declaration. Beyond simply talking about sustainability, the university has taken action to promote the sustainability of its campus. In 2003, the 

university built its first LEED certified building and in the last few years all new buildings have been LEED certified, while all major renovations have 

focused on sustainable design strategies. In keeping with these sustainable design strategies, the University has made a significant investment in 

reducing its power and water consumption, installing new more efficient equipment over the last several years. Indeed in almost every area 

imaginable, from transportation to dining, Richmond has several sustainability initiatives in place with more on the way. The sheer number of 

sustainability initiatives at Richmond is impressive, however it is hard to judge how effective these initiative are because the university publishes 

very little quantitative data on its website. The data that can be found rarely have a frame of reference making it impossible to tell how much of a 

difference the initiatives are making. As a result there is a possibility that Richmond is doing a better job making its campus sustainable than is 

indicated by our analysis, because the lack of data available has made it difficult to judge the true impact of many of Richmond’s initiatives. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

56 

28 

13 

2 

3 4 




















Social Intent 















109 




D 


Scripps College 2009 Web Pages 

Scripps College has a main web page on sustainability efforts touching on some of the topics considered by the PSI, and a few linked pages with 

additional detail, but most topics remain unaddressed and there are no quantitative data presented at all. 







E 

ESA 

S 

0% 

38 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

100% 

6 

0 0 0 0 




















Social Intent 















110 




C 


Sewanee College 2009 Web Pages 

Sewanee had a clear environmental statement and policy as well as information on impediments and challenges. The historical report of Sewanee 

College was interesting and helpful in understanding the progression of the college’s environmental policy. In the final appendix of the 

environmental policy, the college is taking productive steps toward a more environmentally responsible campus and the students are active in 

employing an environmentally responsible president. The internal competition between the dorms is a beneficial idea to encourage better 

environmental living practices. Sewanee has been received awards for its community development and ample volunteer and student activism, and 

has developed an organic garden and organic beef purchasing. There was thorough information on energy and renewable energy use. Water 

usage and wastewater information was available and indicated improvement but the data available were too old. Sewanee College produced no 

information on land use, pesticide use, green material used, or fertilizer use. Greenhouse gas emissions of any kind were not reported. There was 

no information on the endowment, environmental fines or expenses or investment practices. However, the information produced for the endowment 

and expenses on greenreportcard.org was extensive and if that was made public, it would imporve Sewanee's score. Sewanee has no concrete 

numerical goals for the future, with the exception of the energy produced, and was limited information on its recycling practices. Hazardous waste 

released and produced was not reported, nor was there any data on environmental violations, accident rates, or health and safety citations. Human 

rights information is lacking, only a little information about the sexual harassment and equal opportunity policy and no information on lost workday 

case rate. 


Quentin Jones 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

59 

17 

5 8 12 

4 


Sewanee--University 

of the South 


















Social Intent 














111 






112 




B- 


Skidmore College 2009 Web Pages 

Skidmore College has made great leaps in becoming a highly environmental and socially responsible campus. Though it has not signed onto the 

Presidents’ Climate Commitment, it has adopted its own similar commitment involving reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a set target date. The 

college currently has numerous programs in place to meet these targets and shrink its carbon footprint. A unique program in place at Skidmore is its 

Eco-Reps program, involving students from each residence hall acting as sustainability advisors to the other students and promoting 

environmentally friendly habits and events. On Skidmore’s sustainability website, students can read about the different habits they can adopt to live 

a more environmentally responsible life. Events throughout the year, including “Skidmore Unplugged”, a residence hall competition to achieve the 

highest energy savings, also encourage student involvement and promote environmental awareness. The college is also committed to its North 

Woods program that aims to preserve the natural ecosystem for study and recreational purposes. Instead of developing this land, Skidmore pledges 

to protect 200 acres through 2050. However, the Skidmore College web pages fail to include any quantitative data on energy use, water use, or 

waste disposed of and recycled. To improve its score, more past and current data need to be analyzed and published on the college’s web pages. 

