Louisiana State U Holds Energy Conservation Competition
Louisiana State University has begun a one month energy conservation competition in its residence halls and apartment complexes. The Unplug Residential Life Energy Competition looks to promote an understanding throughout the LSU on-campus community of what energy conservation entails and to empower students to take action in their daily lives to reduce their personal carbon footprint. Nine residence hall communities, which altogether house 4,800 residents and 135 resident assistants, are competing to see which community has the greatest reduction in energy usage between March 6 and April 3. The contest compares the March 2009 electrical meter readings with those from March 2008. The overall competition winners will be announced during LSU’s Earth Day celebration April 24. Residents in the winning halls will each receive a free USB computer flash drive.
Luther College Strategic Plan Features Sustainability
The Luther College (IA) Board of Regents has approved the College's Sesquicentennial Strategic Plan for 2008-2012. One of the three strategic imperatives of the plan is to connect sustainability, stewardship, and global citizenship. One of the goals in the five-year plan is to cut the college's carbon footprint in half. Already, the college has reduced its campus carbon footprint by 15 percent and plans to make further investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy systems to reach the 50 percent goal. The plan also focuses on ways to reach the goals of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment. In addition, $5 million (10 percent) of the Sesquicentennial Fund seeks endowment support for a new Center for Sustainable Communities. The goal of the center is to catalyze change and be an educational resource for businesses, churches, governments and communities in the region. Luther College has already created a new Campus Sustainability Council as a result of the plan.
Luther, Wartburg Colleges Compete to Reduce Energy
Luther College (IA) and Wartburg College (IA) have begun a competition to see which campus can conserve the most energy. The winning campus will receive a hand-carved trophy and bragging rights, and the losing campus will have to hang a sign that says the other school won.
Maharishi U of Mgmt Joins Seed Savers Exchange
The Maharishi University of Management (IA) has joined the Iowa Seed Savers Exchange in an effort to preserve the genetic legacy of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruit trees that is rapidly being lost as a result of factors such as industrial agriculture and genetic engineering. Part of the Exchange’s work is maintaining a huge collection of heirloom and open pollinated varieties that are available to the public. MUM will contribute to the Exchange by growing a Colored Butterbean.
Maharishi U of Mgmt Offers Community Supported Agriculture
Maharishi University of Management (IA) has announced plans to offer an organic community supported agriculture program beginning in April. The new program will provide members with a weekly box of vegetables and fruit grown at the farm at Maharishi Vedic City. All fruits and vegetables will be harvested within one day of distribution.
Missouri Western U Begins Recycling Paper
Missouri Western University has begun recycling paper on campus. The campus maintenance crew takes care of the 96-gallon containers located behind all of the buildings on campus, except for residence halls. Members of the campus community can place any form of paper in the recycle containers, as long as it isn’t cardboard.
Mount Holyoke College Res Hall Receives LEED Gold
Mount Holyoke College's (MA) new residence hall, which opened in September 2008, has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The 176-bed, $30 million building features bike racks, solar panels, and an energy monitoring system that allows students in each of the six clusters to track their energy use and compete with the other clusters on energy conservation. The structure also contains highly recyclable content and rapidly renewable materials.
Nebraska State Colleges Offer Free Freshman Tuition
Three Nebraska colleges - Wayne State College, Peru State College, and Chadron State College - will offer free tuition to first-time, in-state freshman who receive a federal Pell Grant. Students will still be responsible for other expenses like books and room and board.
NY Times Article Covers the Greening of Business School Buildings
The New York Times has published an article on the prevalence of green construction initiatives in business school buildings across the United States. The article mentions green features of business school structures at the University of Michigan, Stanford University (CA), Thunderbird School of Global Management (AZ), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and New York University.
Ohio State U Switches to Biodegradable Bags in Dining Halls
Ohio State University dining halls have switched to biodegradable bags for students who take their food to go. In addition, several dining halls are selling reusable cloth bags for $1 each. After nine purchases with the bag, students get an entrée for free.
Purdue U Installs Green Roof
Purdue University (IN) has installed a green roof on its Schleman Hall of Student Services. PU received a $68,000 grant from State Farm Insurance to help fund the new installation.
Queen's U to Host Green Chemistry Commercialization Center
The federal government of Canada has announced that it will provide $9.1 million over five years to help establish GreenCentre Canada at Queen's University (ON). The new commercialization center will focus on green chemistry, aiming to help guide more energy-efficient chemical processes from university labs into factories across the country. At the GreenCentre, new chemical processes developed in university labs across the country will be tested on a larger scale and adapted for practical applications. The Centre will also study catalysts, substances that make chemical transformations more energy efficient to increase yield and decrease the amount of waste byproducts.
