RADFORD -- Radford University was awarded two A’s, two B’s and an overall C grade by the Sustainable Endowments Institute in its 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, or “Green Report Card,” released last week.

RU earned its highest marks, or A’s, in the Student Involvement and Food & Recycling categories and earned B’s in the Transportation and Administration sections. In Student Involvement, the Green Report Card cited the popularity of RU greenhouses, or sustainable living communities, and the activity of RU’s Environmental Club to educate the campus community about issues related to environmental sustainability and in the Food & Recycling category, RU and its food service provider, Chartwell’s, were graded highly for their composting of pre and post-consumer waste, service of locally-produced food and trayless service policies.

In the Transportation category, RU earned a B for its vehicle-sharing program, expansive shuttle service and fleet of electric and bio-diesel-powered vehicles. The university’s sustainability policies, support of a full-time sustainability and staff and the work of the RU administration and its support of the Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC) merited a superior grade in the Green Report Card’s Administration category.

“The good grades are certainly reflective of the SSC’s dedicated work and the commitment of RU students, faculty, and staff to recognize sustainability as a core institutional value,” said Dr. Dennis Grady, chair of the SSC and dean of the college of Graduate and Professional Studies. “Obviously, though, there is work yet to do to achieve elite status. Fortunately, the scorecard gives us a roadmap to achieve that status.”

The College Sustainability Report Card is the only independent evaluation of campus and endowment sustainability activities at colleges and universities in the United States. Now in its fourth year, it covers more than 300 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Sustainability signifies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Report Card is designed to identify colleges and universities that are leading by example on sustainability.

The Report Card’s grading system seeks to encourage sustainability as a priority in college operations and practices by offering independent yearly assessments of progress. The focus is on policies and practices in nine categories:

• Administration
• Climate Change & Energy
• Food & Recycling
• Green Building
• Student Involvement
• Transportation
• Endowment Transparency
• Investment Priorities
• Shareholder Engagement

For more information on RU’s sustainability activities, visit www.radford.edu/rugreen/ or call RU sustainability coordinator Julio Stephens at (540) 831-7206.