U Louisville Renovated Engineering Center Earns LEED Gold
The University of Louisville’s (KY) Duthie Center for Engineering has received LEED Gold certification. The renovation of the 34,000-square-foot facility includes energy-saving thermostats, energy-efficient fixtures, new landscaping and parking spots for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. The renovation reused 95 percent of the structure, including the exterior walls, roof decking and the structural floor. Seventy-seven percent of materials that weren’t used during the demolition were recycled. New building materials contain 27 percent recycled content and 31 percent of the materials were produced in the region.
U Missouri, Kansas City Hires Sustainability Coordinator
The University of Missouri, Kansas City's Campus Facilities Management program has named its first full-time sustainability coordinator. Kaye Johnston, a geosciences and public affairs Ph.D. student at the university, will helm campus sustainability efforts. Johnston currently serves as the leader of the university's Sustainability Team.
U New Haven Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold Certification
The University of New Haven’s (CT) Soundview Hall has received LEED Gold certification. The residence hall is equipped with a variable refrigerant-volume heating and cooling system that provides individual temperature control to each suite. Other sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, passive solar design, drought resistant plants and grasses, and stormwater management.
U Toledo Announces Solar Research and Development Partnership
The University of Toledo (OH) has partnered with silicone supplier Dow Corning for discussions on photovoltaic solar research and development efforts to help reduce solar energy costs. The collaboration will offer researchers from both organizations the opportunity to share data and technology, and could include additional universities and businesses in the future.
Wake Forest U Completes Green Residence Hall
Wake Forest University (NC) recently completed its first campus building that was planned, designed and constructed with LEED certification in mind. Sustainable features of the $18 million, 67,000-square-foot residence hall include monitors that show the amount of water and electricity consumed on each of the four floors, passive solar design and energy-efficient windows. South Hall will open to students this fall.
Yale U Develops Green Incentive Program
Yale University (CT) has developed a set of Green Certification programs for campus workplaces, labs and events. The program is designed to educate faculty and staff about the sustainable practices they can implement to reduce the university’s impact on the environment. A blend of information and incentives, the program offers four levels of certification. Workplaces, for example, can attain the various levels of certification by accumulating points that are awarded through the accomplishment of ongoing, monthly activities.
California IT Receives Grant for Energy Innovation Hub
California Institute of Technology will receive up to $122 million over the next five years from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish an Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing methods to generate fuels directly from the sunlight. A multidisciplinary team of scientists will work at the DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to develop an integrated solar energy-to-chemical fuel conversion system and move the system from the discovery phase to a scale where it can be commercialized.
Colorado State U Initiates Green Walking Tour
Colorado State University has created the self-guided Green University Walking Tour. The tour of its Fort Collins campus takes students, staff and visitors to more than a dozen locations that have been essential in the school’s sustainability efforts including the LEED Silver-certified Guggenheim classroom building and the School of Global Environmental Sustainability.
Emory U's Oxford College Uses Solar Electricity for Irrigation
Emory University's Oxford College (GA) uses solar-produced electricity to irrigate its demonstration organic garden. Through the recent installation of solar panels on Haygood Residence Hall, the solar electricity powers a water pump that irrigates the garden with rainwater collected from the residence hall roof. When the pump is not in use, the electricity is sent to the grid. The amount of electricity produced is monitored online and, between January and June 2010, the panels produced enough electricity to power 32 homes for one day.
Illinois Valley CC Receives Grant for Green Job Training
Illinois Valley Community College has been awarded a $560,000 grant to train technicians for jobs in the alternative energy industry. The three-year grant from the National Science Foundation will assist with the launch of a wind energy technician program this fall. Later phases of the grant will focus on programs for technicians in other renewable energy industries.
John Tyler CC Science Building Earns LEED Silver
John Tyler Community College’s (VA) new science building has been awarded LEED Silver certification. The 60,000-square-foot building features a green roof, low VOC-emitting building materials and bike racks. Showers and changing rooms are available for those wishing to use alternative transportation.
