U Queensland Creates Living Laboratories Initiative
(Australia): The Living Laboratories initiative aims to connect sustainability projects with teaching to provide real examples of student learning. The first site was completed in November 2012 and involved the planting of 2,000 trees on campus, with the help of over 60 student and staff volunteers. Projects planned for the future include revegetating land that was damaged by floods, capturing methane from a pig farm to create electricity, and stimulating the regrowth of mangroves along a riverbank.
Wesleyan U Renovation Achieves LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The renovation of the multi-purpose academic building features a 2,500 square foot green roof, low-flow plumbing, triple glazing on windows, and over 52 percent of the total wood-based building materials that were harvested from FSC-certified forests.
Yale U Launches Surplus Exchange Website
(U.S.): The Yale Administration office has launched a new website, Eli Surplus Exchange, that allows for all university offices and laboratories to purchase, sell, or exchange furniture, equipment, or other items. The website aims to help departments make better use of their surplus equipment and save money when procuring new supplies, while also supporting sustainability goals of recycling and reuse.
Yeshiva U Releases Updated GHG Report
(U.S.): Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by seven percent since 2008 according to an updated report. The university is in the process of converting boilers from oil to cleaner burning natural gas, is installing efficient lighting and water upgrades, and is introducing other HVAC upgrades in an effort to lower emissions 20 percent by 2020.
AAUP Seeks Better Policies on Preventing Sexual Assaults
The American Association of University Professors’ new report, “Campus Sexual Assault: Suggested Policies and Procedures” calls for clearer policies about what constitutes assault; coherent reporting procedures drafted in tandem with local law enforcement; more effective prevention campaigns targeted at both male and female students; and greater faculty awareness.
Elon U Francis Center Earns LEED Silver
The renovations of the Gerald L. Francis Center incorporated 95 percent of existing structural elements, included the use of sustainably harvested wood, and resulted in a 96 percent diversion rate for construction waste. The center is the tenth LEED-certified building on campus.
Elon U Residence Building Achieves LEED Silver
The Depot building’s sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, drip irrigation, efficient lighting, a green cleaning program, and a comprehensive approach to stormwater management. The university also purchased renewable energy credits equal to 70 percent of the electric use for two years.
Harvard U Creates New Position for Sustainable Investing
Harvard Management Company has created a new position devoted to researching and understanding sustainability issues related to the university’s $30.7 billion endowment. The new Vice President of Sustainable Investing will also serve as HMC’s primary liaison to other University offices on environmental, social, and governance investment issues.
NCADAC Releases Draft Climate Report for Public Review
The National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) has released a draft climate report that includes more than 240 authors. Following extensive review by the National Academies of Sciences and by the public, this report will be revised by the NCADAC and, after additional review, will be submitted to the Federal Government for consideration in the Third National Climate Assessment Report.
New York U Receives $40M for Urban City Development Institute
The university has started a new institute dedicated to urban city development and sustainability upon receiving a $40 million private donation. The Marron Institute will focus on policies and initiatives aimed at creating more livable cities for their residents.
NY Times Transgender Coverage On the Rise in College Health Plans
A growing number of colleges have begun offering student health insurance plans with coverage for gender reassignment surgery and related hormone therapy, reports a recent New York Times article. According to the article, because the issue directly affects a small number of students, “universities recognize that their insurance plan sends a signal to the much larger number of students for whom the rights of transgender people have taken a place alongside gay rights as a cause that matters.”
Paul Smith’s College Installs Smart Meters
The college has installed electricity meters that illustrate how much power is being consumed in 15 residence halls. The $43,000 project includes a 55-inch television screen in the student center that displays energy updates in real time. Students will compete to see which resident hall can reduce electricity use the most over a four-week period.
Pennsylvania State U to Create Sustainability Institute
The university has announced the launch of a Sustainability Institute to bring together researchers, educators, students, staff and community members from multiple colleges, campuses and frames of reference. An aim for the institute is to dissolve the traditional boundaries of the classroom to partner operations with research, teaching and community engagement.
