Baylor U to Expand Recycling Program
Baylor University (TX) has announced plans to expand its recycling program to include athletic events and campus offices. Recycling bins will be placed at strategic locations around Baylor athletic complexes when a game is taking place. In addition to the containers, food vendors will be requested to recycle cardboard boxes, clean paper, and plastic as they prepare their booths prior to each game. After the event, cleaning crews will remove recyclables left over in stands. The University will offer recycling at football, basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, and baseball, with other athletic events to be incorporated at a later time. Additionally, over the next month, the first 400 recycling containers will be placed at various offices on campus. An additional 200 bins will be added at a later date. The containers will be used to collect cardboard, white paper, colored papers, plastics, aluminum and tin cans.
Bentley College Signs Agreement to Reduce Energy Use
Bentley College (MA) has made an agreement with Infor to monitor and reduce energy consumption throughout campus. Bentley is currently gathering data on the energy efficiency of its campus-wide assets, including air handlers, chillers and other large equipment, which will be used to develop a preventative maintenance program that incorporates energy consumption patterns.
Furman U Hires Director of Sustainability and Env'l Education
Furman University (SC) has hired Dr. Angela Halfacre as the Director of Sustainability and Environmental Education. Halfacre will also be an Associate Professor of Political Science. She will be teaching environmental policy and sustainability courses. After graduating from Furman, she received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Florida in 1994 and 1997, respectively. Her doctoral work had a substantive focus in environmental policy, and she also worked as policy specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Goucher College Launches Community Bicycle Program
Goucher College (MD) has launched a community bicycle program to make it easier for the campus community to use alternative transportation. Each of the 10 cruiser-style bikes is unisex and clearly labeled as being part of Goucher’s community bicycle fleet, which will be maintained by the college. There is no fee for using the bikes, and they can be picked up and left anywhere on campus, as long as they remain on well-traveled paths. Helmets, helmet bags, and combination locks will also be available for riders.
Indiana U Releases Guide to Sustainable Student Living
The Indiana University Task Force on Campus Sustainability has released the "Indiana Sustainable Student," a guide to sustainable living practices for students that features such issues as water and energy conservation, alternative transportation, and sustainable food. The guide was produced by an IU senior who participated in the IU Summer Program in Sustainability, a summer sustainability internship program. In addition to providing concrete tips for sustainable living, the "Indiana Sustainable Student"
Ithaca College School of Business Receives LEED Platinum
The Ithaca College (NY) School of Business has received LEED Platinum certification. The 38,800 square foot Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise, which opened with the start of the spring 2008 semester, features a vegetated roof, a south-facing wall of glass, extensive us of natural lighting, and a storm water reclamation system. Ithaca College purchases 50 percent of the electricity used for the building from renewable sources. The building received 56 points in the LEED certification system.
Loyola U New Orleans Expands Recycling Program
Loyola University New Oreleans (LA) has expanded its recycling program by installing blue bins at the entrances to all campus buildings. The recycling bins accept aluminum and tin cans. Additionally, the University's cleaning service has placed 40 office paper collection bins throughout campus.
Montana State U to Host Wind Applications Center
Montana State University has been named by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory as the home for the state's Wind Applications Center. As part of the project, MSU will incorporate more wind-specific topics into existing engineering courses for students, help educate the public about wind energy and provide support for Montana's growing wind industry. The wind applications center contract, which was awarded in April, provides the University with $40,000 a year for three years. MSU will begin offering wind-related coursework this fall.
Northern Illinois U Offers Fair Trade Coffee
Northern Illinois University has begun a pilot program to offer fair trade certified coffee at two snack bars on campus. The initiative, which is a result of a student campaign, tests student interest in six varieties of fair trade coffee.
Park U Opens Green Residence Hall
Park University (MO) has officially opened Copley Quad Student Residence Hall, an 86,000 square feet building designed to LEED Silver standards. The design incorporates recycled content carpets, carpet pads, and underlayments. Plumbing in the building uses low-flow fixtures, with a projected water reduction of 40 percent compared with similar buildings.
Pomona College Launches Folding Bike-Sharing Program
Pomona College (CA) has unveiled a new bike-sharing program that allows students to borrow folding bicycles. The bikes fold in half in a matter of seconds and, while folded, weigh less than 25 pounds and measure in at just over two-feet-by-two-feet, making them perfect for commutes on busy city buses and Metrolink trains. Program organizers hope the bikes will help broaden transportation options for students participating in the Pomona College Internship Program, which places students in offices across Southern California.