Middlebury College Uses Compost for Organic Maintenance
Middlebury College (VT) has started spreading compost on its natural-grass athletic fields to transition those grounds to organic maintenance practices. The college composts 10,000 pounds of food waste from its dining halls and residential houses annually, measuring to 1,500 cubic yards of compost.
Monroe County CC to Build Solar Installation
Monroe County Community College (MI) has partnered with Detroit Edison to install a 500-kilowatt photovoltaic system as part of a 20-year renewable energy agreement. The solar system will be owned, installed, operated and maintained by Detroit Edison. The college will use the system for alternative energy demonstration, education and instruction.
North Carolina Institutions Receive Grants to Train Green Interns
The North Carolina Energy Office has distributed $5.6 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to create an internship program that will employ 400 North Carolina students training in green energy-related fields. North Carolina State University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University will receive grants.
North Carolina State U Centennial Campus to Feature Green Grid
North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus has completed construction on the 72,000-square-foot Keystone Science Center. Among its tenants is the National Science Foundation-sponsored FREEDM Center, which plans to create a one-megawatt green grid to showcase solar, wind, fuel cell, battery storage, flywheel storage and plug-in vehicles. Researchers will test and evaluate how the different components work together in a distributed electrical system.
Texas Tech U Receives Grant for Renewable Energy Institute
Texas Tech University and the National Institute for Renewable Energy have received $8.4 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund to create a renewable energy institute. The university and its wind research organizations will receive $6.4 million of the award. Initial research will look at further decreasing the cost of wind energy and other renewable energy sources, and developing energy storage technologies.
U Alberta Hires New Academic Coord for Office of Sustainability
Dr. Susan Barker has been named as the new academic coordinator for the University of Alberta's (AB) Office of Sustainability. The academic branch encourages sustainable concepts in classes, curriculum and research. Barker, whose research interests include ecological and environmental education, is currently the university's chair of Secondary Education and serves on the Canadian National Expert Council for Education for Sustainable Development.
U Chicago Utilizes Dorm Open Space
The University of Chicago (IL) has announced plans to create student-maintained gardens with available land space outside dormitories. The "Uncommon Garden Project" will encourage dorm residents to plant, cultivate and harvest their own fruits, vegetables and herbs just outside their kitchens. With support from the Uncommon Fund, start-up costs will be provided along with the education needed to maintain the gardens. A Web page found on the Geophysical Science department website will feature updates, photos and garden announcements.
U Illinois at Chicago Installs Green and White Roofs
The University of Illinois at Chicago has installed green and white roofs. Funded by federal stimulus grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the green roofs' vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and the heat in the summer to provide extra insulation year-round. The university is also applying white acrylic coating on several campus roofs. The lighter paneling absorbs less heat and reduces the amount of energy needed to cool the building.
U Nevada Reno Creates Energy Management Certificate
The University of Nevada, Reno will offer a new Energy Management Certificate program in the fall. The 10-session certificate offered by the university's Extended Studies will examine the essentials of building-energy management technologies, regulatory compliance issues and increasing efficiency and return on investment. The courses are designed for building and facility/plant managers, construction planners, engineers, maintenance personnel and others interested in energy resources.
U New Haven Announces Undergraduate Sustainability Program
The University of New Haven (CT) has developed a Bachelor of Science sustainability studies program to debut this fall. The interdisciplinary program is designed to help prepare students for careers in the green job market with the application of sustainability principles and practices in a variety of professional positions in industry, government and academia.
U South Florida Global Sustainability School Names First Director
The University of South Florida has named Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy as director of the university's new School of Global Sustainability. The former chair professor of water engineering at the University of Birmingham (UK) and chair professor of sustainable urban water infrastructure systems for UNESCO-IHE's Institute of Water Education will begin his new assignment in the fall with the inaugural class of 25 students. The School of Global Sustainability is an interdisciplinary effort to prepare graduate students for a new generation of "green collar" careers. The first degree program offered by the school is a global sustainability master's degree with a focus on water management.
