SUMMARY:
Task Force on Environment
President John McCardell urged the creation of Peak Committee Task Forces in 1996, one of which was a Task Force on the Environment. Since the Task Force on the Environment made its recommendations in February 1996, the college community has adjusted in many ways to accommodate the recommendations.
College Investments
Middlebury College investments have steadily increased since 1982. There are not environmental investment guidelines written into policy for the Board of Trustees investments. There are no environmental qualifications written into policy regarding investments contracted out to money managers. Rate of return is the first priority in investments made by Middlebury College.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Make follow-up recommendations from Task Force Report. Given the general success of the College in fulfilling the recommendations of the Peak Committee Task Force on the Environment, follow up recommendations should be made. (See appendix "Review of Recommendations made by Peak Committee Task Force on the Environment")
2. Follow-up on recommendations from "Pathways to A Green Campus." There should be a continuing examination of the Pathways to a Green Campus Report and a determination whether its recommendations have been fulfilled. (See appendix "Review of Major Recommendations from 'Pathways to a Green Campus' Spring 1998")
3. Propose Investment Guidelines. The investment committee might welcome a specific proposal for considering social and environmental factors in the College's investments. This proposal might contain names of specific funds and corporations which are environmentally conscious or environmentally unsound.
4. Collect information on corporations in which the College invests. Annual research into the social and environmental aspects of corporations invested in by the college should be collected.
SOURCES:
Amy Emerson - Office of the Treasurer
COMPILED BY:
Mike DeBlois