IU gets D-plus on sustainability report

Green bottles with the tagline "I Give a Sh*t" have become a common sight on campus.\nThe bottle constitutes a measure to make IU an environmentally sustainable campus, but according to the Sustainable Endowments Institute, IU's list of such measures is not long enough.\nThe institute gave IU a D-plus on its College Sustainability Report Card 2007, released Jan. 24. \nOnly 20 of the 100 schools reviewed received D's.\nThe institute rated the campuses' levels of sustainability -- that is, the schools' policies of more efficiently using energy and conserving natural resources while preserving the environment.\nIU was given a D in the categories of administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling and shareholder engagement. The report card mentions the withdrawal of financial and administrative support to the Council for Environmental Stewardship by the University administration. \n"We never got an answer as to why the council was suspended," said Paul Schneller, adjunct professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. "IU as an institution never considered sustainability an important issue until recently. The council never really enjoyed top-level administrative support."\nDirector of IU Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said Vice President Terry Clapacs is in the middle of forming a sustainability task force. \n"It is essentially a replacement of the Council for Environmental Stewardship," MacIntyre said. "We are looking to have an oversight type of organization on sustainability. Then, the next research building we are planning on campus adopts the (Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design) design standards."\nThe futuristic measures may seem comprehensive, but two initiatives stand out -- the residence halls' recycling program and the "green bottle" project.\n"It is incredible how successful these programs have been," said Steve Akers, associate director for environmental operations at Residential Programs and Services. "We have over 600 containers that collect different materials. As for the Go Green Campaign, over 3,000 bottles have been sold in the last two years."\nAkers was associated with the Council for Environmental Stewardship for two years. He said the various sustainability initiatives on campus are not organized together, which is why not everybody knows what has been happening.\nOthers insist the campus hasn't done enough.\n"Sustainability efforts have not been supported enough at IU, but change should happen soon," Schneller said. \nAdam Newman, the 2006 SPEA student union board director on debates and issues, agreed.\n"I think IU could be doing a lot more to promote sustainability on campus," he said. "I hope the University will strongly consider green building options as it expands the campus, but this is only a small step."\nMacIntyre said it would not be fair to say that IU's sustainability initiatives are limited to dorm programs. \n"Everything we do in terms of construction and operation includes environmental consideration," he said. "We go to a great length to ensure we meet state regulations."\nAkers agreed, saying that had the report accounted for recent developments, IU would have been given a better grade.\n"Private schools received higher marks because their financial statements are open to the public, while ours aren't," Akers said. "I don't think the grading scale was fair for IU. Their research seems to be based on a Web project."\nAccording to the report, data collection for the report took place between July 2006 and January 2007. Sources included each school's Web site, newspaper articles and information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Green Building Council.\nWith student and faculty efforts and administration's support, the grading is sure to improve in the future. \n"The new task force is the next step of evolution, which began with the CFES," Akers said. "With IU receiving a D-plus, we can go nowhere but up"