U Texas Athletics Creates Renewable Energy Service
The University of Texas Men's & Women's Athletics program has formed a new partnership with Dallas-based Branded Retail Energy Co. to offer a 100 percent renewable energy service to alumni and those in deregulated regions of Texas. Texas Longhorns Energy will be powered by electricity provider Champion Energy Services, with each new customer account generating funds for sustainability efforts within the university's Athletics department. The service will launch in mid-August with rates comparable to current renewable energy market rates.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh, Elon U Launch Social Network Carpool Service
In separate partnerships, Elon University (NC) and the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh have joined with the San Francisco-based company, Zimride, to launch a campus social network for carpooling. The company created a Facebook-integrated platform to help its users share commutes or one-time rides. Faculty, staff and students at Elon University and the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh will help to reduce campus traffic and parking congestion by finding others with similar commuting patterns using the website.
Vanderbilt U Improves Student Move-In Day Recycling Efforts
As students return to Vanderbilt University (TN) in the fall, the university will offer plastic film recycling in addition to the cardboard and plastic foam recycling offered previously. Last year, two 26-foot trucks were filled with plastic foam and 7.5 tons of cardboard were recycled. To help divert water bottles from the landfills, the university will also provide 12 water cooler filling stations instead of handing out water bottles.
Wisconsin Lutheran College Installs Solar Panels
Wisconsin Lutheran College has installed 60 solar panels on the roof of the campus library. Students and the community can visit a kiosk in the library to learn more about the panels and track the amount of energy being produced on campus. The college received a $35,080 grant from renewable energy adviser Focus on Energy to help offset the cost of the system.
American U Sharjah Offers Green Building/LEED Prep Course
American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) is offering a new course in green building/LEED AP preparation. Students receive an introduction to concepts of sustainable, high-performance green buildings, as well as the methods for design, construction and evaluation. An emphasis is placed on the review of LEED Rating System fundamentals and relevant LEED certification processes. The course will also provide information about the tools and technical expertise needed to take the LEED credentials and LEED Accredited Professional for Building Design and Construction exams.
American U Sharjah Students Test Vehicle Emissions
Environmental sciences students at American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) recently conducted vehicle emissions testing for air quality as a public service. The initiative was designed to increase student awareness about their vehicles and the types of pollution they cause. The vehicles received unofficial testing of toxic gases such as VOCS, CO and C3.
American U Sharjah Students Win DuPont Eco Challenge
Students at American University of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) recently took top prize in the DuPont Bright Ideas Eco Challenge for their project titled "Rid the Environment of Waste Rubber." The award aimed to increase awareness about environmental disasters and concerns and help facilitate possible solutions. With their project titled "Generating Electricity Using Quartz Crystal Electric Technology," another group of American University of Sharjah students earned third place in the competition.
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Other News
Bournville College to Debut Green Campus
Bournville College (UK) will unveil a new environmentally friendly campus in September 2011. Able to house up to 15,000 students, the campus is designed to achieve the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method Excellent rating. Sustainable campus features will include rainwater harvesting, exposed concrete soffits to absorb heat during the day and release heat at night, a transportation plan that utilizes the local railway and bus stations, and a waste recycling plan. Future plans will connect buildings to a district heating system.
Curtin U Purchases Renewable Energy Credits
Curtin University (Australia) has purchased 15 percent of the electricity for its Bentley campus through an accredited Green Power product. The electricity will be culled from Australian wind, solar and biomass sources. Green Power is a federal government accreditation program for renewable energy.
Curtin U Technology Installs Solar Panels in Rural Community
Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Malaysia's Project Care recently completed the installation of solar panels in the cultural center of Malaysian rural community Long Makabar. Project Care, a university community outreach program, spent the last two years raising funds for the project. The village has no permanent electricity supply and is looking at solar energy as a sustainable and affordable energy source.