Rice, Worcester Polytechnic, Goucher Sign Agreement with Zipcar
Rice University (TX) has entered into an agreement with Zipcar, a car-sharing company that places vehicles on campus for students to reserve at their convenience. Rice students can purchase a $35 yearlong membership that allows them to reserve a car for $7 per hour or $60 per day. Insurance and gas are then paid for by Zipcar. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) has also announced a partnership with Zipcar. Zipcar services will be available to all WPI faculty, staff, and students 18 years of age and older. WPI hopes that the new agreement will encourage students to leave their vehicles at home. Goucher College (MA) has also launched a partnership with Zipcar. Two hybrid vehicles will be made available to all Goucher students, faculty, and staff over the age of 18 with a valid driver's license.
Roanoke College Forms Green Advisory Committee
Roanoke College (VA) President Michael Maxey has formed a Green Advisory Committee. The group of more than 20 faculty, staff, and students will begin its work by conducting an audit of current College efforts. Results of the audit will be used to help identify additional opportunities for sustainability efforts. The committee will then examine the feasibility of the various options in regards to impact and cost-effectiveness and will make recommendations to President Maxey and his Cabinet.
Rochester Institute of Technology Building Receives LEED Gold
The Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) College of Applied Science and Technology building has received LEED Gold certification. The 43,000 square-foot building, which opened in April, features rainwater reuse systems, lighting and climate control systems, and a curriculum that uses the building as a teaching tool.
Saint Xavier U Opens Green Residence Hall
Saint Xavier University (IL) has opened a new green residence hall. The 36,664 square-foot building was built with the goal of achieving LEED Gold certification. The new hall was designed to use both natural and mechanical ventilation, and a 50-foot high circular glass stair tower draws tempered air to assist in summer night pre-cooling and winter heating. The structure also features solar panels on the roof and a rain garden that filters roof water runoff. In addition, 100 percent of its power comes from a mixture of renewable energy sources and carbon offsets.
Saint Xavier U Print Services Goes Green
Saint Xavier University's (IL) Copy Cats Print Services has announced a new initiative to make their business more environmentally friendly. Copy Cats has purchased a new digital system that uses 45 percent less electricity, emits 48 percent less heat, releases no ozone or particle emissions and is lead-free.
SF Chronicle Covers Green Curriculum in Culinary Schools
The San Francisco Chronicle has published an article on the increasing amount of green projects and curriculum in culinary schools across California. The article mentions the Culinary Institute of America's farmer's market stand; the California Culinary Academy's course devoted to vegetarian cooking; and the Art Institute of California's used cooking oil project.
SFSU Business School Commits to Responsible Mgmt Education
San Francisco State University's (CA) College of Business has signed on to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a global platform convened by the United Nations Global Compact to advance corporate responsibility worldwide. The PRME provides a framework for academic institutions to advance the broader cause of corporate social responsibility and incorporate universal values into curricula and research.
Suffolk U Residence Hall Earns LEED Gold
Suffolk University's (MA) 10 West Residence Hall has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The renovated building features low-flow plumbing fixtures, a bike storage room, EnergyStar products, and low-emitting materials such as carpets, sealants, and paints. The Residence Hall also contains signage that informs occupants and visitors of its green features.
U Alabama Eliminates Trays on Campus
The University of Alabama has eliminated lunch trays from its buffet-style dining halls. The initiative seeks to conserve water and energy and decrease food waste on campus. Since the initiative began, UA has observed a 25 percent decrease in electricity use and in food waste. Trays are still available, however, upon request.
U Chicago Launches New Sustainability Website
The University of Chicago (IL) has launched a new sustainability website that aims to provide an overview of sustainable practices on campus and help raise environmental awareness. The new website serves as a portal to the University of Chicago's sustainability activities, initiatives, and programs, and lists resources to help students, faculty, and staff develop new ideas and enhance green initiatives on campus.
U Cincinnati Study on Community Partnerships Features Sustainability
The University of Cincinnati (OH) has completed "Community Interactions and Collaborations: Peer Institutional Study," a report commissioned by UC to help the University gauge the effectiveness of its own partnerships with local communities, the city, and other large employers to stem decline in the neighborhoods surrounding the University. The areas of measurement included environment and sustainability, impacts on wider metro region, social capital development, avoiding use of eminent domain, and partner
UC San Diego Students Help University Cool Buildings
A group of University of California, San Diego undergraduate students have designed, built, and deployed a network of five weather-monitoring stations as a key step toward helping the University use ocean breezes to cool buildings, identify the sunniest rooftops to expand its solar-electric system, and use water more efficiently in irrigation and in other ways. The network, which will be expanded to 20 stations in 2008, includes stations on San Diego-area schools and businesses.
