U Oregon Wins 'Energy Civil War' Against Oregon State U
Students, staff and faculty helped the University of Oregon win the "Energy Civil War" competition with Oregon State University by converting the most calories to kilowatts. Combined, the two universities generated 75 percent more energy using ReRev elliptical machines in their respective recreation centers than they did during a similar event last year. The competition ran from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3, 2010.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Implements 100% Recycled Paper Policy
The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has announced its switch from 30 percent post-consumer recycled bond to 100 percent recycled paper on campus. The first reams have been distributed and are expected to save about 1,100 trees per year. The university's Campus Sustainability Council is working with departments across campus to reduce paper consumption by 5 percent to make the initiative budget neutral and increase paper consumption awareness.
Yale U Launches Sustainability Microloan Fund Program
Yale University (CT) has announced a new Sustainability Microloan Fund, managed by its Office of Sustainability. The fund will encourage university students, staff and faculty to come up with creative ideas to be considered for short-term loans. Microloans, ranging from $500 to $100,000, will fund projects that help save both money and the environment, but might not qualify for regular operating funds. Potential projects will be assessed for financial and environmental benefit, feasibility, innovation and interdisciplinary/interdepartmental cooperation.
6 Harvard U Buildings Awarded LEED Certification
Six Harvard University (MA) buildings have recently achieved LEED certification. The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Biophysics Laboratory and East Wing Offices, Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Larsen Hall Upper Floor Classroom, and Harvard Medical School’s renovation of 641-643 Huntington Avenue have each received LEED Gold certification. The university earned LEED Silver certification for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences' teaching labs and the renovation of the Graduate School of Education's Longfellow Basement. Common sustainable features include water-efficient fixtures, a reduction of overall energy consumption, passive solar design and the diversion of construction waste from landfills.
Bakersfield College Unveils 1.1 MW Solar Energy System
Bakersfield College (CA) has revealed a new 1.1-megawatt solar energy system. The system features a 3.1-acre parking lot canopy structure with nearly 3,700 SunPower solar panels that track the sun throughout the day, providing shade in the lot and solar electrical power for campus. The solar array is expected to supply approximately one-third of the college’s electricity demand.
Calhoun CC Receives $3.4 Mil Grant for Clean Energy Program
Calhoun Community College (AL) has received a $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to launch a clean energy program. The Alabama Center for Excellence in Clean Energy Technology will train students for green technology jobs including photovoltaic systems, renewable energies, heating and air conditioning systems and electricity. The program will offer an associate degree and two short-term certificates.
College of the Holy Cross Science Complex Earns LEED Gold
College of the Holy Cross’ (MA) new Integrated Science Complex has earned LEED Gold certification. Energy-efficient elements of the $64 million complex include an energy recovery wheel that captures and reuses heat and humidity from air, a high performance lighting system, a low-flow fume hood system and an active energy consumption display monitor.
EPA Reveals Game Day Challenge Results
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the winners of its Game Day Challenge. More than 75 schools participated in the October competition, targeting more than 2.8 million fans and diverting more than 500,000 pounds of waste. Ithaca College (NY) and the University of Tennessee at Martin tied for Waste Minimization Champion; University of California, Davis was named the Diversion Rate Champion; University of Central Oklahoma earned both the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Champion and Recycling Champion titles; and Marist College (NY) was named the Organics Reduction Champion.
George Washington U Residence Hall Receives LEED Gold
George Washington University's (DC) newest residence hall has earned LEED Gold certification. Housing 288 students, the design of West Hall incorporated sustainable features including low-flow plumbing fixtures, native and adaptive plants to eliminate the need for a permanent irrigation system, solar light tubes and energy-efficient appliances. The residence hall also provides covered bike storage for 15 percent of its residents.
George Washington U to Offer Sustainable Urban Planning Program
George Washington University (DC) has announced plans to offer a Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Urban Planning in fall 2011. The program will also offer stand-alone graduate certificates in climate change sustainable management and policy, urban sustainability and sustainable landscapes. The curriculum is designed to develop career urban planners skilled in sustainable urban planning and policy, and knowledgeable about green technologies.