Rice U Opens Green Child Care Center
Rice University (TX) has opened the Rice Children's Campus, a building that meets LEED standards. The structure features reused materials, light sensors, programmable thermostats for each of five separate zones, double-paned energy-efficient windows, and overhands that block the sun. Other green elements include water-efficient fixtures, and 8,000 gallon underground rainwater cistern, and local plant landscaping. The building has a capacity of 86 students, who must be the children of Rice faculty, staff, or students to be eligible for admission.
Rice U Opens Green Graduate Housing
Rice University (TX) has opened the Rice Village Apartment complex, a new green graduate housing hall located close to campus. The 237-bed residence features bicycle storage and was built to LEED standards. In addition, the complex offers a free bicycle to residence who agree not to bring a car to the apartments.
Rice U to Go Trayless
Rice University (TX) has announced plans to remove all of its cafeteria trays over its spring break. The Student Association passed a resolution to support the removal of trays from dining halls in an effort to reduce food waste. The new initiative will reduce energy use as well as water and chemical waste since trays no longer have to be washed. Trays will still be available for handicapped and injured students.
U Kentucky Uses Elliptical Machines to Power Generators
The University of Kentucky has retrofitted 14 elliptical machines to put energy back into the building's power system when in use. The Johnson Center, the gym that houses the exercise machines, also features a processor that tells how many watts of energy are being created by the elliptical machines at any moment.
U Minnesota Ends Licensing Deal with Russell Corporation
The University of Minnesota has joined several other colleges and universities ending licensing agreements with the Russell Corporation amid allegations that the clothing maker engages in unfair labor practices. Atlanta-based Russell, maker of the Russell Athletic brand, has made T-shirts and other clothing items with the University of Minnesota’s logo. The agreement with Russell resulted in more than $26,000 revenue in 2007 and will terminate March 31, 2009.
U Oregon Offers Climate Course to Local Businesses
The University of Oregon has begun offering a course to local businesses on how to reduce their carbon footprint. Climate Masters at Work, a spin-off of a previous program focusing on homeowners, is a 10-week course for businesses and nonprofit organizations. The coursework is followed by six months of consultation with the Lane Community College Business Development Center in conjunction with consulting firm Good Company, focusing on environmental issues and solid business practices. The first group of Climate Masters students has finished their seminars, which lasted from mid-October until the end of December, and will continue to work with the Business Center until June.
U Oregon Students Help Community to Increase Gas Mileage
Students at the University of Oregon have begun a project to help members of the Eugene community inflate their car tires to the proper pressure, which improves gas mileage and reduces tailpipe emissions. Students set up compressors at nearby parking garages to help drivers check their tires and pump them up. The first 150 cars to stop receive a free tire gauge.
U Western Ontario Launches Green Process Engineering Prgm
The University of Western Ontario has launched a Green Process Engineering undergraduate program that combines and integrates the fundamental principles of chemical engineering to design commercial products and processes that are safe, economical, and environmentally friendly. The program will educate students to apply process engineering tools to design sustainable and safe chemical processes . The program also explores alternative sources of energy with reduced carbon emissions. Some of the distinguishing features of the program include the emphasis on green chemistry, green power, solar and bio-fuel cells, and conversion of waste (such as agricultural byproducts) to bio-diesel and bio-ethanol products. Engineering students will have the opportunity to apply to the Green Process Engineering program upon completing their first common year.
U Wisconsin Madison Launches Commuter Solutions Website
University of Wisconsin, Madison Transportation Services has launched a new website for its newly named alternative transportation program, UW Commuter Solutions. The website offers resources for alternative transportation options including transit, pedestrian, bicycling, carpooling, and vanpooling. The department has also launched an e-newsletter and implemented an outreach program that offers personalized transportation consulting for those who are interested. The primary goal of the new initiatives is to increase awareness, both of the benefits of alternative transportation and of the options themselves.
U Wisconsin Platteville Installs Rain Garden, Pervious Concrete
The University of Wisconsin, Platteville has installed a rain garden and a new parking lot made of pervious concrete. The rain garden uses vegetation and special soil to capture and absorb suspended solids such as sand, salt, grease, and garbage before they drain into the water shed. Water that is not absorbed by the soil drains into a pipe that filters out harmful pollutants and is transported to Rountree Branch Creek. The pervious concrete also helps to reduce water pollution. Water is absorbed by the concrete or the thick layer of gravel that lies beneath it. Water that is not absorbed is filtered before being transported to the creek.
Webster U Offers Emphasis Certif in Ed for Global Sustainability
Webster University (MO) has begun offering a graduate certificate emphasis in Education for Global Sustainability in its Master's of Teacher Education program. The Education for Global Sustainability program will prepare teachers to model and lead students in becoming informed, analytical, and responsible citizens for a sustainable future.