U Florida Football Goes Carbon Neutral
The University of Florida has announced that the 2008 Florida Gators home football season will be carbon neutral. The initiative, named Neutral Gator, aims to offset carbon emissions produced from game day activities including automobile travel, flights, hotel stays, and stadium energy usage. UFL will be the first college to host a carbon neutral football season. Neutral Gator has also partnered with a local utility company to provide compact fluorescent light-blubs to low income neighborhoods and is working to install solar panels on the UFL campus. Neutral Gator is a result of a partnership between the UFL Office of Sustainability, the University Athletic Association, and the Florida based non-profit Earth Givers Inc.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Hires Natural Resource Sustainability Dir.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has hired William W. Shilts as the Executive Director of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability. Since joining the Institute, Shilts has made the environmentally preferable development of Illinois’ energy resources a priority. The Institute comprises the four state scientific surveys that recently became part of the Urbana campus: the Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Opens Green Business Building
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has opened its Business Instructional Facility, a building that features solar panels, a green roof, and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. The University is seeking LEED Platinum or Gold certification.
U Maryland College Park GHG Report
The University of Maryland, College Park has released its inaugural inventory of campus greenhouse gas emissions. In Fiscal Year 2007, the University emitted 352,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. The major sources of campus emissions were from the electricity and steam produced by the campus co-generation plant (38%), purchased electricity (25%), and transportation including the daily commuting of the campus community (19%), air travel (13%), and the University fleet including the campus shuttle bus system (2%). Total emissions during the 2002-2007 study period decreased slightly, despite campus growth, due to the installation of a combined heat and power plant, which began operating in FY 2004, and greater on- and near-campus student housing. Work will soon begin on the FY 2008 GHG inventory.
U Maryland to Recycle at Home Football Games
The University of Maryland College Park has launched "Feed the Turtle," a new recycling program for home football games that is part of a campus-wide initiative to green the University. The program will recycle bottles, cans, and cardboard, and compost food waste and biodegradable packaging. In all, more than 50 tons of material is expected to be diverted from landfills. If successful, the program will be rolled out to other Athletic Department venues on campus.
U Montana Purchases Bio-diesel Bus
The University of Montana has purchased a new bio-diesel bus for its campus bus service. The new bus is the second in a series of four buses that the University plans to purchase, and was funded through a federal grant and the student transportation fee. The remaining two buses will be purchased through equal funding from the student transportation fee, the Office of Administration and Finance, and the campus' federal transportation grant.
U New Hampshire Launches EcoGastronomy Program
The University of New Hampshire has launched an EcoGastronomy program that takes students to the field, the kitchen, the lab, and Italy to study the complexities of sustainable food systems. The program links the fields of sustainable agriculture, hospitality, and nutrition. As a dual major, EcoGastronomy must be taken alongside a declared primary major. The program is a partnership of UNH’s College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and Whittemore School of Business and Economics, in collaboration with the University Office of Sustainability. It includes two courses specific to EcoGastronomy as well as existing courses food and beverage management, and food and society and sustainable food production. The program also requires a semester abroad at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, and language proficiency in Italian.
U Southern Miss to Create Bike-Share Program
The University of Southern Mississippi has announced plans to create a campus bike-share program. The President’s Office, together with the Student Government Association, is heading up the initiative that is tentatively named Eagle Bikes. The aim of the effort is to provide bicycles for faculty, staff, and students to use, then leave them behind for the next rider. The bicycles will be painted the same, bright color for easy identification.
UW Oshkosh Becomes Fair Trade University
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has become a "Fair Trade University." To achieve this distinction, UW Oshkosh’s four governing bodies endorsed a resolution outlining its commitment to: selling Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea, and chocolate in dining establishments, at catered functions, and in department offices whenever feasible and within the confines of its food service contract; offering Fair Trade Certified food products and handicrafts at university stores whenever possible; and identifying and ack
Vanderbilt U Expands U-Pass Program
Vanderbilt University (TN) has expanded its Free Ride program to include graduate and professional school students, allowing them to commute to and from campus for free using the local bus system. The program has been offered to Vanderbilt employees since July 2004.
Villanova U Announces Year of Sustainability, Sustainability Eng. Prgm
Villanova University (PA) has announced that its 2008-2009 academic year has been designated as the "Year of Sustainability." As part of this theme, VU has also developed an interdisciplinary Master's of Science in Sustainable Engineering, available for enrollment in 2009. Open to engineers from all different fields, this program introduces students to the broader issues of sustainability through a series of core courses and then allows them to pursue one of three specialty tracks: alternative energy, sus
Website Lists Top 5 Green Colleges
Planet Green has published a list of the top 5 green colleges. The list includes Pitzer College (CA), College of the Atlantic (ME), Evergreen State College (WA), Oberlin College (OH), and Harvard University (MA).
Western Kentucky U Hires Sustainability Coordinator
Western Kentucky University has appointed Christian Ryan-Downing as the University's first Sustainability Coordinator. Ryan-Downing will help identify and develop opportunities for reducing the University’s environmental footprint and operational costs through campus initiatives that reduce waste and use energy, water, and other resources more efficiently. She will work with students, faculty, and staff at WKU to integrate sustainability principles and practices into the University’s operations and culture. Ryan-Downing graduated from WKU in December 2007 with a Master's of Science degree; her graduate research focused on sustainability at WKU. As a student, she was a co-founder and president of GreenToppers Students for Campus Sustainability.
