It’s not easy being green – especially for the aging and Katrina-affected campus of Loyola.
Loyola earned a D- on for its attention to the environment as judged by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a non-profit group that researches and promotes environmentally friendly practices on college campuses. In its 2008 College Sustainability Report Card, the group gave sustainability grades to Loyola and the 199 other public and private universities with the country’s largest endowments.
The group conducted independent research regarding Loyola’s sustainability over a four-month period, according to Mark Orlowski, founder and executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Part of Loyola’s low grade stemmed from the school’s poor response to the Institute’s surveys as well as follow-up phone calls and e-mails, Orlowski said.
The failure to respond earned Loyola F’s in five of the eight categories, including administration, green building, transportation, endowment transparency and shareholder engagement. Loyola received C’s in investment priorities and food and recycling and a D in climate change and energy.
Loyola isn’t completely devoid of environmental awareness, however. The university’s Physical Plant has a statement on environmental responsibility, including methods in which the university is trying to improve environmental conditions through adjustments in heating, ventilation, insulation, building design, existing lighting, recycling, landscape, the handling of hazardous materials and pest control. The school’s statement is that “Loyola University New Orleans strives to maintain and operate its campus facilities in a manner which is both environmentally responsible and fiscally sound.” Physical plant representatives declined to comment on the Institute’s report card.
“The news is disappointing, but not surprising,” said Robert Thomas, environmental communications professor and interim director of the School of Mass Communication. “We haven’t really done any major construction on campus since energy concerns have come into play.”
Thomas added that new campus construction should meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. LEED standards encourage sustainability in the construction of new buildings by focusing on five key areas of environmental awareness: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Loyola University Community Action Program adviser Rick Yelton said environmental concerns are not just confined to Loyola but can be seen throughout New Orleans, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“Times are hard in New Orleans,” he said. “Most of the problems are due to a long lack of environmental awareness.”
According to its Web site, the Sustainable Endowments Institute is a non-profit organization engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices. With an endowment of $326 million, Loyola qualified for the report card with the 164th largest asset base in the country, according to the National Association of College University Business Officers.
The purpose of the report cards, according to Orlowski, is to “provide insightful and helpful information” to universities and show other institutions steps being taken by other institutions to increase campus sustainability and improve endowment investments.
Six colleges earned the highest score of A- and the title of “College Sustainability Leaders”: Harvard University, Dartmouth University, University of Washington, Middlebury College, Carleton College and the University of Vermont. Four colleges failed, and Loyola joined 21 other schools in earning a D-. Loyola’s neighbor, Tulane University, received a C-, which remained unchanged from its 2007 report card. The Sustainable Endowments Insitutes didn’t grade Loyola in 2007.
Cissy Petty, Loyola’s vice president of Student Affairs and associate provost, wrote in an email to The Maroon that the ongoing Munoz Master Plan for campus development will have sustainability and green issues incorporated with both renovations and new construction. It will also subscribe to LEED standards. “The (sustainability) report misses a few marks that may have (caused) a few of our grades to improve, but overall we can and should do better,” Petty said.
According to the Sustainable Endowments Institute, nearly 45 percent of colleges are combating climate change by cutting carbon emissions. High-performance “green building standards” guide new construction at 59 percent of schools, while 42 percent are using hybrid or electric vehicles for transportation. Thirty-seven percent of schools purchase renewable energy, and 30 percent produce their own wind or solar energy. In the area of food and beverage service, 70 percent of schools buy food from local farms and 64 percent serve fair-trade coffee.
“I’m eager to see what we can do with the new Munoz Master Plan,” Thomas said. “(It) should stimulate a lot of thought in the area. It’s a huge recruiting and retention topic for students interested in environmental studies.”
Rachel Strassel can be reached at [email protected].