Hadassah College Jerusalem Certified 'Green' Campus
Hadassah College Jerusalem has received a green campus certification from the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection as part of a nationwide effort in Israel to promote environmental initiatives by recognizing green practices at academic institutions. Among the sustainable efforts at the college is the reduction of chemicals and increase of environmentally friendly materials in laboratories; regular recycling of paper, plastic bottles and batteries; and the installation of 'light pipes' that transmit natural light from outside. The college also offers a full scholarship to all environmental health sciences freshman with the requirement to engage in environmental community projects throughout Jerusalem.
Iceland Students Win Global Energy Student Competition
Two graduates of the School for Renewable Energy Science (Iceland) are the recent winners of the global student competition at the 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference. The International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy's (IPHE) contest was designed to increase student awareness and knowledge of hydrogen and fuel cells. The winning theses are titled "Wind Power-Fuel Cell Hybrid Systems: Optimization of Electricity Production" and "Fuel Cell Battery Hybrid System: Test of Ejectors for Anode Recirculation Loop."
Keele U to Convert Farmhouse Into Sustainability Hub
Keele University (UK) has announced plans to renovate a crumbling 19th Century farmhouse into the university's Sustainability Hub Building. Renovations will aim to create a sustainable initiatives research and educational complex that is completely energy-efficient. Diverse local energy sources are expected to power the hub including wind turbines and geothermal energy.
Macquarie U Wins Green Globe Award
Macquarie University (Australia) recently won a Green Globe Award from the New South Wales government, which celebrates sustainable uses of natural resources and leadership in tackling climate change. The university's blueprint for sustainability received a Public Sector Sustainability Award in the category of people, plant and participation. In addition to operating as a fair trade campus, the university's sustainability initiatives include a recycling program that uses 100 percent recycled paper and diverts 70 percent of its waste from landfills; green cleaning, IT and e-waste policies; and a sustainability website, committee and campus tours.
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Other News
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan U Collects Sustainable Living Data
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's (South Africa) Georgia campus has begun a campus project to collect data on sustainable living compared to that of conventional households. The university launched the Green Campus Initiative to compare three houses equipped with solar energy geysers and rainwater harvesting systems to a sample of identical houses utilizing conventional systems. Student homes were equipped with solar panels for heating water and simple mechanisms to ensure sustainable use of water. Two groups of students living in each type of house are monitoring and comparing daily energy and household water consumption. The research will be used to raise awareness about energy consumption and the campus hopes the results will help develop a practical model that can be applied to other institutions.
NY Times Features Masdar Institute for Science and Technology
The New York Times recently featured the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology (Abu Dhabi). The school is the centerpiece of a $22 billion research park outside of Abu Dhabi, says the article, and was created to further Abu Dhabi's plan to transform itself from a resource-based economy to one rooted in the knowledge and service sectors. The school's vision is to become a world leader in energy and sustainability research. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has signed on to consult through 2012, helping to develop the school's academic and research programs; recruiting, interviewing and recommending all faculty hires; drafting the terms and conditions of employment; and helping to select the first class of students. The school will launch its doctoral program this fall.
Palestine Polytechnic U Students Build Solar Car
With limited funds and resources, engineering students at Palestine Polytechnic University have built a solar car from scratch. The car's electric engine is fed by a battery that stores energy harnessed from roof-mounted reflective solar panels. The students were part of a university project to develop renewable energy sources to replace diesel and petrol. The university hopes that the project will attract funding to enable further development.
Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman U Installs Bldg Control System
Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia) has announced plans to implement a building control system from ABB engineering company that will allow automatic and remote control of lighting and shading through one single interface. This technology is expected to yield campus energy savings of up to 40 percent.
SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School Starts Green Education Program
SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School (Hong Kong) has launched the Green Program to provide students with hands-on sustainable initiatives experience. Students in the program have created a demonstration mobile solar power station to educate countryside villagers about solar power. Also initiated by the program was the installation of a campus green roof and a rainwater harvesting system.
