Dartmouth has once again topped the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card, earning an A-, the highest mark awarded, for the third consecutive year. The Sustainable Endowments Institute, which released the list Wednesday, has published the ranking annually since 2006. The Institute grades more than 300 colleges and universities on their commitment to sound environmental practices.
Fourteen other institutions, including Brown University, Columbia University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, also received A- grades. Harvard and Dartmouth are the only institutions to have received the grade three years in a row.
"We're happy to maintain a high ranking in a hard and competitive report," Kathy Lambert '90, the College's sustainability manager, said.
Dartmouth earned an A in six of the nine benchmarks used in the report, excelling in the construction of "green" buildings, the recycling and use of organic foods, student involvement in sustainability efforts and making green financial decisions, such as investing in renewable energy sources.
Lambert was most pleased with the College's recognition for student involvement, she said.
"Dartmouth has a long history of producing leaders in sustainability," Lambert said. "It's just amazing that the students are leading nationally on this issue. Our new Sustainable Living Center is just another example of that."
Dartmouth received a C for sustainability administration, as well as a B for both energy consumption and transportation. Lambert responded that both College President James Wright and the Board of Trustees have shown a commitment to sustainability.
"I don't know what they looked at for administration, but it is a concern, as it shows up as a weakness," Lambert said. "We want to take a look at what we might work on, of course."
In a previous interview with The Dartmouth, Wright said he planned to make sustainability a principal goal for this year, the last year of his administration, describing plans to expand the Dartmouth Organic Farm and to use more organic foods at Dartmouth Dining Services.
The College also plans to use more hybrid vehicles, set benchmarks for recycling and cut energy consumption by 30 percent by 2030, according to the report-card evaluation.
"I think that the $12.5 million in energy upgrades will make the biggest difference in our efforts," Lambert said.
Nationwide, schools improved on this year's report, with an increase in the average grade from C to C+, according to the Institute's web site. Two thirds of the schools evaluated received a higher grade this year than last year, according to the site.
Cornell University and Yale University received a B+ this year, and Princeton University received a B.
"We do have an Ivy League working group on sustainability, and we share resources with each other as well as information on what we're doing on [our] campuses," Lambert said. "I think it's great that other colleges are making a commitment to sustainability. This will make us all more creative and work harder."