While Skidmore is planning to enact more sustainability initiatives, more work needs to be done to set specific goals and targets. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

50% 

S 

50% 

74 

64 

19 

16 15 

0 




















Social Intent 















113 




C+ 


Smith College 2009 Web Pages 

Smith College has several student-run programs to reduce its contribution to global warming and water usage. Smith has also implemented an 

Energy Star power management program to increase campus green purchasing. From the Million Monitor Drive to purchasing paper towels and 

toilet paper made from recycled products, Smith is clearly environmentally conscious. Smith has many green building projects around the campus; 

for example, the Ada Housing Project will have a dorm with solar panels on it. Through reduction of power plant emissions, the Gymnasium Lighting 

Project, and electric saving, Smith plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the college by 80% by 2050. The Green Team is a sustainability 

committee responsible for the environmental management at the college; they work on issues including energy usage, water consumption, and CO2 

emission levels. The Agriculture Action Committee incorporates green food purchasing in the dining halls and composting programs that use waste 

food to fertilize land. Smith College has many transportation opportunities for the students to decrease traffic and pollution including a fleet of 

Zipcars on campus, and community development and education are integrated into environmental management at Smith College. Smith has built a 

community garden, which is available to and tended by students and the community. Smith College is one of the few colleges that engages in a 

discussion of the value of third party auditing and/or validation and buildings and energy saving changes are reviewed by a third party. Smith 

College has limited information about codes of conduct and anti-corruption practices but it briefly mentions intolerance of forced labor, illegal child 

labor, and sexual harassment. 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

47% 

S 

53% 

56 

53 

13 

14 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















114 




B 


St. Olaf College 2009 Web Pages 

St. Olaf is keenly aware of its environmental responsibility and has acted accordingly. The college has restored large sections of the campus to its 

natural state and minimized the environmental impact of marinating the campus grounds by using less fertilizer and letting the grass grow longer. St. 

Olaf has made significant efforts to minimize both its carbon footprint, installing a utility grade wind turbine in addition to implementing policies to 

reduce power consumption. Even the dining service has gotten involved: all food waste is composted and some of the food found in the dinning halls 

comes from an organic garden maintained by the students. There is strong student involvement in environmental activities at St. Olaf. This student 

activism is supported by St. Olaf’s strong Environmental Studies program. The program benefits from both a strong curriculum and a fantastic 

natural laboratory in the form of St Olaf’s natural lands. The college clearly has made significant strides in its efforts to be environmentally 

conscious on both and administrative and student level. However, St. Olaf has not published very much of the quantitative data for their 

environmental programs which could well explain any underachievement indicated by this report. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

60% 

S 

40% 

65 

53 

33 

15 11 

0 




















Social Intent 















115 




C 


Swarthmore College Sustainability Report 2009 

Swarthmore College is taking major steps to engage in green practices and promote a sustainable community and culture. It has implemented 

energy efficient heating and cooling devices and gets 40% of its energy from wind power. The administration has also made a commitment to LEED 

building standards, and has installed vegetated roofs atop residence halls to provide energy efficient insulation. The dining hall purchases local and 

organic food and provides Swarthmore students with green and healthy options when eating. In addition, pre-consumer food waste is composted 

for use in the on campus student garden and excess food is donated to a local charity City Team Ministries. Students at Swarthmore are also 

working toward green living. There is the student initiated group, Earthlust, which discusses and takes action on environmental issues through a 

series of events and an active website that promotes campus sustainability. Earthlust sponsors the student-run Green Advisors program that works 

to encourage students to engage in green practice in the residence halls and beyond. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

56% 

S 

44% 

44 

39 

17 

13 

0 

7 




















Social Intent 















116 




C- 


Trinity College 2009 Web Pages 

Trinity College has made it a goal to put sustainability at the forefront of its endeavors. The College has infused sustainability efforts throughout 

college life and communities. Not only has there been discussion around the issue of sustainability, but there have been many initiatives and actions 

implemented to reach this goal. The Trinity College Mission Statement says that the College will strive to produce students, faculty, and staff who 

are environmentally literate citizens of the Earth and whose actions adhere to principles of environmental stewardship through commitment to 

sustainable practices its daily decision-making processes and support of resource conservation, reduction of waste and pollution, recycling, 

minimizing our environmental footprint, and investing in the local community. Trinity has taken initiatives to reduce consumption of natural 

resources including food, energy, and water, to establish and enforce environmentally sustainable practices and procedures in designing, 

constructing, and maintaining buildings and grounds, to reduce the use of toxic substances, to promote the use of renewable, reusable, recyclable, 

and recycled materials, and to reduce waste and increase recycling. Trinity also promotes health and safety on campus and in the surrounding 

community. Overall Trinity College is doing a great job with securing a sustainable community and environmentally friendly campus life. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

