Roosevelt U Building Earns LEED Gold
The 32-story building features rooftop gardens, an exterior glass pattern that deters bird collision, pulper and composting systems, an indoor bicycle storage area, and innovative use of a small and unique urban land site.
Rowan U to Introduce New Recycling Initiative
The university has announced plans to reduce the number of trashcans in academic buildings in an effort to increase recycling rates. A grant from Coca-Cola will be used to purchase additional recycling bins that will be placed throughout campus.
Simon Fraser U Holds Green Lab Energy Reduction Challenge
The university recently held an energy reduction challenge to encourage occupants of the campus science and chemistry buildings to reduce their energy use. Facilities and Sustainability Office staff monitored fume hood and lighting usage in labs at different times of the day, and prizes were awarded.
Southern Oregon U Highlighted in Energy Department Video Series
The U.S. Department of Energy has released its fourth video in the “Clean Energy in Our Community” series, highlighting clean energy investments by the university. Some of the initiatives highlighted include the school’s investments in renewable energy, sustainability, and purchase of renewable energy certificates.
SUNY ESF Launches Eco-Rep Program
The university has launched a new Eco-Representative Program that uses peer-to-peer interaction to raise awareness about sustainability issues among students living in a campus residence hall. The Office of Energy and Sustainability provided a budget of $1,000 for the Eco-Reps to fund the program throughout the academic year.
The New School Solar House Becomes Home to Local Families
A student-assembled solar powered house that won the Solar Decathlon’s affordability contest will become a real home for two families in Washington D.C. Working with project partner Habitat for Humanity, volunteer builders fully realized the housing design by adding a second story and a second unit, making it a two-family home.
U British Columbia Launches Sustainability Engagement Strategy
The university has implemented a new initiative asking campus community members to contribute feedback and ideas on a campus-wide Engagement and Social Marketing Strategy. Information will be collected via surveys, focus group sessions, and a pilot program. The results of this campaign will assist the university in further achieving its reduction targets for energy, greenhouse gases, water and waste.
U California Riverside Students Build Mobile Solar Power System
Engineering students have designed and built a mobile solar power system aimed to replace gasoline-powered generators to provide clean energy everywhere including on- and off-campus projects. The Green Campus Action Plan, a student-approved green fee, provided funding for the $34,000 project.
U Guelph Earns Fair Trade Status
The university has received Fair Trade Campus status from Fairtrade Canada. The certification is a result of the university’s commitment to purchase fair-trade products that uphold social and environmental standards to protect food producers and the environment.
U Memphis Students Hold Living Wage Teach-In
The Progressive Student Alliance, a campus group dedicated to organizing against racism, sexism and economic oppressions, held a “teach-in” to emphasize the importance of campus workers getting paid a living wage.
U Mississippi Food Bank Caters to Students in Need
The university has opened an on-campus food bank to provide access to meals for students in need, focusing on the overall health and well being of the campus community. The student-led initiative was made possible through financial donations and food drives.
U Vermont Hosts First Bike Summit
The university has held its first annual Bike Summit in an effort to raise awareness about bike visibility on campus. The participants of the summit discussed options such as more bike racks around campus, more bike lanes downtown and a shop on campus to help with bike repairs.
U Washington Installs Eco Thermostats in Residence Halls
The university’s Division of Student Life has developed and installed an Eco Thermostat for new residence halls on campus, putting students directly in touch with their energy consumption. Total energy needs in buildings with Eco Thermostats are expected to be reduced by about five percent.
U Washington Students Develop 3-D Printer to Transform Waste
A student team has developed an inexpensive machine that can turn discarded plastic waste into useful objects. The group plans to work with Water for Humans, a nonprofit organization, to build three-dimensional printers that can make composting toilets and rain-catchment systems to be used in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Valdosta State U Recognized for Adult Learning Success
The university has been recognized by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning for its efforts to improve access and college completion for adults. The university has established the office of Adult and Military Programs to improve degree completion for adult learners with particular attention to members of the military and veterans.
Western Michigan U Opens New Sustainability Office
The university’s Office of Sustainability has been relocated to a building that formerly housed the University Bookstore. The renovated facility showcases existing campus sustainability initiatives and a new Sustainability Studio that will house a bicycle repair cooperative. A new electric car charging station has also been installed in the parking lot.