Western Michigan U Greens Form Submission System
Western Michigan University has created a system that allows campus members to submit Temporary Appointment Forms and Incidental Payment Forms online. The change from paper to electronic forms took place in late July.
Yale U Pilots Composting Program
Yale University (CT) has started a pilot program to compost waste from three dining halls on campus. The initiative, which is being led by Yale's recycling coordinator, works with a local waste management company who picks up food waste from the three halls and hauls it to a composting facility nearby. The food takes about 90 days to turn into soil.
Yale U Student Builds Sustainable House
Yale University (CT) graduate student, Elizabeth Turnbull, with the help of family and friends, has designed and constructed a sustainable house to live in while attending graduate school. The 144 square feet Tiny House, as she calls it, features a composting toilet, solar panels, and recycled sailboat sails for ceilings. Turnbull decided to build the house after she realized that building the structure would actually save her money on housing and greatly reduce her carbon footprint while at Yale.
York U Creates Sustainability Council, Adopts Fair Labor Policy
York University (ON) has created a new Sustainability Council with broad representation from across campus, including students. The council, which will report to York President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, will provide input on ways to better address issues of sustainability on a pan-University level. Additionally, York University has adopted a workplace code of conduct for its trademark licensees and has joined the Fair Labor Association and the Workers’ Rights Consortium. The code outlines the conditions that must be met when licensed goods bearing York’s names and marks are manufactured.
Associated Press Covers Increasing Need for Wind Turbine Technicians
The Associated Press has published an article on the rapidly increasing need for wind energy technicians and the corresponding launch of several renewable energy technician programs at community colleges across the U.S. The article notes that a new program at Iowa Lakes Community College has experience a class size increase from 15 to approximately 90 students from last year to this year.
Associated Press, USA Today Publish Articles on Campus Bicycling
The Associated Press has published an article on the increasing number of bicycle programs on college campuses across the U.S. The article mentions bike-sharing and bike giveaway programs at Emory University (GA), Ripon College (WI), Duke University (NC), Northern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and the University of Washington. The USA Today has also published an article on campus bicycling. Its story mentions current bike programs at Ripon College and Auburn University (AL), and a proposed bike path at the State University of New York at Albany.
ASU Offers Sustainability Specialization in Undergrad Business Prgm
Arizona State University will offer a new Bachelor of Arts degree program in business this fall that allows freshman to specialize in sustainability, tourism management, communication or urban policy. ASU's School of Sustainability will provide many of the classes required for the new sustainability specialization.
Bowdoin College to Ban Cars for First-Year Students
Bowdoin College (ME) has announced plans to ban cars for first-year students starting in the fall of 2008. The move is part of the College's ongoing efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility. It is also intended to foster an even greater sense of community and involvement by first-year students during first year of college.
College of the Atlantic Offers Green Business Undergraduate Prgm
The College of the Atlantic (ME) has begun offering an undergraduate program in Green and Socially Responsible Business. The program aims to teach students to learn how to do well financially by doing good ecologically and socially. The new program will be led by Jay Friedlander, who will also hold the Sharpe/McNally Chair in Green and Socially Responsible Business.
Green Mountain College to Hold Green Freshman Orientation
Green Mountain College (VT) has announced plans to hold an environmentally friendly freshman orientation this year. As part of the initiative, GMC reduced the amount of paper to be used during the event and will hold several workshops and public campaigns aimed at teaching students how to reduce their carbon footprint. The College has also encouraged students to bring their own utensils and travel mugs to orientation and will offer a locally produced breakfast one day during the event.
Ithaca College Opens Academic Year with Green Picnic
Ithaca College's (NY) annual zero-waste convocation ceremony and community picnic featured for the first time local seasonal foods, examples of solar- and bicycle-powered activities, and the distribution of reusable mugs made from 100% recycled plastic. Additionally, participants were asked to sign a “commitment to change” pledge to make more sustainable choices.
Ithaca College Receives $500,000 Sustainability Education Grant
Ithaca College (NY) has received a three-year $500,000 grant from HSBC Bank USA to support sustainability education on campus. Programs funded by the grant will include scholarships to attract incoming students from diverse backgrounds with a passion for social and environmental change; a fellowship program to recognize and reward students engaged in exemplary environmental or sustainability projects while in college; an internship and research fund for supplies and materials, student and faculty stipends, and conference expenses to deliver presentations on successful projects; and a scholar-in-residence program bringing in a series of exceptional speakers for two–day to two–week visits in order to provide students and faculty with diverse perspectives and ongoing inspiration to act on behalf of the environment.
