Loyola U Chicago to Pilot Shuttle Service for Faculty and Staff
Loyola University, Chicago (IL) has announced plans to pilot a new shuttle service for faculty and staff members who commute to and from the Rogers Park Metra Station and the Lake Shore Campus. The pilot program will gauge faculty and staff need for low-carbon transportation options between the station and campus using a biodiesel van.
Metropolitan CC Campus Building Receives LEED Silver
Metropolitan Community College (NE) has received LEED Silver certification for its new South Omaha Campus Connector Building. The $17 million Connector Building, completed in 2007, reused an industrial brownfield site and features white roofing materials, recycled and local construction materials, an indoor environmental air quality monitoring system, and ozone-friendly refrigerants.
Middlebury College Announces Building Dashboard
Middlebury College (VT) has installed a Building Dashboard touch screen system in its Franklin Environmental Center. The system allows people to monitor, visualize, and contextualize resource use in real time. The dashboard, which is also available online, features animated graphs and the ability to convert data to miles driven in a car or number of hours a laptop is left running.
North Carolina State U Student Wins Green Car Design Contest
A North Carolina State University graduate student has won the 2010 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas (SEMA) Urban Concept Car Competition with an eco-friendly concept car designed for a class project. The industrial design student’s car will be constructed and displayed at the SEMA event which showcases fuel-efficient futuristic vehicles designed by high school and college students from across the country.
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Posted Mar 15, 2010
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Other News
Rochester Inst of Tech Awarded Library Energy Reduction Grant
The Image Permanence Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) has received a $580,174 grant for a major research project dealing with sustainable preservation practices in libraries. Many libraries maintain tightly controlled, energy-intensive environments for their stacks, special collections and exhibition spaces. For budgetary reasons and concerns about global climate change, libraries are searching for ways to responsibly and safely lower energy consumption. This project will investigate a promising method for libraries to achieve significant reductions in energy use without compromising the preservation quality of collection environments through a carefully monitored and risk-managed shutdown of air handling units during unoccupied hours. RIT will partner with libraries at Yale University (CT); University of California, Los Angeles; and Cornell University (NY); as well as the Birmingham Public Library and the New York Public Library.
Texas A&M U Students Vote for Green Fee
Texas A&M University students have voted to impose a $3 per semester student fee in order to support environmental services on campus. The fee will create the "Aggie Green Fund" and will generate $300,000 annually to carry out sustainability initiatives. This comes a year after the Texas state legislature approved a measure allowing students to implement student-driven fees.
U Albany to Install 49 kW Solar Panel System, Purchases RECs
The University at Albany has received more than $287,000 in federal stimulus money to fund the installation of a 49-kilowatt solar panel system on a campus building. The project is expected to save approximately $63,000 a year. The University also purchased Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and carbon offsets. The institution purchased 800,000 kilowatt hours of wind energy with the RECs, which will help support wind farms in New York State.
U California Berkeley Commuters Connect Online
University of California, Berkeley has partnered with Zimride, a web-based ride-sharing service, where students can join and link with other commuters in their area to come to campus. Students can post mini-profiles of themselves, including a photo, and also connect to Facebook.
U California Riverside Brings Car-Share Program to Campus
University of California, Riverside has partnered with Zipcar, Inc. to bring four Zipcars to campus. The car-sharing initiative will allow students, faculty, and staff to join the program to be able to use the cars for their needs. The University hopes to reduce air pollution and traffic on campus through the new program.
