UM system receives 'C' in sustainability
Published Nov. 2, 2007
According to an annual sustainability report card, the UM system is becoming a little greener.
The Sustainable Endowments Institute, a group that studies policies regarding sustainability endowments, issued the report that rates colleges and universities on their environmental sustainability.
This year, the UM system received an overall C grade, which is slightly higher than last year's C-.
The institute rated schools in eight areas: administration; climate change and energy; food and recycling; green building; transportation; endowment transparency; investment priorities; and shareholder engagement. Transportation was not included in the grading last year.
The UM system received a total of two B's, five C's, and one F in shareholder engagement. The system also received an F in shareholder engagement last year.
The highest marks were in the categories of food and recycling and transportation due to MU's extensive recycling programs and environmental sustainability initiatives.
"Our office recycles waste glass, used oil, fluorescent lamps and batteries," MU Health and Safety Director Peter Ashbrook said. "In a typical year, we recycle over 2,000 containers with an avoided purchase cost of $100,000."
The report mentioned two UM system programs. One, implemented in 2006, requires at least 50 percent of all non-exempt fleet vehicles purchased to run on alternative fuels. The report also mentions the Farm to MU campaign that aims to increase the availability of locally produced food across all three campuses.
The report also mentions an MU power plant initiative to utilize waste products, including tire chips and corncobs, in an effort to replace 10 percent of its current fuel needs.
Campus Facilities spokesman Phil Shocklee said the power plant has used 2.6 million tires from waste tire dumpsites, which make up 3 to 4 percent of the plant's fuel each year.
Ben Datema, president of Sustain Mizzou said MU is doing a good job of being environmentally friendly.
"Energy Management does an incredible job," Datema said. "They save the campus millions of dollars annually through their energy conservation efforts, and they have won several environmental awards."
Ashbrook said the Sustainable Endowments Institute's methodology sells MU's efforts short.
"They understated the environmental accomplishments made by MU," Ashbrook said. "Part of this understatement is due to the fact that MU is combined with the other three University of Missouri campuses."
Datema said the report's grading did not necessarily reflect UM system's sustainability.
"While the assessment claimed to report on environmental sustainability and did to some degree, it included some seemingly unrelated aspects," he said.
Datema said many of the programs on the MU campus are not officially supported by the university.
"MU has a surprising number of sustainability-related activities going on," he said. "The main issue right now is that not many of these efforts are institutionally endorsed and very few are well publicized. People always ask me why there is no work happening on campus with sustainability, and the truth is that there is tons going on."
According to the Sustainable Endowments Institute Web site, more then two out of three schools improved their overall score from last year.