Harvard U Installs Solar Thermal and Steam Heat System
Harvard University (MA) has installed 3,200-square-feet of solar panels atop three buildings. The panels are part of a solar thermal and steam tunnel heat-recovery project that is expected to supply at least 60 percent of domestic hot water for the buildings. A network of glycol-filled pipes connects the rooftop solar panels to the hybrid heating system. The 1,000-gallon buffer tank, which replaces the need for gas-fired boilers, pre-heats City of Cambridge water to 130 degrees before it is pumped to the buildings. A monitoring system has also been installed to allow residents to assess the system’s productivity.
Indiana U Bloomington Students Create Sustainability Council
Indiana University Bloomington student groups have come together to enhance sustainability efforts on campus. Fourteen student organizations have formed the Student Sustainability Council to promote communication and collaboration among organizations interested in advancing environmentalism on campus. The first collaborative effort of the council is the establishment of a Green Initiative Fund. The group seeks to add a $5 donation option during the university’s online registration each semester to support sustainability initiatives on campus.
Indiana U Office of Sustainability Awards Green Certification
Indiana University’s Office of Sustainability has awarded the first certification of its Green Office Certification program. The Office of Environmental, Health and Safety Management received the first level of certification by fulfilling 17 actions including the establishment of a central location for the collection and re-distribution of surplus office supplies and unplugging electronic appliances when not in use. The Office of Sustainability implemented the certification program in August 2010 to make the task of greening office spaces more tangible and accessible to the campus community.
Kennebec Valley CC Announces Solar Technology Training Program
Kennebec Valley Community College (ME) has announced a new solar technology training program that will begin in February. The program will train instructors from technical colleges and high schools how to install solar heating and cooling systems. The instructors will then incorporate what they learn into their curriculum. The solar heating and cooling training initiative received a $3.3 million federal grant to cover the costs for the next five years.
Laney College Holds Eco-Inspired Art Exhibit
As part of an Eco Art Matters class, Laney College (CA) students recently held an art exhibit titled “Save Our Earth Ship.” The artwork addresses environmental and social justice issues, including a multi-media sculpture comprised primarily of 2,500 cigarette butts collected from campus grounds and a super-sized plastic shopping bag created from 3,000 plastic bags.
Louisiana State U Installs Pollution-Cleaning Pavement
Louisiana State University has installed air-purifying asphalt and concrete photo catalytic pavements on campus. The pavement cover will absorb pollution including nitrogen oxides released by traffic or those already in the air. Prior to the installation, a university professor evaluated the technology in the laboratory through funding from the Louisiana Transportation Research Center and the National Science Foundation. The university will monitor the half mile of pathways to determine the rate of reduction in pollution levels over time. The field study, in partnership with Pureti Inc., is funded through the Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency.
Loyola U Chicago Students Work to Make Campus Food Sustainable
Loyola University Chicago’s (IL) Student Food Sustainability Advisory Council has begun working with food services provider Aramark to raise awareness about food systems, shrink the community’s ecological footprint and address the student body’s primary sustainability concerns. The council will gauge on-campus attitudes towards issues including local food, factory farming and balanced diets through surveys, research and education.
Marylhurst U Uses Goats to Control Invasive Species
Initiated by the Marylhurst University (OR) Sustainability Action Committee, the university has started using goats to help control the spread of invasive species on campus. In an effort to get rid of unwanted vegetation without using chemicals, the two goats will graze on 68 acres of land. The university also hopes that the goats' presence will help encourage awareness toward sustainable initiatives.
Northern Arizona U Announces Plans for Green Café
Northern Arizona University has announced plans to open a café focused on community, health, education and sustainability next fall. A group of students, faculty and action research teams in the graduate sustainable communities program have been preparing for the past year to open the café. The café will offer students healthy, environmentally friendly sources of on-campus food and provide a location to spread environmental awareness.
Soka U of America to Seek LEED Certification with New Arts Center
Soka University of America (CA) has completed its new Performing Arts Center and Academic Building, designed to meet LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features of the $73 million project include a green roof, solar panels, displacement ventilation, automatic daylight lighting controls and a bioswale. Building materials were made from recycled and locally extracted, processed and manufactured content.