U California Santa Barbara Receives Bike-Friendly Business Award
The University of California, Santa Barbara has been named a Bicycle Friendly Business Gold Award winner by the League of American Bicyclists. UCSB is among 51 new Bicycle Friendly Businesses announced at the 10th National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. in early March. According to a statement by the League of American Bicyclists, UCSB serves as an example for best practices and innovations in bicycle friendliness at the workplace. UCSB estimates that 49 percent of students and 9 percent of faculty and staff commute by bicycle. UCSB also features seven miles of Class I bicycle paths, more than 10,000 secure bicycle parking spaces in bicycle racks, 40 secure bicycle lockers, six bicycle roundabouts, and free showers for bicycle commuters.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Passes Student Green Fee
Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have passed a referendum that proposed increasing the current student green fee from $5 to $14. The first fee was implemented in the spring of 2007. One of the current programs that will continue to benefit from the newly-increased fee is the student sustainable farm, which sells produce to the university’s dining halls. The farm is relatively new, celebrating its first full harvest year. The increased fee will help plant new seeds for future farm projects.
U Michigan Launches Sustainability Scholars Program
The University of Michigan Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute has launched the Undergraduate Sustainability Scholars Program. Each year, the program will accept 25 high-performing undergraduate students, who will pursue a 10-credit series of interdisciplinary courses focused on sustainability. After successful completion of the program, students will receive a “Sustainability Scholars” certificate from the Graham Institute to acknowledge their achievement. Upon graduation, they also will receive a special notation on their U-M transcripts designating this scholastic accomplishment. U-M students apply to the program during their sophomore year for participation beginning in their junior year.
U Minnesota Morris Receives Grant for Green Curriculum
The Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace–Alliance for Talent Development (MNREM) initiative has awarded the University of Minnesota, Morris an $85,000 grant to deliver and expand curriculum in biomass gasification technology. As a result, the institution will offer an intensive three-week course to undergraduates and working adults.
Unity College to Hold Green Commencement
Unity College (ME) has announced plans to hold a green commencement again this year. New environmentally-friendly features of the presentation will include e-invitations, composting, 100 percent post-consumer recycled diplomas, a limited number of printed programs, eco-friendly plaques, and caps and gowns made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
U Rochester Biodiesel Project Wins National Award
The University of Rochester (NY) has been awarded the "Excellence in Innovations for Sustainability Award" by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). The national award recognized the University's UR Biodiesel program that converts old fryer oil from dining services into biodiesel. The program produces about 30 gallons of biodiesel a week and uses it in a number of campus vehicles, including a shuttle.
Washington & Jefferson College to Educate Needy Students
Washington & Jefferson College (PA) has signed on to the Youth Engaged Service (YES) Prep School IMPACT Partnership program, which aims to guide economically disadvantaged children to college and beyond. The student population at Yes Prep schools which are based in Houston, Texas, is approximately 90 percent first-generation college bound, 80 percent economically disadvantaged, and 95 percent Hispanic or African American. Campuses in the IMPACT Partnership program commit to helping with college expenses through scholarships, work study programs, and small student loans. W&J will host six students from YES Prep schools this fall.
3 Institutions Receive Tree Campus USA Recognition
Moraine Valley Community College (IL); the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith; and Auburn University (AL) have each been recognized as a 2009 Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for the second year in a row for their dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. Each campus met five required core standards of tree care and community engagement in 2009. Those requirements included the establishment of a campus tree advisory committee; evidence of a campus tree-care plan; verification of dedicated annual expenditures on the campus tree-care plan; involvement in an Arbor Day observance; and the institution of a service-learning project aimed at engaging the student body.
6 Campuses Receive Presidential Recognition for Community Service
Six colleges and universities have been named as Presidential Awardees in the 2009 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which administers the annual Honor Roll award, recognized more than 700 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from poverty and homelessness to environmental justice. In 2009, 3.16 million students performed more than 300 million hours of service. The awardees include: Lee University (TN); Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Emory & Henry College (VA); Raritan Valley Community College (NJ); and Willamette University (OR).
Bowdoin College Student Visualizes Carbon Emissions with Art
A senior at Bowdoin College (ME) has illustrated what one ton of carbon emissions looks like in a new installation in a student lounge. Madelyn Sullivan roped off a cube with 27 foot sides that goes from the ceiling to the floor and across the lounge to show students the size of one ton of carbon emissions. The installation also provides educational information on the amount of CO2 emissions that an average U.S. citizen emits every two weeks and that Bowdoin College emits each year.