6 Campuses Honored for Community Service
Six colleges and universities have received top honors among 635 institutions of higher learning that were named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs. The Honor Roll's Presidential Award, given each year to only a handful of institutions, is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. California State University, Fresno, Emory University (GA), and Michigan State University were recognized for the general community service category, which considers the breadth and quality of an institution’s community service, service learning, and civic engagement programs. Brookhaven College (TX), Duke University (NC), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City were selected for their leadership in this year’s special focus area, which was helping youth from disadvantaged circumstances through service programs that lower school dropout rates and prepare students for college.
Binghamton U Offers Parking Discount to Carpoolers
Binghamton University (NY) has begun offering a discounted parking pass to carpoolers. The pilot program offers the discount to vehicles containing three or more passengers and provides five parking coupons to each participant for the days when s/he needs to drive separately. In addition, certain parking spaces on campus have been reserved for the high occupancy permits.
Conservationist Named for Stony Brook Southampton Dean
Stony Brook University, Southampton (NY) has named Mary C. Pearl, PhD, an internationally known and respected conservationist, for the first Dean and Administrative Vice President. Dr. Pearl is President of Wildlife Trust, a global organization dedicated to innovative conservation science, linking ecology and health, and building careers of local scientists and educators in 20 high-biodiversity countries in North America, Asia, Africa and Latin America. She is co-founder of the Center for Conservation Medicine, a consortium of Wildlife Trust with Tufts Veterinary School, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Center for Wildlife Health and the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. She is also a co-founder of the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University, where she serves as an adjunct research scientist.
Florida Atlantic U Installs Solar Installation
Florida Atlantic University has installed a solar array on the roof of its Higher Education Complex building. The University expects the 50kW array to supply 20 – 25 percent of the building's electricity consumption.
Indiana U Names First Director of Sustainability
Indiana University has named William M. Brown as its first director of sustainability. Brown is co-chair of the Indianapolis-Marion County Green Commission, chair of the Indiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and secretary of the Indiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Brown will start the new position March 2, helping create a campus sustainability program under the joint direction of Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson and Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer J. Terry Clapacs.
Jackson State U Engineering Building Receives LEED Certification
Jackson State University's (MS) new School of Engineering building has received LEED certification. The 90,000-square-foot facility features environmentally-friendly materials and reduced waste in construction. It is the first state-funded construction project in Mississippi to receive LEED certification.
Kalamazoo Valley CC Announces Wind Turbine Technician Academy
Kalamazoo Valley Community College (MI) has announced its Wind Turbine Technician Academy. The 26-week academy will be based on a European certification standard and train people to work on the utility-grade turbines that are found on wind farms. The wind-turbine program will run twice a year with 15 students in each class.
Luther College Hosts Energy Campaign
Luther College (IA) has launched its second annual energy conservation campaign titled, "Energy Evolution: Conserving for a Cleaner Planet." The goal of this year's campaign is to help students make a connection between mountaintop mining, coal-fired power plants, and light switches.
Mary Baldwin College Receives $360K Grant
Mary Baldwin College's (VA) Environment Based Learning program has received a three-year, $360,000 grant from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to continue learning and teaching about the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The grant is contingent on the allocation of federal funding.
North Carolina CCs Start Green Curriculum Initiative
The North Carolina Community College System has begun "Code Green," an initiative to expand green job training courses throughout the state. The program is currently working to identify the needs of colleges and of companies to decide exactly which types of courses will be most beneficial. So far, the System has seen a need for green training in the areas of automobiles, construction, and home heating, and it hopes to infuse sustainability into all types of classes.
Ohio State, Pepperdine Start Car Share Programs
The Ohio State University and Pepperdine University (CA) have signed contracts with the Hertz Corporation to offer a car share programs on their campuses. The rentable cars, which are placed at various locations across campus, are available to all students, faculty, and staff age 18 and older
Point Loma Nazarene U Passes Green Fee
Students at Point Loma Nazarene University (CA) have approved a $5 per semester green fee to further campus sustainability. Students will work with PLNU’s Resource Stewardship Task Force to determine how the new funds will be distributed. The Associated Student Body (ASB) predicts that projects such as front loading washing machines, a community garden, energy efficient lighting, more fuel-efficient campus vehicles and expanded recycling efforts are likely to be at the forefront of the list of possible projects.
Simmons College Opens Green Academic Building
Simmons College (MA) has opened its new School of Management and Academic Building, which was built in accordance with LEED standards. The 66,500-square-foot building features recyclable building materials, an efficient heating and cooling system, and low-flow water fixtures. The College is seeking LEED Silver certification for the new structure.
SUNY Fredonia Uses Eco-Friendly Ice Melt Product
The State University of New York at Fredonia has begun using an environmentally-friendly ice melt product on campus. The new product, Ice B'Gone, is a combination of chloride salts and agriculture-based ingredients and is biodegradable.
