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COMMITMENTS
2015 - UVM
grandfathered signatory
into the Carbon
Commitment, part of
Second Nature’s
Climate Leadership
Commitments.
2013 – President Sullivan commits UVM
to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment
& Rating System (STARS), sponsored by
AASHE.
2012 – Interim President Bramley signs the Real Food
Campus Commitment, supported by student leaders and
faculty in the Food Systems Spire
Goal: 20% reliance on Real Food by 2020
2012 – UVM Trustees established a $13M
Energy Revolving Fund as part of UVM’s
commitments to the Sustainable Endowment
Institute’s Billion Dollar Green Challenge
2010 – Climate Action Plan approved with
ambitious targets
Goal: Climate neutral by 2025 & address
sustainability education through curriculum
integration2007 – Green Building
policy includes
minimum of LEED
Silver or higher,
striving for Gold, for
new construction and
renovations.
2007 – President Fogel
signs UVM on as a Charter
member of American
College & University
President’s Climate
Commitment (ACUPCC)
2006 – President Fogel commits UVM to
active membership in AASHE.
Participate in the national dialogue and
advance systematic improvement
2006 – UVM Energy Policy
revised with
recommendations and support
from the Environmental
Council.
1990 – UVM establishes an Energy
Policy
2005 – President Fogel commits
UVM to a new construction policy
adhering to practices defined by the
US Green Building Council, and
requiring formal commissioning.

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SUSTAINABLE UVM
University Treasurer in fulfilling his/her responsibility as
liaison to the Investment Subcommittee of the Board of
Trustees. The Council considers taking on issues based on
ethical, moral, and socially responsible criteria using the
University's "Our Common Ground" as guidance.
EDUCATION & RESEARCH
The University of Vermont has made great strides in
improving sustainability education opportunities over the
past few years. On March 9, 2015, the Faculty Senate at
UVM approved the General Education requirement in
Sustainability. As of Fall 2015, all newly matriculated
undergraduate students are required to take a course that
satisfies this requirement (for a list of the sustainability
courses offered at UVM, go here.) Due to this requirement,
the number of sustainability-related courses will increase
over time. ENVS 187: Campus Sustainability is a service-
learning course that has been offered at UVM since 2005.
In 2011, the ENVS 187 students piloted the documentation
of the Operations section for AASHE STARS, presenting
their findings to senior leaders at the University. This work
went on to support UVM’s decision to sign on to AASHE
STARS and submit its first report in 2014.
PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
The University’s commitment to sustainability began with
the Environmental Council in 1994, proposed by
Environmental Studies faculty member, Stephanie Kaza.
Over the next few years, the Environmental Council under
the coordination of Gioia Thompson worked with various
environmental programs to create a baseline review of the
environmental impacts in campus operations. The Council
worked on various projects including: the implementation
of a campus environmental internship program, publishing
Greening UVM followed by Tracking UVM (reports
focused on the environmental performance of UVM’s
campus operations), and hosted the first Vermont Campus
Sustainability Network conference.
In 2007, President Fogel signed on to the American
College & University Presidents’ Climate
Commitment, and in 2008 the Environmental Council
dissolved with the establishment of the Office of
Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability’s mission is to
foster sustainable development and promote
environmental responsibility at the University of Vermont
by strategically bridging the academic activities of
teaching, research, and outreach with the operations of the
University.
Since 2008, the Office has worked to educate and involve
the campus community and public on sustainability issues,
track UVM’s campus-wide sustainability performance,
support organizational strategic planning for the
“Environmental University,” and facilitate the
implementation of sustainability related projects and
initiatives.
In 2013, the Socially Responsible Investing Working
Group was dissolved with the Socially Responsible
Investing Advisory Council (SRIAC) taking its place.
SRIAC supports the Vice President for Finance and

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The Real Food Working group, in collaboration with UVM
Dining, is responsible for coordinating the implementation
of this commitment. They identify the opportunities to
incorporate new products that will UVM accomplish its
Real Food goals. The most recent data available shows that
as of Spring 2013, UVM is at 12% real food (see Figure
2). Learn more about the breakdown of real food at UVM
over the years.