Campus Presidents Sign Global Sustainability Commitment
25 global university presidents have signed the International Campus Sustainability Network's Sustainable Campus Charter, which commits signatories to campus-wide principles and measurable goals for sustainable development, construction, and operations. In addition, the universities involved have committed to incorporating the study of sustainability principles and practice into their educational offerings. U.S. signatories include: Columbia University (NY); The Johns Hopkins University (MD); Georgetown University (DC); University of Pennsylvania; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Chicago (IL); Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (MA); Harvard University (MA); Stanford University (CA); Yale University (CT); and Brown University (RI).
Central College Receives Kresge Grant for Green Building
Central College (UA) has met a Kresge Foundation’s challenge to raise $3.59 million for its education and psychology building, which opened in August and has received LEED Platinum certification. By reaching its fundraising goal, the foundation provided an additional $850,000 in grant money. The structure is home to Central's new Center for Global Sustainability Education.
Central Florida U Debuts Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Central Florida University has partnered with Ford Motor Company and Progressive Energy to host the state's first Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on its campus. The University's Smart Solar Plug-in Research Facility includes parking spaces for four electric-powered vehicles where solar panels above the spaces can recharge vehicles. The vehicle can achieve up to 120 miles per gallon and will be tested in Florida.
College of William & Mary Begins Sustainability Campaign
The College of William and Mary (VA) has launched the "Do One Thing for Sustainability" (DOT) initiative in which students can claim one thing they will do for the environment. This claim can be made on Facebook, on paper, or through a video. The campus art department plans to assemble an installation from all of the paper commitments that will be displayed in the campus library, and videos will be placed on YouTube.
Colorado & Dickinson Colleges Launch Sustainability Virtual Tours
Colorado College and Dickinson College (PA) have each launched sustainability virtual tours. Colorado College created a single location to view its on-campus sustainability initiatives. The Campus Sustainability Virtual Tour guides visitors through numerous locations showcasing what the College has accomplished as stewards of the environment. Examples include the College's composting efforts and the pervious paving project. The online sustainability tour, which took about three months to create, develop, and post, is aimed at multiple audiences: the campus community, alumni, prospective students, and community members. Dickinson College posted four thematic tours, one of which focuses on its sustainability initiatives. The tour covers green buildings, natural landscaping, student leadership, energy and waste, research and education, college farm, and green living. The tour aims to increase involvement and awareness on incorporating sustainability into college life.
Colorado State U Named Lead Institution of Sustainability Network
Colorado State University has been named the lead institution in the newly formed Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network. The Network, which was funded by a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, aims to provide undergraduates with experience-based learning opportunities in the sciences and sustainability. Other universities in the Network include University of Wyoming, University of Montana, Utah State University, University of Arizona, Texas A&M University, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Colorado-Denver, and Metropolitan State University (MN). AASHE is also a part of the Network.
Council of Ontario Universities Announces Research Chairs
The Council of Ontario Universities has announced three research chairs in environmental science. The Ontario Research Chair in Renewable Energy Technologies and Health has been awarded to the University of Waterloo and its candidate, Dr. Siva Sivoththaman. The two Ontario Research Chairs in Green Chemistry and Engineering have been awarded to Queen's University and its candidate, Dr. Michael Cunningham, and to Trent University and its candidate, Dr. Suresh Narine. Dr. Sivoththaman will bring focus to multi-disciplinary activities in renewable energy technologies and health, ensuring that health and safety are top priorities in the induction of new technologies. His research program will develop new technical approaches and will provide guidelines in setting standards to ensure health and safety in the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life phases of renewable energy technologies. Dr. Cunningham's research interests are in polymer science, with a focus on replacing environmentally harmful processes that employ organic solvents with more environmentally benign water-based processes that do not use solvents. His research will exploit newly discovered materials that can "switch" their properties and the latest chemistry techniques to control polymer product properties, using manufacturing methods that minimize environmental impact. Dr. Narine will focus on the use of natural oils to develop new high-value, high-performance, and toxic free/neutral chemicals, materials, and polymers.