Students to Install Wind Turbine on Mesabi Range College Campus
Mesabi Range College (MN) has received a wind turbine that students in the wind energy technology program will refurbish and install on campus. The college received a grant from Iron Range Resources to purchase the wind turbine. The college began its wind energy technology degree program in 2009.
Syracuse U Dedicates Green Biomaterials Institute
Syracuse University (NY) has dedicated the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, an interdisciplinary research facility that will focus on research in biomaterials, smart medical devices and biological tissue-engineered constructs. Seventy-five percent of the demolition debris caused during renovations for the institute, which is housed on the third and fourth floors of Browne Hall, was recycled. Environmentally friendly features of the project include recycled scrap iron for steel framing, low-VOC adhesives and paints, passive solar design and light occupancy sensors.
U Arizona Student Projects Promote Campus Sustainability
Students at the University of Arizona recently showcased nearly three dozen project ideas to enhance campus sustainability efforts. Proposed ideas included plans for renovating and retrofitting buildings, installing shower timers, promoting educational smart phone applications and reusable to-go containers.
U California Berkeley Earns LEED Gold for Laboratory Renovations
Renovations to the Morgan Hall Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley have received LEED Gold certification using the LEED Commercial Interiors standard for renovation projects. Former office and storage spaces were updated to create efficient and sustainable laboratories for the Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology. The university used the renovations as an opportunity to involve students from a service learning class to prepare a video to educate the building occupants, campus community and public about the environmental aspects of Morgan Hall.
U California San Diego to Construct 2.8 MW Fuel Cell
The University of California, San Diego has begun the construction of a 2.8-megawatt fuel cell as part of a renewable energy project with the City of San Diego and Biofuels Energy. The fuel cell will turn waste methane gas from a wastewater treatment plant directly into electricity without combustion. The university expects the installation to provide 8 percent of the university’s total energy needs.
U Florida Dining Halls Adopt Meatless Mondays
The University of Florida has launched the new “Meat-Free Mondays” campaign at campus dining locations. Gator Corner Dining and Fresh Food Company will provide a variety of vegan meal options on Mondays as part of a campaign to educate students on the environmental and health impacts of meat consumption. Aramark, the university’s food supplier, and Gator Dining Services plan to expand the campaign to include a vegetarian menu on request at other campus dining locations.
U Minnesota Students Chronicle UN Climate Change Conference
"Taking the bus between the two meeting locations in Cancun is a lot like the official negotiations themselves," writes Stuart Sexton who was one of 16 University of Minnesota students who participated as official observers of the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Mexico. "They are rather slow and repetitive, and every once in a while you have to brake for an unexpected iguana in the road, but every time you get back from where you were, the climate change agreement picture becomes a little bit clearer." As part of a climate change policy course, the students provided updates on the negotiations to local media and interviewed delegates during the first week of the two-week negotiations. The students recently presented their experience to the public at the university's Institute on the Environment.
U Ottawa Receives $136K Toward Campus Cooling Plant Retrofit
The University of Ottawa (ON) has installed an upgraded cooling plant that is expected to reduce electricity consumption by 25 percent and save the university $145,000 in annual electricity costs. The university recently received $136,000 toward the project for its participation in Hydro Ottawa's Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program, which provides partial funding to institutional, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers who complete energy efficiency retrofit projects. The new power plant is part of the university's seven-year Resource Optimization Program, a $12 million investment that is expected to save the university $2.5 million annually by 2015.
U Pennsylvania Selects Green Fund Grant Recipients
The University of Pennsylvania has selected seven new sustainability projects to receive support from the university’s Green Fund. The new projects include electric charging stations for car sharing vehicles, a marketing upgrade for the Green Acorn business certification program, an organic compost tea program and the installation of LED lighting in 12 classrooms. An initiative of the university's Green Campus Partnership and funded by the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services and the Office of the Provost, the Green Fund was designed to seed green ideas from students, faculty and staff with one-time grants of up to $50,000.
U Scranton Students Initiate Off-Campus Housing Recycling Efforts
As part of a communication senior seminar class, students at the University of Scranton (PA) have spearheaded a recycling program for students living in off-campus housing. The students initially launched “Bin Your Bottles” as a Facebook campaign and as a result, about 50 off-campus student households requested recycling bins. Now the program provides recycling bins at off-campus locations in cooperation with the Scranton, Pa. Department of Public Works.