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Figure 2: Real Food Percentages by Semester
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UVM has shown leadership in higher education with its
early adoption of green building on campus, including: the
development and implementation of a comprehensive
Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste and Recycling
Management System, and its Green Building policy, which
follows the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in
Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). President
Fogel committed UVM to a new green construction policy
in 2005, which by 2007 included all new buildings meeting
a minimum of LEED Silver or higher. LEED guidelines
address the use of water, materials, energy, and land use,
as well as the quality of indoor air in the built environment.
UVM currently has 12 LEED-certified buildings on
campus, including research laboratories, dormitories, and
the Dudley H. Davis Student Center, the first LEED Gold
certified student center in the U.S. (see Figure 3).
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OPERATIONS
The student initiated Clean Energy Fund (started in 2008)
created co-curricular and academic opportunities around
renewable energy, including the Climate Action Seminar
and Energy Action Seminar lecture series. In 2012, the
CEF funded the Comprehensive Campus Renewable
Energy Feasibility Study. This feasibility study
identified potential areas for renewable energy
installations on campus and how energy generated from
renewables could play a role in UVM’s carbon neutrality
goals.
Figure 1: UVM’s Central Heat Plant with new solar
array installed
The study concluded that solar photovoltaic systems are
the best and optimal opportunity for energy generation
from renewable energy technologies. In addition to the
study and other feasibility studies funded by the CEF, three
solar PV systems were installed on UVM properties
including: seventeen 4 kW solar PV trackers, a 32kW
static electric grid-tied photovoltaic system on the Equine
Center at the Miller Research Farm, and the upgrade &
optimization of a solar array on UVM’s Central Heat Plant.
The CEF has awarded funds to over 40 projects since
2008; check out the projects portfolio.
In 2009, a student sustainability intern
began tracking Real Food using the
Real Food Calculator, which was a
tool developed by the Real Food
Challenge. Interim President Bramley
signed the Real Food Campus
Commitment in 2012, committing
UVM to purchasing 20% real food by
2020 within its dining services.
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Figure 3: Dudley H. Davis Student Center
UVM seeks to reduce the environmental impact from
transportation and has partnered with the Chittenden Area
Transportation Management Association (CATMA) to
provide employees and students at UVM with access to a
comprehensive commuter plan, offering many car/bike
reward programs as well as carpool programs through
UVM’s Transportation and Parking Services. UVM is
recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a
Bicycle Friendly University. Both hybrid electric and
compressed natural gas-powered buses are used for
UVM’s fleet. Two Toyota Prius vehicles are also available
on campus through a partnership with CarShare Vermont.
Along with the incentives offered through the University
and the continuous planning to make campus more
pedestrian and bike-friendly, UVM’s Transportation &
Research Center (TRC) offers interesting educational
opportunities and solutions to reducing the environmental
impact of transportation in Vermont.
In 2012, the University of Vermont became the thirty-
fourth college in the U.S. to commit to the Sustainable
Endowment Institute’s Billion Dollar Green Challenge
with the creation of a $13 million dollar Energy Revolving
Fund. The fund was earmarked to finance energy
efficiency improvements on campus. At the time, it was
the largest fund among the signatories participating in the
challenge.
ENGAGEMENT
Student activism and engagement has been the key driving
force behind the commitments UVM participates in. A few
examples of these include signing of the Real Food
Campus Commitment, AASHE STARS, the creation of
the Clean Energy Fund, and ending the sale of bottled
water on campus. UVM has a large number of clubs and
organizations that are actively engaged on campus and
with the surrounding communities.
grown into a community of undergraduate student leaders
who foster environmental responsibility on campus.
Throughout the academic year, they host a number of
events on-campus and in the residence halls, distribute
information regarding issues of sustainability, and educate
students on the philosophy that by making simple changes
in our lifestyles we can improve our relationship with the
environment.
Other student clubs on campus with a strong emphasis on
environmental issues include the Vermont Student
Environmental Program (VSTEP), Student Environmental
Educators Doing Service (SEEDS), the Renewable Energy
Network (REN), and the Bike Users Group (BUG). Learn
more about student clubs engaged in sustainability on-
campus.
The Eco-Reps Program is
the second oldest college
peer-to-peer education
program in the U.S.
Beginning in 2004 as a
pilot project through the
UVM Recycling Office,
the program has