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Northland College joins nationwide launch of $1 billion Green Challenge

October 11, 2011

Northland College joined with 32 other leading higher educational institutions today to launch the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The goal is to invest a cumulative total of one billion dollars in self-managed green revolving funds that finance energy-efficiency upgrades on campus. As part of the Founding Circle, Northland College is one of only two schools in Wisconsin to take the lead in making this commitment.

"By using a combination of existing funding sources, we are able to commit $200,000 per year to our new Northland College Sustainability Revolving Fund," says Michael A. Miller, Northland College President. "These dollars will be invested in energy-savings projects that will offer measurable returns that will, in turn, be re-invested into the fund in order to fund additional new programs. In the coming months, we will involve faculty, staff and students in conversations about exactly what these initial projects should be."

The Challenge is inspired by the performance of existing green revolving funds, which have a median annual return on investment of 32%, according to Greening The Bottom Line, a report published by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Such investments may help create green jobs in campus communities while lowering operating costs.

"We're transforming energy-efficiency upgrades from perceived expenses to high-return investment opportunities," says Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The institute is coordinating The Challenge along with 13 partner organizations. "Northland College should be commended for rising to The Challenge and investing in energy-efficiency improvements on campus."

Northland is among other top schools that have joined the Founding Circle of The Challenge, including Harvard, Stanford, ASU, Caltech, Dartmouth, George Washington, Middlebury, the University of British Columbia and Weber State University.

Guided by a 34-member advisory council, The Billion Dollar Green Challenge offers technical assistance, sharing of best practices, access to an advanced web-based tool for managing green revolving funds and more. The Billion Dollar Green Challenge has received financial support from the David Rockefeller Fund, HOK, John Merck Fund, Kresge Foundation, Merck Family Fund, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Partnership, and the Wallace Global Fund.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute was founded in 2005 as a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The Cambridge-based nonprofit organization has pioneered research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices.