Clark U Launches Climate, Environment & Society School
Scheduled to open in fall 2025, the new School of Climate, Environment, and Society aims to advance systems thinking that integrates learning from across traditional disciplines like economics, political and social sciences, natural sciences, data sciences, the humanities, and business to pursue innovative and human-focused approaches to global problems on a local, regional and planetary scale. The new school will be led by Lou Leonard, who came to Clark from Chatham University, where he served as dean of the Falk School of Sustainability and Environment.
HSUS Releases Plant-Based Dining Scorecard
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has released a new scorecard assessing how some higher education institutions are advancing sustainability by adding more plant-based meals to their menus and reducing their reliance on animal products.
Northeastern U Launches Climate Justice Action Plan
The newly published Climate Justice Action Plan is organized around four intersectional themes –campus operations, economic impact, relationships with neighbors, and research and academics–and includes specific goals, associated strategies and actions.
Oberlin College Connects Geothermal System
Oberlin has completed its Sustainable Infrastructure Program, a four-year program to convert the campus to geothermal heating and cooling. The project, which included upgrading its century-old heating infrastructure to a hot water system, is expected to reduce Oberlin’s water use by more than five million gallons per year, reduce sewer discharge by more than four million gallons per year, and improve campus energy efficiency by more than 30 percent.
Loyola U Chicago Conducts Multi-Campus Waste Audit
In advance of a waste reduction and diversion planning effort, Loyola University Chicago contracted a vendor, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, to conduct a multi-campus waste characterization audit. In total over 4,000 lbs of materials across 10 activity zones was categorized into one of 33 categories. This effort helps identify areas for improvement but also set a baseline and inform potential reduction and diversion targets.
