Bicycling Magazine Pins Nine Cyclist-Friendly Colleges
The magazine's recent ranking evaluates efforts to incorporate innovative ways to increase cycling as a means of transportation. Highlighted universities include University of Louisville; Bowdoin College; University of California, Davis; Michigan State University; Portland State University; University of Colorado, Boulder; University of Minnesota; University of Arizona; and Stanford University.
Princeton U New Sustainability Website Goes Live
The university's new website is an online sustainability platform where the campus community can get involved, explore the campus as a living lab, view live data, and read news and announcements.
Cornell U Hosts Climate Change Website
(U.S.): The newly released website houses university research and outreach program information, issue-specific pages to help farmers, local government and youth educators, a climate change forum, videos and question and answer section.
Georgetown U Invites Campus Input on Sustainability Plan
(U.S.): After recently establishing its Office of Sustainability, the university held a sustainability planning workshop soliciting engagement from students, faculty and staff members in the areas of food systems, transportation, water, buildings, energy, solid waste, grounds and procurement.
Middlebury College & Orion Magazine Partner for Conference
(U.S.): Growing the college's own environmental writing conference, the college and the magazine are collaborating for The Bread Loaf Orion Environmental Writers' Conference taking place at Middlebury College from June 9 through 15.
Penn State Braces Old Trees On Campus
(U.S.): The university's Department of Landscaping recently hired two Japanese master gardeners to teach traditional tree preservation techniques and assist in installing support braces on a 100-year-old Japanese maple.
St. Mary's College Maryland Proposes Wage Policy
(U.S.): The newly proposed living wage scheme by campus campaigners aims to meet the schools' claims of social responsibility, respect and community maintenance, proposing a ratio of 10-to-1 for the highest to lowest paid employees.
U Buffalo Connects EV Car-Charging Stations
(U.S.): Contributing to the university's 2030 climate neutrality efforts, the new charging stations at three UB campuses are part of a state initiative to install 80 throughout the state.
UC Berkeley Installs Recycled Recycling Bins
(U.S.): Agreeing to contribute to campus sustainability projects, the university's beverage contract funded each of the 13 newly installed, custom-designed bins, each made from 1,550 plastic milk jugs.
U Idaho Students Develop Net-Zero Lab
(U.S.): After time spent researching forestry's role in wood production, graduate students were challenged to use the resource in new and innovative ways to construct a new campus laboratory building.
U Iowa Students Hold Sustainability Summit
(U.S.): Hosted by the university's Student Government, the event invited dialogue from administrators, students, faculty, staff and community members about campus sustainability and taking action beyond campus borders.
U Oman to be Built on Sustainable Premise
(Oman): The yet-to-be-built university will use best practices for environmentally-friendly design and offer fossil-free transportation systems. Academic themes will include Energy, Resources and Sustainability, Systems Design and Technology, and Community Development and Wellness.
Wilfrid Laurier U Partnered with Regional Climate Action Plan
(Canada): Highlighted in a recent release of a regional climate action plan, proposal cited the university's collaborative efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the university's sustainability coordinator chaired a committee focusing on institutional, commercial and industrial areas.
Brandeis U Implements EV Charging Stations
In an attempt to move away from fossil fuels, a student proposed and helped launch the three electric vehicle charging stations hoping that the university will invest more in an electric fleet.
Columbia U Introduces Green Fund
Aimed at improving sustainability of the university's campus, the new fund will support student-led projects selected by a committee of personnel and students.
Keene State College Building Scores LEED Platinum
The Technology, Design and Safety Center building features site orientation to take advantage of natural lighting and airflow, operational windows with sensors that use passive heating and cooling, consideration toward indoor air quality through use of materials and recycled content, waterless and low-flow fixtures, and a photovoltaic array.
Maharishi U Management Students Build Adobe House
A group of 12 students studying natural building traveled to the Texas desert last month and spent 11 days building an adobe house measuring 14 feet by 14 feet. Construction included local soil for the bricks and locally harvested dead trees.
New Mexico State U Receives $2M for Water Research
Realizing the valuable role that water research plays in the state, the governor's office recently announced additional funding allocated to the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, which will be distributed to several universities including the University of New Mexico and New Mexico Tech.
Roosevelt U Appoints New Sustainability Committee Members
The university's Environmental Sustainability Committee recently appointed the members to help advance its campus sustainability agenda including waste diversion, energy use, sustainable land use and water management, green transportation options and green building guidelines.
Syracuse U Plants Climate Change Landscaping
Consisting of native species suited to its current clime and ones projected to grow there by the end of the century, the garden was designed to research climate change effects on the ecosystem.
Ten Universities Collaborate on Local Food Procurement
In an effort to procure more affordable locally-grown food, Yale University, Brown University, Connecticut College, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, Rhode Island School of Design, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and University of New Hampshire gathered at Yale to discuss ways to take advantage of economies of scale in local food procurement.
U California Berkeley Students Conduct Waste Audit
Striving to meet the University of California system's zero waste commitment by 2020, the recent student audit revealed a multitude of plastics in the waste stream. This new data will be helpful to the university's recent commitment to Plastics Disclosure Project, which tracks the lifecycle of plastics used on campus and pledges to reduce plastic waste.
U California Merced to Double Solar Electricity
In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2020, the university recently announced plans to double its photovoltaic installations from one megawatt to two megawatts using 11 campus buildings and the chancellor's residence.
U Vermont Partners on Climate Education
The university's recent memorandum of understanding with the local power utility indicates that the university will have a presence in the power company's Energy Innovation Center and will work collaboratively to advance climate science and understanding of how weather affects energy use.
Binghamton U Debuts Bike-Share Program
Students at the university recently launched a bike-share program that will be rolled out in the coming semesters. The students are hoping to prove the success of the program so that the university provides deeper support.
Dickinson College Selects Sustainability Fellows
The Baird Sustainability Fellows, a college-wide honors program, recognized seven graduating seniors who have advanced campus sustainability goals through scholarship, leadership and service.
Elon U Building Achieves LEED Silver
The university's newest dining hall features low-flow water fixtures and dual-flush toilets, low-irrigation landscaping, Energy Star windows, and a high attention to indoor air quality.
Harvard U Students Jumpstart Bottled Water Ban
Student members of the university's Environmental Action Committee recently kicked off the Beyond the Bottle campaign with student signatures leading up to a ballot referendum to ban the sale of disposables.