Davis & Elkins College Starts Recycling Program
Davis & Elkins College (WV) has started a recycling program in campus dorms. The program was formed by the student group “GreenWorks!” and the Center for Sustainability Studies. The two groups helped to assemble recycling bins to be placed in the campus' four dorms.
Emory U Adopts Idling Reducing Policy
Emory University (GA) has partnered with the Clean Air Campaign to adopt its first Idling Reduction Policy. The policy will restrict idling in situations such as deliveries and will ensure that cars are turned off when parked. The University hopes the new initiative will help to reduce air pollution on campus and in the surrounding community.
Hamilton College Students Help Build Green Homes
Hamilton College's (NY) Habitat for Humanity Chapter has announced plans to build more energy efficient homes and to reduce waste during construction. Plans include increasing the insulation of windows and doors, using recycled building materials whenever possible, installing Energy Star appliances, and making an effort to recycle as much construction waste as possible. The Chapter also plans to seek LEED certification whenever possible.
Loyola Marymount U Hires First Sustainability Coordinator
Loyola Marymount University (CA) has hired its first sustainability coordinator to create a more sustainable campus and to promote environmental stewardship. Joseph Rasmussen, who started February 1, 2010, has already begun planning sustainability initiatives across campus. Rasmussen comes to LMU from California State University, Long Beach, where he served as a state scientist for the California Environmental Protection Agency Integrated Waste Management Board Sustainability Program.
North Shore CC Receives Funding to Make Campus Greener
North Shore Community College (MA) has received $3.6 million from Governor Patrick's Commonwealth Clean Energy Investment Program to make its Danvers and Lynn campuses more environmentally friendly. The Program, which was launched at NSCC, will install solar panels on the Danvers campus and new lighting and energy management systems, along with new chillers, boilers, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units, at the Lynn campus.
San Diego Campuses Included in PBS Green Feature
Three San Diego, California campuses, San Diego Community College District's West City Point Loma campus; San Diego State University; the University of California, San Diego, have been featured in a PBS special on colleges undergoing green renovations. The station producing the piece, KPBS, also posted the story as an audio file.
Slippery Rock U Awards Funding for Sustainability Projects
Slippery Rock University (PA) Green Fund committee has approved several sustainability projects for the upcoming year. One initiative will purchase a $9,600 biofuels processor. The equipment will be used to convert used vegetable oil from campus dining facilities into biofuel that will be used to power university diesel tractors and lawnmowers. The processor is expected to generate up to $1,200 in savings each year. Other grants awarded by the Green Fund committee include $11,600 to purchase occupancy sensors for classrooms and high-tech electric meters, $4,150 for a sustainability across the curriculum program; and $3,085 for sustainability educational programming for students.
SUNY Binghamton Brings Car-Share Program to Campus
State University of New York, Binghamton students, faculty, and staff now have two new cars available for use on campus through a new car-share program. The program, Connect by Hertz, allows members to use these vehicles for a predetermined fee. The University hopes the car-share program will help to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
Temple U Ambler Wins Environmental Award in Flower Show
A group of Temple University, Ambler (PA) faculty and students have won the American Horticulture Society Environmental Award at the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show. The group won the award for an exhibit of horticultural excellence which best demonstrates the bond between horticulture and the environment, and inspires the viewers to beautify homes and community through skillful design and appropriate plant material. Their display, METROmarphosis, demonstrates ways to increase biodiversity, conserve natural resources, and promote local food production. The exhibit also includes a beehive and an “eco-wall,” an artistic representation of the urban landscape and the natural landscape working in harmony by combining industrial materials with plants, bird houses, worm farms, and a variety of “found objects.” Other honors the group took home include "Best in Show” Award in the Academic Educational category, Bulkley Medal of the Garden Club of America, and the Philadelphia Unit of the Herb Society of America Award.