President Obama Unveils Changes to Higher Ed Policy
“Colleges must do their part to keep their costs down, and it’s our job to make sure they do,” President Obama said in his annual State of the Union Address. “Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.” He also said his administration would release "a new 'College Scorecard' that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criterion—where you can get the most bang for your educational buck."
Santa Monica College Opens Bike Parking Lot
The college has opened a $600,000 bike parking lot that holds up to 400 bicycles. The three-quarter acre parking lot also provides secure skateboard parking and DIY fix-it stations.
Sarah Lawrence College Introduces Car Sharing Program
The college has partnered with Zipcar to offer a car sharing service for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Students now have the opportunity to participate in the Students With Drive grant program, which provides students with free Zipcar membership and driving credits to support campus student organizations.
Seattle U Launches Center for Environmental Justice
The primary goal for the newly launched Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability will be to promote scholarship by faculty and students and support them as they engage with others in the community on projects related to environmental justice. The center will adopt an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, crossing boundaries of different colleges and schools.
Sterling College Divests from Fossil Fuel Companies
The college has announced that it will soon divest its endowment from the two hundred fossil fuel companies identified by 350.org in its effort to move higher education toward fossil free investment. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to instruct the investment team to take this action and to move swiftly to divest.
U Arizona Ranked Top in Nation for Environmental Research
The university has been ranked as the top environmental university in the U.S. based on several measures of productivity for research publications in environmental science, according to a report published in the Journal Science of the Total Environment. The study was based on the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database to analyze research report indicators such as the number of top-cited articles published by an institution, scientific publications resulting from collaborations, and the lifespan and history of articles.
U California Santa Cruz Biomedical Building Earns LEED Gold
Sustainable features at the Biomedical Sciences Facility include daylighting, active chilled beams in the laboratories, reduced air change rates, and low-pressure-drop design of air handling systems. In addition, building information modeling was used throughout design and construction.
U District of Columbia Receives Grant to Create 4 Gardens
The university has received a $25,000 Verizon Foundation sustainability grant to create four “Gardens of the Senses” on campus. The gardens will serve as an educational tool on environmental literacy. There will be a garden of colors and sights; one of smells and scents; another of touch; and an additional garden dedicated to plant research.
U Florida Launches Sustainability Campaign
The Office of Sustainability has launched Under One Umbrella, a campaign that focuses on sustainability-related activities on campus and in the community to encourage students, faculty and Gainesville residents to learn how the various components of sustainability interact.
U Michigan Sustainable Workforce Expands to Health System
Sustainable Workplace, a certificate program that assists offices in creating greener workplaces, has expanded to the offices and units at the university’s Health System. The program focuses on behavioral changes to support waste prevention, energy reduction and increased awareness of sustainability.
Western Washington U Launches Sweater Days Campaign
The Office of Sustainability has launched Sweater Days, its first energy conservation awareness and action campaign. Sweater Days is a quarter-long series of events that promotes layering to stay warm instead of raising the thermostat.
2 Universities Join MUM’s Sustainability Consortium
In 2012, eight universities whose MBA programs feature courses in sustainable business formed a consortium under which their students can take summer courses on sustainability from the other members. Antioch University New England and the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater have joined the Consortium this year.
2 U Wisconsin La Crosse Buildings Earn LEED Gold
The university’s new residence hall and academic building have both received LEED Gold certification. Centennial Hall features a student-funded solar water heater. Both buildings’ sustainable features include rain gardens, passive solar design, white rooftops to reduce the heat island effect, and ample bicycle parking.
Boston U Debuts Sustainable Art Project
The university has created a new project titled Alternative Visions/Sustainable Futures, a collaboration between the College of Fine Arts and sustainability@bu. Throughout the semester, the cross-disciplinary project will explore the creative ways that artists, scholars, and members of the community might build a sustainable future.
Boston U Restaurants Certified Green
Each of the three eateries at the Center for Students Services has been named a Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association. Winning features included the restaurants’ use of cage-free eggs, local food sourcing, and abundance of vegetarian main dishes. The kitchens are outfitted with Energy Star appliances, water-efficient dishwashers and sink fixtures, and a food pulper that turns scraps into compost.
