The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Greening the Bottom Line’

UVM is one of the schools leading the way in the green movement, according to a report released this month by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. “Greening the Bottom Line: The Trend toward Green Revolving Funds on Campus” was the first survey ever conducted about Green Revolving Funds in higher education, an e-mail from Mark Orlowski, founder and executive director of the Stainable Endowments Institute, stated. “Green Revolving Funds, or GRFs for short, invest in energy efficiency upgrades and projects that decrease resource use, thereby lowering operating expenses,” the report stated. “These savings are returned to the fund and then reinvested in additional projects.” Vermont’s Clean Energy Fund has an endowment of $180,000 and was established in 1992, according to the report. In total, there are 52 GRFs representing schools from 25 states. UVM is one of 24 other public institutions represented, according to the report. Out of all the schools, only five others had created their funds before 2004, the report stated. UVM’s fund is just above the median fund size of $170,000, the report said. The average size of all the GRFs is $1.4 million, the report stated. The Sustainable Endowments Institute is based in Cambridge, Mass. and is a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.  

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Greening the Bottom Line’