| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.82 |
| Liaison | Ryan Ihrke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Green Mountain College
PA-8: Committee on Investor Responsibility
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Ryan
Ihrke Director of Sustainability Sustainability |
Does the institution have a formally established and active committee on investor responsibility (CIR) that makes recommendations to fund decision-makers on socially and environmentally responsible investment opportunities across asset classes?:
The charter or mission statement of the CIR or other body which reflects social and environmental concerns or a brief description of how the CIR is tasked to address social and environmental concerns:
Formed in spring 2010, the Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee (SRIAC) recommended that the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees approve an initial investment equal to 10% of GMC's current endowment portfolio in a socially responsible investment fund. The Board approved this investment and added an additional 5% the following year. The committee reviews our holdings with our bank on a regular basis to ensure our holdings match the socially responsible criteria required by the College.
The SRIAC committee charge is as follows:
Review the College’s investment portfolio and provide recommendations regarding socially responsible investment initiatives to the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees.
The SRIAC is chaired by the chief financial officer of the College and consists of up to two well-qualified students appointed by student senate and one faculty member appointed by the FCEB and approved by the provost.
The committee meets to perform tasks such as reviewing quarterly returns from the investment portfolio and changes in the portfolio. On the basis of these reviews, they make recommendations to the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees for action. These recommendations may relate to proxy voting, increased transparency of the portfolio, divestment of certain securities, or positive and negative screening of investments.
The SRIAC's objective is to assist the College in making investment decisions that reflect its environmental mission. In the case that SRI returns are not equal to or exceed non-SRI returns, alternative SRI funds are suggested.
The SRIAC's deliberations are guided in part by best practices in socially responsible investing, as identified by the Sustainable Endowments Institute and AASHE’s sustainability tracking and rating system’s investment section. The recommendations are made public knowledge through the College newspaper, presentations, or a branch of the College website.
Does the CIR include staff representation?:
Does the CIR include faculty representation?:
Does the CIR include student representation?:
Members of the CIR, including affiliations and role (e.g. student, faculty, staff, alumni):
Tom Mauhs Pugh, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost
Frank Pauzé, Professor of Business and Economics, Director of the Resort and Hospitality Management Program
Jim Harding, Professor of Natural Resources Management
Ryan Ihrke, Director of Sustainability (Acting Chair)
Todd Walker, Board of Trustee
Peter Kinder, Board of Trustee
Katelyn Mann, Student
Merone Eckert, Student
Examples of CIR actions during the previous three years:
Green Mountain College successfully completed their divestment of fossil fuel holdings in the fall of 2015 following the Board of Trustees commitment to divest in 2013. The College uses the Carbon Underground 200 compiled by Fossil Free Indexes, the criteria suggested by 350.org, as a negative screen against fossil fuel companies. The SRIAC has regular conversations with the College’s portfolio manager to ensure the fossil fuel divestment commitment is maintained and offers additional recommendations of SRI funds to evaluate for inclusion within the College’s investment holdings.
In October 2015, Green Mountain College hosted the Vermont Campus Sustainability Network annual meeting focusing on responsible investing. Members of the committee coordinated the content with a focus on responsible investing, general, positive and negative screening, fossil fuel divestment, Environmental Social Governance Policies.
The SRIAC committee is currently leading the effort in drafting an environmental social governance policy for the College’s holdings.
The campus sustainability council is responsible for managing the College’s green revolving loan fund. In August 2016 the investment project implemented was a LED light retrofit, replacing all corridor lights in a residence hall with an expected payback of approximately 3 years.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The performance year for this credit is FY 2017.
The performance year for this credit is FY 2017.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.