U Arizona Creates Solar Park
The University of Arizona has established a new Solar Zone at its Science and Technology Park. The Solar Park will be an interdisciplinary and collaborative hub for researchers and industry to develop and promote renewable energy.
U British Columbia Wins Green Award at 2010 Olympic Games
The University of British Columbia has received the "Live Positively Award" from the Coca-Cola Company. The Live Positively Awards recognize organizations and individuals who turn their passion for improving the well-being of Canadians into actions that have a positive impact in their local communities. UBC received the award for its commitment to sustainability leadership and innovation. The award noted UBC's sustainability policy, Sustainability Office, and programs that aim to reduce energy consumption. The award was presented at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
U California Riverside Chooses Director for Solar Research Center
The University of California, Riverside has chosen a managing director for the Southern California Research Institute for Solar Energy. Alfredo A. Martinez-Morales will guide the center to advance solar energy techniques, train professionals for the industry, mentor new businesses, and assist commercial and residential energy users in responsible applications for solar energy.
U Florida Launches Energy Reduction Campaign
The University of Florida Office of Sustainability has launched its "Chomp Down on Energy" campaign to help reduce energy use throughout campus. The project includes educational resources about energy consumption and the associated cost savings that can be affected through minor behavioral changes, and encourages students, staff, and faculty to be more energy conscious. During this first phase of the campaign, department Green Teams can order light-switch stickers that serve as reminders for individuals to turn off lights to rooms when not in use. The next phases will target IT power management and labs and research areas, aiming to determine what equipment is suitable for end of day shut-down.
U Florida Receives $870K NASA Climate Change Research Grant
The University of Florida has received $870,000 from NASA to study how to better adapt to climate change. The NASA Land Use Land Cover Change Program grant will fund an interdisciplinary project that will analyze relationships among climate variability, climate change, land use and land cover change. Using remote sensing applications and socio-economic surveys, the project aims to create models that could enhance planning for sustainable resource use and help the people in these areas adapt to climate change. The grant will support graduate students and allow the project to conduct summer fieldwork in Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.
U Michigan Team Wins Clean Energy Prize Competition
A team of three University of Michigan graduate students have won the 2009-2010 Clean Energy Prize competition with a plan to harness vibrations to power small electronics. DTE Energy and the University of Michigan sponsored the competition in which teams competed to develop business plans that promise to move a new, clean-energy technology from the laboratory to the market place. The thirty-two teams were comprised of schools from around Michigan, including the University of Michigan, Davenport University, Henry Ford Community College, Wayne State University, Michigan State University, and Oakland University.
U New Hampshire's EcoLine Wins EPA's Project of the Year
The University of New Hampshire's EcoLine has been named the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Project of the Year. The EcoLine is a 12.7 mile pipeline that goes from campus to the Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise landfill. The pipeline transports methane that the University uses to power 85 percent of its electricity and heat.
U Utah Awards 1st Round of Internal Sustainability Funds
The University of Utah Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund committee has chosen seven energy-saving proposals to receive funding from its sustainability fee. Among the projects selected were proposals to add switches to vending machines so they use less energy, modify the U’s solar panels to track the sun throughout the day to maximize their absorption, and design a way to capture storm water for the U’s plants. Approximately $35,000 has been allocated to the selected projects.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Receives 2 Grants to Construct Biodigester
The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has received a $500,000 grant from the federal government and a $232,587 grant from Wisconsin Focus on Energy to build a dry fermentation anaerobic biodigester, which will convert year and food waste into fuel. The renewable energy facility will include heat and power generators, which will produce up to five percent of the campus’s electricity and heating needs. The biodigester needs 6,000 tons of organic biowaste per year to provide a 400 kilowatt output. The majority of the waste will be provided by campus and community sources with the remainder being supplied from other area partners.