48% 

S 

52% 

76 

59 

1 0 

0 0 




















Social Intent 















117 




C 


Union College 2009 Web Pages 

The environmental and social sustainability information provided on Union College’s website is extremely vague. While the college broadly 

discusses its commitment to green initiatives, environmental education, and community involvement, it does not provide sufficient quantitative data 

to back up its claims. For example, the college reports that it purchases 15% renewable energy per year and donates significant funds to the local 

community, but no dates or specific amounts are provided. The college could easily improve its grade in the future by reporting more substantial 

quantitative information. 

Gracie Beck 

Bukola Jimoh 






E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

78% 

S 

22% 

74 

17 

2 

11 7 2 




















Social Intent 















118 




C 


US Military Academy 2009 Web Pages 

The USMA, unlike most colleges and universities, has adopted the ISO 14001 environmental management standard. The website makes clear 

statements about USMA’s visions for the Academy on the major environmental problems impacting the world, but, even though the Academy must 

collect the data under ISO 14001 standard, the website contains only a few outdated numbers for waste and recycled material, and very little on 

energy use or water use and recycling. Lacking also is information about the social policies at the Academy. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

69% 

S 

31% 

47 

21 

17 

9 

2 

4 


United States 

Military Academy 


















Social Intent 















119 




D 


United States Naval Academy 2009 Web Pages 

The United States Naval Academy’ environmental policy focuses largely on complying with the Federal, State, and local environmental regulations, 

as well as the Navy regulations. In order to meet regulations, the Naval Academy has various programs to deal with issues including, but not limited 

to water, air, hazardous waste, recycling, and pollution prevention. Though it has not reported failing to meet these regulations, the Naval Academy 

has not detailed any statistical improvements that it has made over the years. Additionally, though some green programs are listed, detailed 

description and quantitative data are not available, making it difficult to know how well the Naval Academy compares to its peer institutions. 

Though its grade in this publication may be lower than most other colleges, it is safe to assume that the Naval Academy has met, if not exceeded, 

Federal standards and is mindful of its impact on the environment. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

14 % 

S 

86% 

22 

9 

9 

4 

0 0 


United States Naval 

Academy 


















Social Intent 















120 




B- 


Vassar College 2009 Web Pages 

Vassar College has a Committee focused on sustainability and committed to making the college a “greener place.” Vassar is extremely focused on 

creating greener buildings because it is one of the most proactive things that it can do to reduce its energy consumption. Students have taken a 

major role in many of the environmental projects on campus, including switching from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones. Many 

of the vehicles on campus use bio-diesel fuel and the use of pesticide and herbicide on campus has been dramatically reduced. The College has 

also focused on waste reduction; the wastes from construction and from food leftovers are both being recycled. Overall, the sustainability 

committee is continuing to work on instituting a sustainability policy that would cover issues impacting most aspects of the school, and would cover 

recycling, purchasing, building and construction, composting, education, energy consumption, and an increase in the patronage of local food 

vendors. The president provides strong leadership to prioritize issues around sustainability. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

70% 

S 

30% 

68 

69 

31 

0 

0 2 




















Social Intent 















121 




C 


Washington and Lee University 2009 Web Pages 

Washington and Lee University has shown a strong commitment to improving its sustainability practices in recent years. The administration has 

signed onto the Talloires Declaration, the President’s Climate Commitment, and the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program at an entry (E2) level. 

The University has also had an Environmental Audit and two greenhouse gas audits, a sign it is determined to find the areas in which it can improve. 