Bowie State U Partners with Toyota Green Initiative
The university has partnered with the Toyota Green Initiative, an environmental stewardship platform designed to empower Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) students and alumni on the benefits of adopting a sustainable lifestyle.
Cornell U Professor’s Sustainable Art Wins MoMA Competition
Using sustainable materials from an Ithaca skateboard company, a pavilion designed by Caroline O’Donnell, Assistant Professor of Architecture, was chosen from among five finalists in the Museum of Modern Art P.S.1's 14th annual Young Architects Program. The proposal was selected because of its identification and use of locally available resources to make an impactful and poetic architectural statement within MoMA P.S.1′s courtyard.
Cornell U Water Filtration System Wins Katerva Award
Designed by university researchers, the AguaClara water filtration system has won the Katerva Award in the Urban Design category. The system uses gravity to purify water without the use of electricity, and is currently providing clean drinking water to over 30,000 people in Honduras. AguaClara prides itself on being an open source technology, meaning all of its designs are scaleable and available online.
Edmonds CC Receives Grant for Sustainable Agriculture Education
The college has been awarded a $900,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for the Sustainable Agriculture Education Collaborative (SAgE). In partnership with Skagit Valley College, Seattle Central Community College, and Washington State University, the college will lead the SAgE Collaborative in preparing students for emerging green careers in sustainable agriculture and related environmental fields.
Harvard U Creates Lab Reuse List
The newly launched Harvard Labs Reuse List, intended as a university-wide resource, encourages and enables trade, reuse, and sharing of working laboratory equipment and supplies.
SUNY Cortland Introduces Single Stream Recycling
The university has launched a single-stream system in an effort to increase recycling rates and save money. A cost reduction of about $2,000 per year will result from the reduced carbon footprint of having fewer trucks needed to collect waste and recycling.
U British Columbia Gives Raises to All Female Professors
The university has given all female, tenure-track faculty members a two percent raise following a series of studies that found female professors earning less than their male counterparts. Some of that gap is explained by factors that were not deemed to constitute gender bias. The raises are an attempt to remedy the portion of the salary gap that cannot be explained by legitimate factors.
U Illinois Chicago to Switch to Cage-Free Eggs
The university has announced it will begin serving only cage-free eggs. This change comes after speaking with The Human League and receiving positive feedback from the campus community.
U Illinois Springfield to Offer Environmental Studies Degree
Starting in Fall 2013, the new Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies will equip students with the analytical tools for understanding and engaging in concerns related to the natural and social world. The program will offer multi-disciplinary curriculum with interdisciplinary learning goals, incorporating the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities; to ensure that graduates will gain a holistic understanding of complex environmental concerns and their natural, social, and ethical implications.
U Maryland Debuts New Diversity Campaign
The university has launched Rise Above, a new diversity campaign to encourage the campus community to rise above prejudices, intolerance and discrimination. The campaign will award grants of up to $750 for campus initiatives that promote on-campus diversity and cultural acceptance through communication. The campaign’s mission will be publicized through buttons, tabling and fliers. The cost for the campaign is estimated at $10,000 over the 2013-2014 school year, and officials have set aside $20,000 for grants.
U North Carolina Earns ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ Honor
The university has been named “Best Workplaces for Commuters” by the National Center for Transit Research for its commitment to innovative sustainable transportation. Alternative transportation initiatives include on-campus car and bicycle sharing services and fare-free public transportation have led to an 8 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from commuter vehicles since 2008.
U Rochester Named Tree Campus USA
The university has been certified as a Tree Campus USA institution by the Arbor Day foundation. There are 61 trees, 12 conifers, and six gardens on campus.
York U Launches Initiative to Provide Higher Ed to Refugees
The university has received more than $4.5 million from the Canadian International Development Agency to lead the Borderless Higher Education for Refugees project in Dadaab, Kenya. The initiative aims to provide higher education to primary and secondary school teachers in six refugee camps on the Kenya-Somalia border.
23 Florida Colleges Accept $10,000 Degree Challenge
Twenty-three Florida public colleges and universities have accepted Governor Rick Scott’s “$10,000 Degree Challenge,” as part of a higher education affordability agenda. Participating schools will offer at least one degree at a total cost of $10,000.