Appeals Court Overturns Michigan Ban on Affirmative Action
In an 8-7 decision, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has overturned Michigan's voter-approved ban on affirmative action in college admissions and public hiring. The court struck down the amendment to the state's constitution, known as Proposal 2, on the grounds that it creates unfair barriers to minority participation in the political process.
Arizona State U Launches Composting Program
In celebration of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge, the university has introduced composting at two dining halls on campus. Food-service workers have begun using “Green Bins” to compost all food and paper food-service items. The university will expand its composting efforts through its Green Bin program beginning in January 2013 to include students, faculty and staff.
Arizona State U Science Building Achieves LEED Gold
The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology building features a photovoltaic array that supplies over 16 percent of its energy use, optimal building orientation based on local climate conditions, and performance monitoring to ensure the building will continue to meet its energy use reduction goals over the life of the building.
Catholic U Installs Green Roof
The university has installed its third green roof on campus as part of the university’s efforts to foster sustainability and environmental stewardship. The 1,488-square-foot installation will reduce stormwater run-off and prevent UV radiation and extreme temperatures from degrading the underlying roof membrane.
Concordia College Hosts 100-Mile Thanksgiving
The college hosted the annual event in partnership with local farmers and several student groups in an effort to raise community awareness about the benefits of choosing local foods.
DePauw U to Constructs Student Farm
The university has announced plans to break ground for a new campus farm in 2013. The Sustainability Club will grow produce on the farm that will be used in the campus dining halls. Partial funding for the project came from a $20,000 donation from two university trustees.
Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns on the Rise
Fossil fuel divestment campaigns are active at about 50 U.S. campuses , and many more are expected to launch in coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Board of Trustees at Unity College voted to divest their endowment from fossil fuel industries. . (And last year Hampshire College (MA) passed a sustainable investment policy that effectively divested endowment funds from fossil fuels.) More recently, the Harvard College Undergraduate Council announced 72 percent of voting students want Harvard University to divest its $30.7 billion endowment from fossil fuels. The divestment movement has increasingly received national exposure due in part to Bill McKibben’s 21-city Do the Math tour. A recent Boston Globe op-ed by McKibben and Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, calls on colleges to make no new investments in fossil fuels, “wind down” current investments in five years, and invest in increasing their own energy efficiency for a greater return.
Georgia Tech Creates Bike Sustainability Map
The Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee, in partnership with Capital Planning and Space Management, has released the campus' first Bike Suitability Map. The map highlights trails based on level of difficulty and displays campus multi-use paths.
Georgia Tech Students Oversee Community Garden
Members of the group, Students Organizing for Sustainability, have constructed and are maintaining six organic garden beds on campus. More than a dozen produce varieties will be harvested with the inaugural fall crop, and leftover produce will be donated to a local soup kitchen.
Humboldt State U Redesigns MBA to Focus on Sustainability
The university has restructured its Master of Business Administration program to focus on sustainability and career growth. The interdisciplinary program will mesh with undergraduate programs including the natural, environmental and social sciences. Students will analyze strategic sustainability issues of companies, non-profits and other organizations; with a focus on innovation and creation of new markets.
Illinois State U Dining Services to Eliminate Promotional Fliers
Campus Dining Services has announced plans to eliminate the use of table tents in all dining centers beginning this spring. By switching to information screens for advertising and promotion, groups on campus could save a combined estimated total of $12,450 per semester.
Marquette U Launches Improved Composting Program
The university’s sustainability department is launching an improved composting program through a new partnership with Growing Power, a local urban-farming initiative. Five campus eateries will participate in the composting initiative.
New California State U Chancellor Requests 10 Percent Pay Cut
The university system’s incoming chancellor, Timothy P. White, requested a 10 percent pay cut, saying in a letter to trustees, that he hopes the move will send a signal that "public higher education matters to all of us, and that we each must play a part in the rebuilding."
Northern Alberta IT Launches Trades to Degrees Initiative
The institute has introduced the Trades to Degrees initiative that allows certified tradespeople to be admitted directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Business Administration program. The program provides an opportunity for tradespersons to expand their careers, acknowledging the value of work experience and post-secondary education leading to certification as a tradesperson.
