Ryan ChartrandThe grades are in and the report card is out. The Web site Greenreportcard.org just released new sustainability grades for 300 universities and Cal Poly received a B- in its first year of evaluation.
“In the B’s is probably about right for universities that are moving in the direction of sustainability,” said ASI President Angela Kramer, who based much of her campaign on advocating for sustainable practices. “Progress doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I think it’s a positive thing,” said Campus Sustainability Manager Dennis Elliot. “There’s always room for improvement.”
The College Sustainability Report Card, put out by the non-profit organization Sustainable Endowments Institute, is the “only independent evaluation of campus and endowment sustainability activities at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada” according to the institute’s Web site.
The universities with the 300 largest endowment funds are graded on sustainability practices in nine categories ranging from green building to transportation to student involvement in sustainability issues.
Fifteen schools received an A-, the highest grade to be awarded this year. Stanford was the only school in California out of 22 evaluated to earn this grade.
“We’ve done a lot and we’re the only CSU to be evaluated,” Elliot said.
Cal Poly received an A in food and recycling, the highest grade the organization awards, for buying produce from the Cal Poly Organic Farm and other local sellers. The campus also has a widespread recycling program and all campus eateries use recyclable or compostable takeout containers.
The lowest grades, all C’s, were in green building, student involvement and investment priorities. The Sustainable Endowments Institute noted that Cal Poly is trying to get two buildings LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and doesn’t invest in any renewable energy funds.
“I think it says a lot that we’re willing to put ourselves out there and be evaluated,” Elliot said.
Some at Cal Poly had their doubts about the weight of the report card.
“I don’t know about the validity of the report card,” said Chad Worth, former president of the Empower Poly Coalition. “It seems very subjective.”
Worth didn’t think the site graded Cal Poly’s level of student involvement fairly.
“We have a lot more stuff going on than other campuses,” he said. “We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing, but not based on the grade. We definitely can do a lot better.”
Anyone who wants to see exactly how each school was graded and awarded points can look at the institute’s Web site under “Methodology,” which details how the institute says it remains unbiased.
Kramer thinks Cal Poly is heading in the right direction, but noted that budget cuts facing the university hinder the process.
“Regardless of the passion (you have for sustainability), budget cuts get in the way,” Kramer said. “Right now we’re just trying to build the buildings.”
In addition to getting new buildings LEED certified, Kramer has plans to institute plans for universal composting and zero-waste at Cal Poly. Elliot said the university is looking for other energy sources to use on campus.
“Education comes first,” she said. “It’s a process.”