U Washington Student Government Passes Sustainability Legislation
The University of Washington’s student government has passed a sustainability bill that aims to promote awareness among incoming students. The bill, “A Resolution in Support of Sustainability with First Year Programs,” will help implement educational efforts to new students about sustainability options on campus, including the availability of compost resources and a tour of the university farm. A long-term goal includes the possibility of a required sustainability class.
West Chester U Receives $5 Mil Energy Grant
West Chester University (PA) has received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund the third phase of its 10-year plan to convert heating and cooling systems of roughly 25 campus buildings to a geothermal system. Once the project is completed, the closed-loop underground system will include 1,200 wells and 20,000 feet of piping. The university expects the system to reduce campus heating bills by 40 percent and cooling costs by 20 percent.
Arizona State U Students Receive Grant for Sustainable Fertilizer
Arizona State University graduate students have earned an Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative grant to further their development of a business that aims to produce a sustainable organic fertilizer from algae. Edson provides funds, office space and training to teams with up-and-coming innovative business plans. One student also received a National Water Research Institute fellowship for the development of a new bioreactor design to use in wastewater treatment. Both students are part of the university’s Center for Algae Technology and Innovation.
Art Institute of Philadelphia Hosts Recycling Media Competition
The Art Institute of Philadelphia has chosen the winners of a competition among its graphic design students to devise a new poster campaign to promote campus recycling. The posters of the two winning teams will be displayed on recycling bins and as part of a six-month advertising campaign on bulletin boards around the college.
Boise State U Opens Energy Efficiency Research Institute
Boise State University (ID) has announced that it will launch an Energy Efficiency Research Institute in collaboration with the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and the Idaho National Laboratory. The institute will use the university’s campus as a learning laboratory to establish better energy efficiency techniques, measurements and practices. Researchers plan to analyze data collected from electrical meters to generate ways to make the campus more energy efficient.
College of the Redwoods Offers Green Building Training Program
The College of the Redwoods (CA) has partnered with the County of Humboldt and the California Conservation Corps to provide free training and hands-on experience in the green building profession for disadvantaged youth starting in January. The 13-week program will provide green building classes, paid work experience and job placement assistance upon completion of the program. Classes include "Introduction to Green Building," "Energy Fundamentals, Retrofits and Energy Efficiency," "Water-Efficient Building and Retrofits," "Solar Hot Water Installation and Design Principles" and "Solar Photovoltaic Installation and Design Principles."
Colorado State U Aims to Increase Recycling with New System
Colorado State University has launched a sustainability education campaign with a new labeling system for campus recycling bins. After extensive research including focus groups and a review of signage from other campuses and cities, the university’s Live Green team designed new single-stream labeling stickers for outdoor recycling bins on campus. The new stickers are simple, brightly colored and image-based to reduce confusion and improve understanding of the single-stream system. The Live Green team hopes the new stickers will help improve campus recycling rates.
Columbia University Launches Sustainability Mgmt Graduate Degree
Columbia University (NY) has announced a new Master of Science in sustainability management. Offered in partnership with the university’s Earth Institute and School of Continuing Education, the program is designed to equip professionals with the leadership skills needed to achieve an organization’s performance goals while working toward a sustainable world. Five areas of required study include sustainability management, economics and quantitative analysis, the physical dimensions of sustainability management, the public policy environment of sustainability management, and general and financial management. Participants can choose between a part-time or full-time degree completion program.
Diablo Valley College Creates Environmental Science Degree
Diablo Valley College (CA) has created a new environmental science associate degree. The curriculum centers on environmental concerns that have an impact on the human race, ecological system and energy diversity. The new program will include courses in engineering, biology, chemistry and math.
Emory U Debuts Campus Water Reduction Competition
Emory University (GA) has tallied the results of its annual campus energy reduction competition that featured a new water reduction category this year. As a result of the competition between research, residential and other campus buildings, the university saved more than 54,000 gallons of water and experienced a $30,500 drop in utility costs during the month of October. Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability Initiatives, winning buildings will receive $1,000 toward a sustainability-related building improvement.
