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GreenReportCard.org has graded Miami a C+ in its just-released annual rankings and profiles of hundreds of colleges in all 50 states and Canada based on sustainability measures.
Miami scored the same as last year, with As earned in the categories of climate change and energy; food and recycling; and investment priorities; a B in student involvement, but lower grades in administration, transportation, green building and shareholder engagement.
Miami’s report card is at http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2010/schools/miami-university.
The Sustainable Endowments Institute sponsors the site, which includes profiles for 332 schools with 1,100 full survey responses comprising more than 10,000 pages of data. The aim is to provide accessible information so that schools may learn from each other's experiences, thereby fostering more effective sustainability policies. The report assesses 48 indicators, from green building initiatives to recycling programs to endowment investment policies, and uses an A to F letter-grading system to evaluate performance.
This year saw the highest participation levels to date: 89 percent of schools responded to the campus survey; 91 percent to the dining survey; and 82 percent replied to the endowment survey. In all, 318 out of 332 schools responded to at least one of the surveys.
The Sustainable Endowments Institute is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and is engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices.
Miami recently named David Prytherch, associate professor of geography, as the university’s first sustainability coordinator. Miami also has created a new, standing Sustainability Committee to make recommendations to university administration. The university hosts an interactive Web site, ThisMakesCents, which allows people to suggest resource- and money-saving ideas. Miami’s first building aimed to meet LEED certification, the Farmer School of Business, opened this fall.
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