With policies that dictate that all future buildings be built to LEED certified standards and that only Energy Star rated appliances be purchased, the 

University has implemented the policies that will ensure environmental friendliness in the future. At the present, the University has already started to 

install motion sensor lights and low-flow water taps among other energy conservation devices and regulations, such as temperature regulation on 

heating and cooling systems. Washington and Lee has taken part in RecycleMania and is committed not only to recycling waste products, but also 

to purchasing recycled goods and composting. Steps have also been taken toward using more organic foods in the dining halls; a Campus Garden 

was started in 2008 to supply food directly to the dining hall, supplemented by outside purchasing of organic foods when it is feasible. Support for 

environmentally friendly programs extends past just the administration and has also taken root in the Washington and Lee student body. The 

Environmental Law Society raises public awareness of the law’s impact on the environment; the Student Environmental Action League promotes 

environmental issues throughout the college and surrounding community; and the Blue Bike Program encourages students to use bikes rather than 

cars. In addition to practical experience gained from these programs, students can also take advantage of the University’s interdisciplinary 

environmental studies program. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

47% 

S 

53% 

50 

41 

16 

15 

0 

4 



University 


















Social Intent 














122 






123 




B 


Wellesley College 2009 Web Pages 

From its Environmental Studies major to the organization WEED (Wellesley Energy and Environmental Defense), Wellesley College aims to make 

sustainability and human impact on the globe a primary concern in its curriculum and informal activities. It has successfully instituted Green Corps, 

consultants on campus available to aid students “in implementing change as appropriate and feasible within departments on a range of issues 

including energy conservation, recycling, minimal-waste event planning, and purchasing of ‘green’ products and supplies. Wellesley College 

extends its participation outside of campus into RecycleMania, a nationwide recycling competition among college students. Although the school 

received a B- on its Green Report Card, Wellesley College does a good job in showcasing what it is doing on its website. Images of the campus are 

paired with information on land use and renovation. The College provides significant amounts of data on what resources and materials have been 

eliminated or used to better its overall sustainability. Lastly, along with other colleges committed to environmental justice, Wellesley College 

contracted with food service provider, Sodexo to provide better sustainability practices in its dining halls. It also has committed itself to reach out to 

local vendors for green products, expand water conservation efforts, continue recycling efforts, and use more “green materials.” 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

64% 

S 

36% 

53 

50 

39 

15 

9 

7 




















Social Intent 















124 




B- 


Wesleyan University 2008 Sustainability Report and 2009 Web Pages 

Wesleyan University’s web pages and “Green Report” published in May of 2008 give a comprehensive overview of the college’s efforts to achieve 

greater on-campus sustainability, and over the past few years, Wesleyan has taken a number of actions to improve its environmental record. 

Michael Roth, the president of the university, “enthusiastically” agreed to sign the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment 

and is dedicated to meeting the University targets of greenhouse gas reduction. The campus’ Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON) takes 

responsibility for student initiatives on campus, including taking waste from the dining halls and bringing it to the compost tubs at the Long Lane 

Farm, significantly reducing the amount of waste headed for the landfill. Wesleyan also plans to install 200-kW of solar panels on the Freeman 

Athletic Center roof and other roofs around campus, as well as improving energy efficiency. Furthermore, the College’s web pages include 

numerous recommendations for students to reduce their carbon footprint and waste, from not buying bottled water to driving more efficiently. To 

improve its environmental and social sustainability rating in our analysis, Wesleyan needs to include more quantitative data that show how the 

College’s current and past initiatives are working to reduce energy use, water consumption, and waste disposal. 








E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

54% 

S 

46% 

79 

72 

20 

13 

2 

7 




















Social Intent 















125 




C 


Whitman College 2009 Web Pages 

Whitman College is clearly dedicated to campus environmental awareness. Through its Campus Climate Challenge, it encourages students to 

reduce their energy usage. In 2008, the Jewett Solar Project built wind generators on farm land, and created 23 kW photovoltaic arrays on flat 

roofs. This college also has a wind turbine to offset carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. Whitman has a Conservation Committee that 

advises the college on environmental issues, provides contact information for various parts of the management structure, and purchases only 

Energy Star electric equipment. In 2007, Whitman bought 880 cases of 100% recycled paper. Another student-run organization called the Campus 

Greens creates awareness by holding educational events for students. The dining halls compost 20-30 gallons of scraps daily into their organic 

garden. By offering Valley Transit and Grapeline, Whitman reduces pollution through mass transit options. The Give 20 Challenge, Adopt-A- 

Grandparent, Mentor, and Storytime clubs encourage student and employee volunteerism and education in the community, but there is little 

information about occupational health and safety, or codes of conduct and other social responsibility information. 







E 

59 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

60% 

S 

40% 

36 

15 

9 

0 

4 




















Social Intent 















126 




A+ 


Williams College 2009 Web Pages 

Williams College has successfully deferred part of its energy costs with the $92,670 grant used for renewable energy. The live feed on the Williams 

website of the energy consumption in conjunction with diagrams and explanatory pictures was a useful resource in demonstrating Williams’ 

commitment to decreased energy consumption. The data show that Williams’ energy costs have declined, and there was overall improvement in 

reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. There was ample reporting on waste production and recycling but not much 

information on how that wastewater was recycled. The use of graphs and pie charts was helpful in getting a visual representation of William’s 

environmental progress. There was abundant information on social initiatives taken to improve community development and education and 

environmental awareness, but a lack of data on human rights measures. There was no discussion nor were there any initiatives to address age, 

gender, or racial/ethnic distribution in the workforce and Williams failed to indicate the total number of employee incidents, injuries, or annual 

turnover rate. Information on the health and safety citations or fines was unavailable. There was only limited information on pesticide, fertilizer, and 

land use. The total amount of hazardous waste released was unreported. The water usage data used were outdated. There was no information on 

Williams’ investment and shareholder practice, nor any information about how Williams chose its environmental procedures, initiatives, or 

investment priorities. A total of $291,579.92 was spent on purchasing food locally. This was reported to greenreportcard.org but is not currently listed 

on the Williams College website. 

Quentin Jones 







E 

ESA 

S 

SSA 

0 25 50 75 

E 

69% 

S 

31% 

88 

59 

39 

20 

24 

13 


W illiams College 


















Social Intent 















127 


Amherst College, Bard College, Barnard College, 

Bates College, Bowdoin College, Bryn Mawr 

College, Bucknell University, Carleton College, 

Centre College, Colby College, Colgate 

University, College of the Holy Cross, Colorado 

College, Connecticut College, Davidson College, 

DePauw University, Dickinson College, Franklin 

and Marshall College, Furman University, 

Gettysburg College, Grinnell College, Hamilton 

College, Harvey Mudd College, Haverford 

College, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, 

Macalester College, Middlebury College, Mount 

Holyoke College, Oberlin College, Occidental 

College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, Reed 

College, Richmond University, Scripps College, 


Sewanee--University of the South, Skidmore 

Claremont McKenna College, a member of the Claremont Colleges, is a highly selective, independent, coeducational, residential, 

undergraduate liberal arts college with a curricular emphasis on economics, government, and public affairs. 

College, Smith College, St. Olaf College, 

The Claremont Colleges 

The Claremont Colleges form a consortium of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges and two graduate institutions based on the 

Swarthmore College, Trinity College, Union 

Oxford/Cambridge model. The consortium offers students diverse opportunities and resources typically found only at much larger 

universities. The consortium members include Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pitzer College, Pomona College, 

Scripps College, Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, and the Claremont Graduate University—which includes the 

College, Peter F. Drucker United and Masatoshi Ito Graduate States School of Management. Military Academy, United 

Contact Information 

States Naval Academy, Vassar College, 

Dr. J. Emil Morhardt, Director, Roberts Environmental Center, Claremont McKenna College, 925 N. Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 

91711-5916, USA, Phone: 909-621-8190, Fax: 909-607-1185, email: emorhardt@cmc.edu 

Washington and Lee University, Wellesley 

College, Wesleyan University, Whitman College,

Amherst College, Bard College, Barnard College, Bates College ...

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