University of Toronto

The University of Toronto at St. George sustainability office is establishing a sustainability advisory committee that includes faculty, staff, and students. The office employs a director, two sustainability coordinators, and four project specialists.

The sustainability office is working with the IT department to design a program to decrease their electricity consumption by 50 percent; the project will significantly reduce the number of kilowatt-hours consumed by personal computers on campus. The Rewire program targets behavioral change related to energy use in residences and offices across campus. The program resulted in a 10 to 13 percent decrease in electricity consumption in 2007.

Dining services purchases local produce and some organic products. The campus has a waste diversion rate of more than 60 percent, with a goal of reaching 70 percent by 2010. The Lug-a-Mug program provides a discount to customers who bring their own coffee mug. The per-cup discount will increase in fall 2008. Compost material is collected from the dining hall.

A retrofit project to create a new exam center is seeking LEED Gold certification. All new roofs are highly insulated and reflective to reduce building energy loads, and lighting retrofits have been installed. The Sustainability Board has an active working group developing a sustainable building policy for capital projects.

The sustainability office engages approximately 30 students as part-time employees, 50 students through related coursework, and a number of additional students who serve as volunteers with programs such as Rewire.

The university reports that 82 percent of campus commuters walk, bike, or use public transit. The grounds maintenance department uses a converted plug-in hybrid vehicle as part of a pilot project with the city of Toronto. For a refundable deposit, any student may borrow a bike from the campus-based group Bikechain.

Information on endowment holdings and proxy voting records is made available primarily to the school community, but also to the public. Endowment holdings are accessible online. Shareholder voting records are sent to individuals upon request.

The university aims to optimize investment return and is currently invested in renewable energy funds. The university is currently reviewing its manager selection guidelines to assess each manager's approach to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in their investment process. They are also in the process of revising manager reporting as it relates to shareholder proposals in the ESG area.

The university asks that its investment managers handle the details of proxy voting.