DePaul University

DePaul University's faculty council has a sustainability subcommittee that works with the student government and the facilities and procurement departments. They are developing operating and purchasing policies, as well as procedures that consider environmental and sustainability factors. The university has no formal policy relating to campus-wide sustainability initiatives.

The university has retrofitted all of its older buildings to energy-efficient light ballasts and lamps and has installed compact fluorescent bulbs in over 90 percent of its existing fixtures. DePaul has spent more than $7 million in the past ten years on the replacement of older plant equipment with newer energy-efficient and energy-saving equipment. An installation of solar exterior security lighting on campus is underway.

DePaul recycles using an in-plant method through which 90 percent of recyclables are extracted by hand from the general waste stream. The recycling program was recently expanded, introducing hundreds of additional recycling containers on campus. Recycling efforts have resulted in the diversion of well over 50 percent of total waste to recycling plants.

The university has dictated that all future construction will be designed with the goal of LEED certification. Remodeling and renovation projects utilize green techniques and specifications and promote the installation of energy-efficient equipment. The new science building will be LEED-certified.

The student government at DePaul is active in sustainability issues and has recently created a subcommittee to work on these initiatives. The environmental science department will sponsor energy-saving competitions between the student residence halls this year. The university is also establishing an internship to develop a campaign to address bike use on campus.

DePaul sponsors a program whereby all undergraduate students receive a free transit card for use on all Chicago Transit Authority bus, subway, and elevated lines. Members of the university community also participate in a car-sharing program, which the university plans to expand. The public safety fleet includes hybrid cars.

The university makes neither its proxy voting records nor its list of endowment holdings public. This information is available only to trustees and senior administrators.

The university aims to optimize investment return and has not made any public statements about investigating or investing in renewable energy funds or community development loan funds.

DePaul does not have the ability to vote proxies as its endowment is invested entirely in third-party managed portfolios and mutual funds.