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How Green is Your Campus? An Analysis of the Factors that Drive Universities to Embrace Sustainability

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  • Sarah L. Stafford

    (Department of Economics, College of William and Mary)

Abstract

I examine the factors that influence the adoption of sustainable practices by institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the U.S. Using data from the Sustainable Endowments Institute, I conduct an ordered probit analysis on 180 IHEs. The results show that size and wealth are significant factors in the adoption of sustainable practices and that stakeholders such as faculty, alumni, and the surrounding community also play an important role. I find no evidence that institutions adopt sustainability to attract students. Also, in contrast to the findings of similar studies on for-profit entities, there is no evidence that regulatory pressures encourage campus sustainability. I also examine the factors that affect the institutions’ decision to sign the Presidents Climate Commitment (PCC), a largely symbolic gesture. The results for the PCC are quite different than those for overall sustainability. Most importantly, neither wealth or size are significant factors in that decision.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah L. Stafford, 2008. "How Green is Your Campus? An Analysis of the Factors that Drive Universities to Embrace Sustainability," Working Papers 77, Department of Economics, College of William and Mary, revised 15 Sep 2010.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwm:wpaper:77
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    File URL: http://economics.wm.edu/wp/cwm_wp77rev1.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustainability; Higher Education; Regulatory Pressures; Stakeholder Influences; Voluntary Practices;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • L30 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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