Oak Hills Christian College to Offer Loan-Repayment Assistance
The college has announced plans to begin offering loan-repayment assistance next fall for incoming freshman. Through the Loan Repayment Assistant Program, graduates will be eligible to receive up to $34,000 per year to pay back student loans, and benefits will be prorated based on a graduate’s salary. The college is one of two U.S. colleges to sign up with the Loan Repayment Assistance Program Association.
Ohio State U Creates Organic Garden
In an effort to bring a food-to-fork concept to campus, the university’s Ecological Engineering Society, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and a local chef have collaborated to create an on-campus organic garden that will provide fresh ingredients to a university café. Project funding came from a Coca-Cola Student Sustainability Grant.
Purdue U Research Farm Receives Organic Certification
The university’s 10-acre research farm has been certified as organic by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. The farm will allow researchers to evaluate organic-farming management practices and assess how particular crop varieties perform under organic conditions.
St. Clair County CC Receives Greenforce Mini Grant
The college has used a $3,000 Greenforce Initiative Innovation Mini Grant to help produce three videos showcasing how it uses green technology to educate students. The videos include how students study bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, solar hot water, heat and electrical systems, wind turbine technology, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
SUNY Sullivan Opens Sustainability Lab
The 1,278-square-foot laboratory includes HVAC, wind, solar, and hydraulic simulators to be used as a teaching and demonstration tool. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority funded the lab through the SUNYGreensNY grant consortium.
U Maine Constructs Greenhouse
A newly constructed, 26x96-foot, hoop-style greenhouse will be used by UMaine Greens, a student-run organization, to localize the university’s food system and provide greens to dining services. A composting facility is also being installed nearby.
U Maryland to Require Construction Waste Recycling
The university has announced plans to require departments to recycle construction and demolition waste from campus projects starting in winter 2013. Construction and demolition waste materials will be collected and transported to different processors depending on the material type. Campus construction is estimated to generate about 300 to 800 tons of recyclable waste per year.
Urbana U Installs Solar Array
The university has installed a 500-kilowatt solar array that will provide one-fifth of its total electrical usage. The panels are owned and maintained by Melink Corporation under a 10-year purchase agreement.
U Washington Launches New Sustainability Awareness Tool
The Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability office has launched ‘Sustainability Snapshots,” its newest awareness tool. The new website aims to catalog the various sustainability projects and initiatives happening on campus in one location, including facts about the project’s impact.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Academic Center Earns LEED Gold
The academic center features roof-mounted thermal and parking lot photovoltaic solar panels, a green roof with low-maintenance plantings, and in-floor radiant heating and cooling systems. The sustainable features are estimated to save the university $182,000 annually.
Wellesley College Launches Composting Program
The college’s Office of Sustainability has partnered with Wellesley Fresh to launch a new compost project in the dining halls. The joint initiative will first address waste generated in food preparation, and will later tackle post-consumer food waste.
Bellevue College Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The college has installed a DC fast charger for electric vehicles on campus. The new charger utilizes direct current to provide an 80 percent charge in approximately 30 minutes. Four conventional chargers have also been installed at the college in recent months, and all five stations are available to the public for a fee.
Brazil Passes Affirmative-Action Law
(Brazil): The Brazilian Supreme Court has passed an affirmative-action law that requires its public universities to reserve half of their admission spots for low-income students and compels its institutions to diversify according to the racial makeup within each region. Officials expect the number of black students to increase significantly.
Davis & Elkins College Students Design, Build Micro-Farm
(U.S.): Students from an Introduction to Sustainability Studies class helped build the Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneur (SAGE) Initiative classroom garden. Participating students will use the garden to grow produce that will be sold to local food suppliers. The aim of the SAGE initiative is to encourage students to replicate the techniques learned in class to be implemented elsewhere.
EAUC Announces 2012 Green Gown Awards Winners
(U.K.): Winners and commendations were bestowed across 13 categories at the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges’ 2012 Green Gown Awards. Now in its eighth year, the awards program recognizes exceptional initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the U.K. to become more sustainable.