Washburn U Students Create Community Bike Center
Washburn University (KS) graduate and undergraduate students have opened a new community bike center. The Topeka Community Cycle Project (TCCP) advocates for bicycling in the city and provides education on how to maintain a safe and working bicycle. TCCP hopes to promote a safe community for bikers.
Washington State U Students Make Biodiesel
Washington State University mechanical engineering students have formed the Biodiesel Club. The students involved have created a business that purchases used cooking oil from the University's dining services, converts it to biodiesel, and sells it to the school's motor pull to be used by the Facilities Management's front end loader. The same students also created Engineers for a Sustainable World, a student club that works to promote biodiesel.
2 Vanderbilt U Buildings Receive LEED Silver
Two Vanderbilt University (TN) buildings, Benson Hall and the Library Archival Storage Facility, have received LEED Silver certifications. Benson Hall, dating back to 1859, was renovated with sustainability in mind and was awarded LEED Silver for Commercial Interiors. Within the Benson Hall renovation project, 77 percent of renovation waste was diverted from the landfill, renovation materials were sourced locally, energy-efficient lighting fixtures and water-conserving plumbing fixtures were installed, and a green cleaning program was implemented. The building that is now the Library Archival Storage Facility, which was originally built in 1910, was recently shelled out and rebuilt, receiving LEED Silver certification for new construction. Green elements of the Library Archival Storage Facility include: reuse of 98.6 percent of the existing walls, floors and roof; diversion of 77 percent of construction waste from the landfill; bicycle storage and preferred parking for fuel-efficient/low-emitting vehicles; reflective roofing materials; and storage and collection of recyclables.
43 New Campuses Complete Greenhouse Gas Inventories
42 signatory campuses of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) have submitted public greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories since the last update in the AASHE Bulletin on December 21, 2009. The GHG inventory is the first major reporting requirement of the Commitment and is due within a year of signing. New inventories were submitted by: Bainbridge Graduate Institute (WA): Bard College (NY); Bemidji State University (MN); Cascadia Community College (WA); Century College (MN); Colby-Sawyer College (NH); Colgate University (NH); Concordia University, Nebraska; Edmonds Community College (WA); Everett Community College (WA); George Mason University (VA); Grand Valley State University (MI); Hiram College (OH); Hocking Technical College (OH); Howard Community College (MD); Huston-Tillotson University (TX); Jackson Community College (MI); Jamestown Community College (NY); Labette Community College (KS); Lakeshore Technical College (WI); Mercyhurst College (PA); Minnesota State Community and Technical College; Missouri University of Science & Technology; Mount Mercy College (IA); Mount Wachusett Community College (MA); Northeastern University (MA); Ohio University; Santa Clara University (CA); Southern Oregon University; State University of New York at New Paltz; Stetson University (FL); The University of Memphis (TN); University of Arizona; University of Central Florida; University of Maine at Presque Isle; University of Missouri - Columbia; University of Missouri - Saint Louis; University of New England (ME); University of Rhode Island; University of Southern Maine; Washington State University, Pullman; and Western Connecticut State University. In related news, Elon University (CT) has also completed its greenhouse gas inventory.
Acadia U Awarded $120K for Community Climate Change Program
The Arthur Irving Academy for the Environment at Acadia University (NS) has been awarded a $120,000 grant from the Nova Scotia Department of the Environment, EcoNova Scotia Fund for Clean Air and Climate Change. The funding is to support the development of a two-year Community Emissions Challenge program, which is intended to help individuals and communities across Nova Scotia reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The program features an online personal emissions calculator, website, and community awareness program involving local education and engagement activities. Program development is already underway and the calculator, website, and community awareness campaign launch is planned for September 2010.