Florida State U Building Earns LEED Gold
Florida State University’s Center for Global and Multicultural Engagement has recently earned the university’s first LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include rainwater harvesting for irrigation, a shared courtyard and the relocation of a 50-year-old oak tree.
Grinnell College Creates Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize
Grinnell College (IA) has announced the creation of the Young Innovator for Social Justice Prize. The prize will carry an award of $100,000, half to the individual and half to an organization committed to the winner’s area of social justice. One to three awards will be given each year to honor individuals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their fields and show creativity, commitment and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change.
Michigan State U Surplus and Recycling Center Awarded LEED Gold
The Michigan State University Surplus Store and Recycling Center has earned LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include rooftop solar panels, urinals, power washers and rainwater collection that provides 60 percent of filtered gray water for toilets. The center also features recycled green glass mixed into the concrete around the building.
Oregon State U to Help Iraq Universities Build Green Curriculum
Oregon State University will sign an agreement with Iraq's minister of higher education and scientific research to help Iraq universities develop renewable energy, water conservation and green construction curriculum and laboratories. Iraq professors are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Oregon in February to study the university's sustainable engineering program and become familiar with its lab testing equipment. Along with other sustainable engineering and design programs, the university's School of Forestry, College of Agricultural Science and College of Engineering will help Iraq schools establish engineering programs for using solar energy to light highways. Projects under the five-year agreement will be funded through a combination of university, the state of Oregon, Iraq and possibly federal government funds.
Purchase College SUNY Students Produce Video to Promote Recycling
Students at Purchase College State University of New York have produced a video to highlight campus recycling redemption machines. The university's Redemption Center has three automated recycling machines that accept every brand of redeemable plastic, aluminum and glass beverage containers. Redemption receipts in the amount of five cents per container include coupons for discounts from area merchants. "These machines have become wildly popular on campus and are a major part of our efforts to assure that recyclables are directed to the recycling stream," the college's Office of Sustainability Director Joseph Tripodi tells AASHE Bulletin. Tripodi says that with the help of an ongoing marketing campaign to increase awareness and use of the machines, recent machine redemption counts have topped 14,000 containers per month.
San Francisco State to Require General Ed Sustainability Classes
An environmental sustainability requirement has been added to the general education requirements at San Francisco State University (CA). Passed by the Academic Senate and recently approved by the university president, the measure requires students to take three units of classes that examine an aspect of sustainability. Ninety-four faculty representing 40 different departments approved the change. Classes from across campus will qualify for the requirement, offering students different approaches to sustainability. The university expects the requirement to be in place for students entering in fall 2012 or 2013.
Southern Maine CC Receives Solar Training Program Federal Grant
Southern Maine Community College has received a $70,000 federal grant to become an accredited training site in a national network of solar photovoltaic instructors. Students will learn how to install solar panels as part of the college's electrical engineering technologies program. Students will have the opportunity to install, test and connect a solar photovoltaic system to the larger electrical grid.
Stanford U Launches Green Energy Initiative
Stanford University’s (CA) law and business schools have launched a joint interdisciplinary research center that will focus on the development, policy and financing of clean energy technology. The Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance is being funded with a $7 million donation from Stanford alumni. The center is part of a $100 million energy initiative that Stanford launched in 2009. That effort also includes the Precourt Institute for Energy, which researches sustainable energy sources.
Temple U Kicks Off Sustainability Pledge Drive
Temple University (PA) has kicked off a Sustainability Pledge Drive aimed at collecting sustainability commitments from 3,000 students, faculty and staff by Earth Day on April 22, 2011. The drive challenges the campus community to live more sustainably in all areas of their lives including transportation alternatives, energy use, food choices, waste reduction and water conservation. The Office of Sustainability will track the success of the drive and post weekly updates online. The office is also working with members in individual campus departments to conduct green office audits that evaluate current operating practices including energy usage, recycling and purchasing practices.
U Arizona Launches Bike and Pedestrian Study
The University of Arizona has launched a bike and pedestrian study aimed at reducing crashes and increasing the number of people biking and walking to campus. The university's Parking and Transportation department is working with students and the Pima Association of Governments to discover who bikes and walks and why, and what their safety concerns are. Once the study is conducted, the university will develop a plan to implement improvements to bike and pedestrian infrastructure and education on campus.