U Arizona Launches Green Homes Construction Project
The University of Arizona has begun a project to design and build affordable, energy and water efficient homes. UA architecture students design and build the homes, which feature rainwater collection systems, ventilation hatches, and natural lighting. The homes are meant for low-income families.
U Buffalo Installs LEDs
The State University of New York at Buffalo has replaced some conventional lamps for LEDs on campus. Five new LED street lights were installed on a service road, four new LED interior lights were installed in corridors in the UB Center for the Arts, and 20 LED lamps were installed in the main lobby of Alumni Arena, home of the UB Athletics Department. The University estimates that the energy savings for the interior areas will total nearly 8,000 kWh per year in the Center for the Arts and 10,500 kilowatt hours per year in Alumni Arena.
U Michigan Ends Licensing Agreement Due to Labor Violations
The University of Michigan has announced plans to end a licensing agreement with Russell Corporation, a subsidiary of Fruit of the Loom. The company is believed to have violated the University's code of conduct calling on licensees to guarantee the basic rights of workers. Under the agreement, Russell made T-shirt, sweatshirts, and fleeces with university logos. 11 other universities, including Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Purdue, and Rutgers, have also ended agreements with Russell.
U Rhode Island Professor Creates Sustainable Seafood Website
Cathy Roheim, a professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island, has prepared a Consensus Seafood Guide that allows readers to look at and compare all the ratings provided by organizations such as Greenpeace and Monterey Bay Aquarium. Roheim created the Guide, which is available on the URI Sustainable Seafood Initiative website, with the goal to provide independent, scientific information to those in the seafood industry. The website also contains hundreds of reports from universities, governments, and advocacy groups on such topics as ecolabeling, consumer preferences, fisheries certification and standards, government policies, and markets for sustainable seafood.
U South Carolina Installs Alternative Energy Scoreboard
The University of South Carolina has installed a scoreboard in its new baseball stadium that is partially powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. A replica of the actual working fuel cell, along with educational material, will be on public display at the stadium to allow fans to learn more about how fuel cells work in general and how the one at the stadium in particular will power the scoreboard.
U Wisconsin Madison to Switch from Coal to Biomass
Governor Jim Doyle has announced that the University of Wisconsin, Madison's Charter Street Heating Plant will convert from burning coal to biomass by 2012. The plant, which is responsible for heating and cooling the UW campus, will run primarily on switchgrass.
Wesleyan U Installs Cogeneration System
Wesleyan University (CT) has installed a new cogeneration system that will allow the plant to produce 81 percent of the campus' yearly electricity needs. The University predicts that the system, which runs with natural gas, will save around $750,000 per year in energy costs.
Winter Shutdown Saves U Albany $280K
The State University of New York at Albany has announced that it saved $280,000 as a result of its winter Intersession and Fall Energy Savings initiatives. The University saved $266,140 by reducing room temperature and lighting throughout all buildings December 20, 2008 – January 15, 2009, and $14,000 as a result of a residence hall energy conservation challenge from September 3 – November 9, 2008. In addition, SUNY Albany received $5,000 from National Grid for the University's Change-A-Light campaign. To date, more than 1,300 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs have been distributed in residence halls.
29 U.S. Colleges Named 'Tree Campus USA'
Twenty-nine schools from across the United States have earned Tree Campus USA status from the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation for their dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship. The 29 schools recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation make up the initial Tree Campus USA class. Tree Campus USA is a new national program launched by the Arbor Day Foundation and aims to honor colleges and universities that engage in best tree-care and sustainability practices. To receive Tree Campus USA recognition, schools are required to meet five core standards of tree care and community engagement. Those standards are: establishing 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.
Agnes Scott College Hires Sustainability Fellow
Agnes Scott College (GA) has hired Lies Van Bekkum as its first sustainability fellow. Van Bekkum’s role as Agnes Scott’s Sustainability Fellow is shared with the city of Decatur where she works closely with the city’s new Environmental Sustainability Board. Van Bekkum, born and raised in the Netherlands, graduated from ASG in 2008 with a degree in Psychology.
Bethel College Opens Fair-Trade Coffee Shop
Bethel College (KS) has opened a coffee shop in the lounge of one of its residence halls. The shop features fair trade coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. The shop was initiated and is run by two Bethel students in an effort to increase a sense of student community within the building.
Bunker Hill CC Building Receives Green Design Award
The 48,000-square-foot Health and Wellness Center under construction at Bunker Hill Community College (MA) has received a 2008 Green Design Concept Award from the Education Design Showcase, which will be featured in the College Planning & Management Magazine . The awards go to buildings under construction that will meet or exceed high standards of sustainability. The new structure, at an estimated cost of $22.7 million, will feature large south-facing windows, natural daylighting, a stormwater management system, a white roof, and recycled content containing materials.