U Adelaide Building Receives Green Star Design Rating
The University of Adelaide's (Australia) new Innova21 building has received the Green Building Council of Australia's 6 Star Green Star Design – Education v1 environmental rating. The nine-level Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences facility features active slab technology (hydronic cooling loops within the concrete floor) combined with an underground air distribution system that utilizes 100 percent fresh air ventilation. Rainwater is collected through an underground rainwater harvesting system and stored for use in the building’s cooling towers for toilet flushing and irrigation. The building also features a Building Management System to reduce energy consumption.
U Bristol, U Birmingham Students Tie in Energy Challenge
A team of students from the University of Bristol (UK) and the University of Birmingham (UK) tied for first place in a United Kingdom energy challenge. Sponsored by energy company RWE npower, the challenge asked students how a power generation and supply company should respond to climate change. Students were to consider affordability, sustainability, public perception, customer retention and supply security. The Bristol team's solution included developing more renewable energy and a fixed price green energy tariff. Birmingham students proposed hydropower to cope with peaks in demand.
U New South Wales Announces Electric Car Fleet
The University of New South Wales (Australia) has committed to an electric vehicle fleet as part of a research and infrastructure agreement. Electric vehicle provider, Better Place, will provide charge spots and additional services to support the fleet in a new solar precinct to be established by the university. The university will also begin research to investigate the impact that charging significant numbers of electric cars will have on Australia’s power grid. New solar panel arrays will generate most of the energy needed for an electrical vehicle fleet.
U New South Wales Sustainable Binding Concept Earns Grand Prize
Students at the University of New South Wales (Australia) are the winners of the inaugural Staples Global EcoEasy Challenge, a search among universities around the world to find the next green office product. The students were awarded the $25,000 grand prize for their Binder Interlock Neat Device (BIND) concept, a tie-and-ring system for organizing documents. The BIND's locking mechanism provides a reusable alternative to products like binders, paper clips and cable ties. In second and third place were students at the University of California, Berkeley and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras for the Eco-Stapler and Step Shredder (a manual shredder that eliminates the need for electricity), respectively.
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Other News
U Pretoria Creates Permaculture Garden
The University of Pretoria's (South Africa) Gordon Institute of Business Science has unveiled a permaculture food garden. Designed with the help of Food and Trees for Africa, the garden's utilization of urban space is a sustainable development initiative aimed at promoting corporate greening, food security and poverty alleviation. The garden is planted with a variety of organic vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, fruit trees and perennials.
U Queensland Awarded $6.5 Mil for Algae Aviation Fuel Research
The University of Queensland (Australia) has been awarded nearly $6.5 million in state government funding for research that aims to produce aviation fuel from algae. The aviation biofuel research is backed by Boeing and Virgin Blue airlines and will be spearheaded by the university's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
U Queensland Installs Solar Facility
The University of Queensland (Australia) has partnered with solar company Ingenero to develop and install a flat panel solar facility. Projects will include rooftop installation and a ground-mounted solar array. The combination will provide clean energy to the university as well as a training and research platform. The 1.2-megawatt solar system will spread across four rooftops.
U Western Sydney Debuts Sustainability Fund
The University of Western Sydney (Australia) recently launched its Sustainable Rolling Fund (SURF) program. Modeled on the Harvard Green Campus Loan fund, the program provides upfront financing to staff and students for sustainability projects that reduce environmental impacts and have quantifiable returns. By encouraging investment in energy and water-efficient installations, waste reduction, renewable energy and sustainable transportation, the program aims to foster sustainable design and environmental initiatives within the campus community.
U Western Sydney Launches Sustainability Website
The University of Western Sydney (Australia) has launched a sustainability website. To help further its sustainability focus, the website provides information about the university's sustainability initiatives in the areas of energy, buildings, transportation, recycling and waste, research, water and curriculum. The university has also been commissioned by the Australian government to provide a comprehensive resource for the variety of ways that issues of social, economic and environmental sustainability are being addressed in higher education curriculum. Together with the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the university will launch a website in November that maps current sustainability initiatives and encourages the sharing of resources and best practices.
