The University of St. Thomas scored a C+ on the national 2011 College Sustainability Report Card by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

The study surveys more than 300 colleges and universities in Canada and the United States with top endowments. Some other schools that do not fall in this category opted to be included in the report card.

Schools are scored in categories of administration, climate and energy change, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement.

While St. Thomas scored a C+ last year as well, Bob Douglas, the chairperson for the St. Thomas sustainability committee and coordinator of recycling and central receiving, said St. Thomas has made some improvements over the past year.

“We have made quite a few significant moves forward. … At least in some areas, we are making progress,” Douglas said.

The sustainability committee developed a university Climate Action Plan (CAP) that the Rev. Dennis Dease, St. Thomas’ president, signed this summer. The plan is part of the American College and Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment Dease signed in 2008.

The plan aims to make St. Thomas carbon neutral by 2035.

St. Thomas has brought new sustainable programs to campus, plans for more in future

St. Thomas also created a community garden, which opened this summer, in conjunction with the biology department. The sustainability committee also brought the HOURCAR ride-sharing service to campus last spring.

Business Affairs and Chief Financial Officer and member of the sustainability steering committee Mark Vangsgard said St. Thomas has made progress by replacing unsustainable facilities.

“We have taken down a very unsustainable O’Shaughnessy Hall and a very unsustainable series of other buildings that formed our old athletic and recreation complex,” Vangsgard said. “We’ve replaced them with, not only state-of-the-art venues, but much, much, much, much more sustainable than what we had before.”

Douglas said his committee has looked at the possibility of adding more solar panels on campus or putting a windmill at the Owatonna campus. The university has looked at installing solar-powered trash compactors.

The committee is researching a national program called Zimride, a social networking tool that helps students find carpools to their school. Users need an university-issued e-mail address.

Another program St. Thomas is considering is with Pepsi. Pepsi has created a “dream machine” that recycles bottles and cans. Students would scan the UPC code and then get reward points on a card. The reward points would translate into prizes or discounts, Douglas said.

“A lot of people feel like recycling’s dumb and don’t do it. We know that 40 percent of our trash is recycled through our present recycling program,” Douglas said.  “If we can get people to change their behavior by rewarding them, even if there’s not a dream machine around, if you get used to put it in a recycling container instead, then that would increase recycling.”

Other local schools are national leaders in sustainability

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities was one of seven schools to get the highest rating– an A overall. Macalester College in St. Paul received an A-.

Douglas said the other local schools scored higher grades because, “Well, I think they got onboard the train a lot sooner than we did.”

“Let’s face it. It takes a community to raise a child and the community there decided to take on the project because they’re dedicated to sustainability,” he said.

But Douglas thinks the report card is a good indicator for prospective students when it comes to sustainability.

“In terms of sustainability, it is probably one of the best tools available to the public,” he said.

Vangsgard said the rating looks unfavorable, and he does not agree with the weight placed on endowments.

“I don’t really agree with the way they decide the score with colleges and universities,” he said. “There is a heavy waiting on the endowment and investment portfolio, shareholder disclosure, what companies you invest with, which ones you don’t. And to me, that has very little to do with sustainability for our college campus.”

St. Thomas scores an F in shareholder engagement, no plans for shareholder proxy voting

St. Thomas got an F in shareholder engagement, because the university does not have shareholder proxy voting. Vangsgard does not see this changing in the future.

The university manages its portfolio under two conditions, Vangsgard said.

“We don’t invest in anything to do with contraception, abortion, planned-parenthood, those types of things, that’s just off the table,” he said. “And after that, we manage the portfolio to ensure the highest return that we can get, because that is a direct offset to student tuition. The more we make in our endowment portfolio, the more it will spin off into endowment scholarships, and the more affordable we are to students.”

Future of sustainability focuses on student engagement

When asked how he would rate sustainability at St. Thomas, Vangsgard said, “It’s getting better.”

“When I rate it, I rate it by student engagement. … And I rate it by what I see with club activities and the discussions I see people are having about trayless cafeterias or recycling, you know, should I turn my computer off at night, you know, stuff like that,” Vangsgard said.

Vangsgard he would like to see students come up with creative solutions to sustainability that will foster lifestyle changes.

Douglas said student involvement in campus groups like Engineers for a Sustainable World, Green Team, Recyclemania and other student organizations have been instrumental in advancing sustainability at St. Thomas. Douglas said he is “excited” about the future of sustainability at St. Thomas.

Theresa Malloy can be reached at mall5754@stthomas.edu.