The College of Business and Economics (COBE) at Boise State recently published the 2016 COBE Sustainability Report. The Responsible Business Initiative is excited to share the findings of the 2016 COBE Sustainability Report through the use of videos highlighting the student reporting process, the key improvement areas, transportation, and waste management.
The 2016 COBE Sustainability Report Executive Summary is available to read below as well.
This report, the second COBE Sustainability Report, was once again researched, written, and produced by 13 graduate and undergraduate students. The students were challenged to develop a responsible business lens by delving into the economic, social, and environmental material issues impacting the College of Business and Economics.
Through their experience on the report, students understand the impact sustainability reporting can have in their educational environment. An example of this is demonstrated by the increased usage of recycled paper content at COBE. In 2015 COBE increased the amount of recycled paper from 0% to 40% paving the way for future progress and delivering real results.
https://youtu.be/jBErLlQ0VTg
At this point in time, data tracking methods to measure the usage of  alternate transportation for students, faculty and staff are only available at the university level. If the college wishes to calculate total greenhouse emissions in the future, identifying how students and employees are commuting is essential, given that transportation will comprise a large part of this metric. Currently, the college and wider university have a number of programs set in place to encourage more eco-friendly methods of transportation; and progress is being made to better track alternative transportation.
Creating the sustainability report demonstrated the importance COBE stakeholders place on measuring waste. Without knowing how much waste COBE produces, it is challenging to scale back or set goals in reducing the waste generated. Analyzing key areas where COBE is currently lacking allows students to develop innovative methods to close reporting gaps in the future and create real change in the waste management structure.