VCU makes the green grade

VCU received a B- on the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card, improving from the C- the campus received in 2008. The grade is an evaluation of campus and endowment sustainability activities by the Sustainable Endowment Institute.

Focusing on eight main categories, the College Sustainability Report Card grades colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Categories evaluated are administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement. A ninth category, student involvement, was added this year.

“The fact that (the SEI) use 43 criteria to rate a university is fairly comprehensive,” Director of Sustainability Jacek Ghosh stated in an e-mail. “VCU improved in four areas and stayed the same in four areas.”

The areas in which there was improvement were administration, climate change and energy and endowment transparency. The university also improved in the food and recycling category. VCU also has recently made visible improvements such as numerous recycling containers throughout campus.

At a recent meeting of Green Unity, an environmental club, VCU recycling coordinator Steven Heinitz spoke about waste minimization and the schools commitment to the practice.

“We’re making a lot of efforts over the last three months to get the recycling going,” Heinitz said. “We heard the message loud and clear that we need to do more.”

“I’ve noticed that (VCU is) trying to do a lot more,” said Margo Perretz, an interdisciplinary studies major. “I’ve noticed the recycling containers everywhere, which is nice … It’s a lot more convenient.”

One of the university’s main achievements concerning administration was university President Eugene P. Trani signing the Presidents Climate Commitment, a list of steps to reduce emissions. Through signing the commitment, VCU hired a director of sustainability as well as created a sustainability committee.

Improvements in the climate change and energy category included installing room occupancy sensors, which automatically turn lights on and off based on motion, as well as installing solar panels for the Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences.

The only school to receive a higher grade in the area was University of Virginia, which was evaluated at a B. Nearby schools also graded include the University of Richmond and the College of William and Mary. The University of Richmond was given the grade of C+, while William and Mary received a C.

The College Sustainability Report Card can be viewed at www.greenreportcard.org.