YSU scores a D in environment

By Harold Gwin

A YSU spokesman questioned the university’s low grade on the report card.

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University rated only a D on its College Sustainability Report Card, according to a national organization looking at college and university use of natural resources.

Sustainability is the use of resources to meet current needs, yet preserving the ability of future generations to tap those resources to meet their needs as well.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute, a nonprofit group located in Cambridge, Mass., rates colleges and universities with endowments of $150 million or more, putting out a report card on how carefully those institutions of higher learning address the issue of sustainability.

It’s the only independent evaluation in campus operations and endowment investments, said Mark Orlowski, executive director, noting that his group had 290 of 300 schools respond to at least one of the three Report Card surveys.

“Many are taking pride in greener campuses and sustainability-savvy investments,” he said.

An A- was the highest grade achieved, and only 15 schools reached that mark. The average for all schools was a C+.

The only state schools reaching the top mark were the University of Colorado, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Vermont and the University of Washington.

YSU questioned its report card grade.

“We’re not sure what they used to determine the grade,” said spokesman Ron Cole.

“We can always do better and we are striving to do better,” he said, but he’s not sure the sustainability survey took into account all that YSU is already doing.

The university’s master plan contains a number of projects that address sustainable use of resources, and YSU was the first university in Ohio to start a food-waste composting program, Cole said.

It was also the first in Ohio to launch a “Dump and Run” program. This allows students, at the end of the school year, to leave behind furniture and other items that the university then donates to local charities, he said.

YSU has earned the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise College/University Program award and has been an annual participant in the national collegiate RecycleMania program for a number of years, he said.

The proposed new Williamson College of Business Administration is planned as a very energy-efficient, sustainable structure, and on that project the university is seeking certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Cole said.

The LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, sets standards for environmentally sustainable and highly energy-efficient construction that is designed to reduce the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improve the health and well-being of occupants.

YSU also has an energy savings program in place, is examining a plan to reuse water for cooling systems and looking at recommendations to address climate change, he said.

Jean Engle, YSU assistant director of marketing and communications, said one of the university’s largest publications, the YSU Magazine, uses recycled paper in its production.

The magazine has a Forest Stewardship Council certification that 30 percent of the paper used in the 60-page, 80,000-copy document is recycled, she said, explaining that certification traces the material from its very origin to final production. A YSU recruitment view book and an admissions search piece have the same certification.

On the issue of endowment investments, C. Reid Schmutz, president of the Youngstown State University Foundation, confirmed that the foundation doesn’t publicize where its endowment funds are invested.

The goal is to maintain objectivity toward investments and keep emotions and personal agendas out of the process, he said. The foundation had assets totaling about $160 million in June.

“Making a commitment to sustainability, ranging from local food sourcing to renewable energy investments, is no longer a priority of only environmentalists,” Orlowski said. “Such innovations are capturing the attention of everyone, from college trustees to admission applicants.” He said 63 percent of 10,300 college applicants recently polled by the Princeton Review said that a college’s commitment to the environment could affect their decision.

gwin@vindy.com