Higher Ed Endowments Lagging in Sustainable Investments
Once a leader in adopting environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria in their investments, higher education endowments in the U.S. are now lagging behind mainstream institutional investors, reports a recent GreenBiz.com article. Informed by a new, joint report from the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute and Tellus Institute, the article says one indicator of the failure of college and university endowments to keep up is the absence of these institutions as signatories to key institutional networks like the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment and the Council of Institutional Investors. U.S. college and university endowments control more than $400 billion in combined assets.
McMaster U Wins Clean Air Commute
The university avoided the emission of 6.89 tons of pollutants during the week-long Clean Air Commute, taking the top spot for its size category among 180 workplaces in the challenge. Taking place across Ontario, the challenge encouraged the use of sustainable modes of transportation to work or school.
New Aspen Institute Data Addresses Low-Income Student Success
The Aspen Institute has published a data set tracking the performance of 120 community colleges it picked as finalists for the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. These finalists demonstrate strong performance and improvement in first-year retention rates; three-year graduation and transfer rates; and credentials awarded per 100 "full-time equivalent" students including underrepresented minority and low income students. The institute hopes the data can be used to learn what works best toward minority and low-income student success.
Oregon IT Students to Install Solar Systems in Tanzanian Villages
Ten students will travel to Tanzania to install solar energy systems for schools and hospitals as part of the Oregon Institute of Technology’s renewable energy engineering degree program. The project was launched in 2010 to provide energy to power lights that allow students to study after dark and medical professionals to perform surgery with adequate illumination.
Portland State U Students Build Prison Garden with Inmates
Students at the university recently worked side-by-side with the inmate gardeners to expand and plant a garden at Oregon’s only women’s prison. The project was part of a "Women’s Prison Gardens" capstone course, which focuses primarily on social justice, corrections and the impact of incarceration on families and communities.
Portland State U Unveils Public Research Garden
The university's new Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza, formerly an old metal security shed, will be used as a testing ground for designing and researching sustainable building materials and methods. The space will transform with each research project. Currently, the plaza features an experimental sloped green roof system and green walls equipped with solar-powered tools to monitor their potential for stormwater mitigation.
Southern Polytechnic State U Installs Solar Panels, Greenhouse
Two sets of solar panels have been installed to provide power to a new greenhouse that is expected to be complete by August. The project will provide the Alternative Energy Center and students with opportunities to collaborate. The solar panels were funded by a grant from the 2009 American Recovery and Investment Act on behalf of Marietta Power and Water, the local municipal utility.
Southwestern Illinois College Starts Green Transportation Program
In partnership with St. Clair County Transit District, the college will work to better incorporate the College MetroLink Station into the campus and surrounding community for improved alternative transportation options. A MetroBikeLink, a trail adjacent to the light rail tracks, will also be expanded and include a pedestrian bridge. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
U Buffalo Conducts Renewable Energy Education Outreach
Children in the university’s Child Care Center recently learned about renewable energy, art and sustainability with the campus' 3,200-panel photovoltaic solar array. The children participated in several activities including baking cookies in a solar oven. The university plans to hold more classes in the future.
U Kentucky Students Help Produce Biodiesel in Cameroon
Seven chemical and mechanical engineering students recently participated in a project to develop low-cost, environmentally friendly technologies to produce biodiesel for rural villagers in Cameroon, Africa. The students worked with the African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology to design a process using resources and materials readily available in the area. A 10-day trip to work with the local villagers in implementing and refining the design was the culmination of the year-long project.
U Louisville Launches Earn-A-Bike Program
Students, faculty and staff who agree to forfeit a parking pass as part of the university's new Earn-A-Bike program will receive a $400 voucher toward a new bike, helmet, U-lock or other bike-related products and services.
U Penn Faculty Receive Alternative Energy Research Grants
Five alternative energy research projects have received a total of $500,000 from the Energy Commercialization Institute. Projects include exploring thin-film ferroelectric semiconductors as a way to make solar cells more efficient, as well as easier and cheaper to produce; new ways to keep solar panels clean; and a prototype for energy storage technology.
U Texas El Paso to Develop Green Energy Manufacturing Courses
A $2.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant will fund a five-year collaboration between the university's Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering and Drexel University that will integrate green energy manufacturing courses into the curriculum at both universities. The courses will incorporate technology-based and real-world problem solving.
Western Carolina U Meets State Energy Reduction Goal
Working from a 2002-03 baseline, the university has reduced its energy consumption by 30 percent. The university credits its success to student involvement and energy-saving measures including taking older buildings offline and ensuring new construction employs high building standards and energy efficiency. These conservation efforts have resulted in $13.8 million in energy savings since 2002-03. As mandated by the state, all universities in the University of North Carolina system are required to meet this goal by 2015.
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Installs Solar Array
The college, in partnership with New Richmond Utilities and WPPI Energy, has installed a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system. The project is expected to save approximately $650 annually and will provide educational opportunities for students in the Industrial Automation and Controls Networking program.
8 Institutions Pilot UN Global Compact Reporting Process
(Worldwide): In addition to signing the Rio + 20 sustainability declaration, the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo is one of eight universities from seven countries piloting the use of the Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions. The Global Compact is a call for institutions and corporations to voluntarily align their operations and strategies with 10 universally- accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Also using the guide and recommended reporting process are Bentley University (Massachusetts), Educatis University (Switzerland), Euromed Management (France), Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), La Trobe University (Australia), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and Université Laval (Canada).
Auburn U Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles
(U.S.): Facilities Management, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, has funded a pilot project for the installation of 24 solar panels atop the stadium parking deck. The solar system is designed to offset the energy used for 10 electric charging stations that have been installed on the lower level of the parking deck. The system is also expected to offset the energy to power lighting when the charging stations are not in use.
Bogor Agricultural U Students Create Sustainability Awareness
(Indonesia): Working toward Indonesia's commitment to reduce its carbon emission by 26 percent by 2020, a group of Bogor Agricultural University students are encouraging more sustainable actions among higher education communities by routinely picking up plastic bags and litter on campus, and distributing free reusable cloth bags.
Cebu Technological U to Establish Renewable Energy Center
(Philippines): The university has received a grant to establish an Affiliated Renewable Energy Center to pursue a national program for the development of indigenous energy resources. As part of an agreement with the Department of Energy, a solar waste pumping station project will also be implemented.
Cuyahoga CC Technology Building Awarded LEED Gold
(U.S.): The college's Health Careers and Technology building uses 34 percent less energy than a conventional building. A 28,000-gallon cistern captures stormwater run-off from the roof and from clean condensation from the building’s air handling units to water the landscaping, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in potable water used for landscape watering. High-efficiency plumbing fixtures inside the building also reduce domestic water needs by 44 percent.
George Washington U Renovation Certified LEED Gold
(U.S.): Sustainable features of Ames Hall, the university’s fifth campus building to receive LEED Gold certification, include a green roof, water bottle filling stations, bicycle racks and four fuel-efficient vehicle preferred parking spaces. The renovation of the academic building also demonstrates a 39 percent decrease in potable water usage and 28 percent increase in energy performance.
Guelmim Technology School Features Vernacular Architecture
(Morocco): The new campus building stays true to the localized needs and traditions of Morocco, featuring louvers and slats in the massing that permit natural light to enter the building and walkways without excessive solar gain, and allow for natural ventilation that keeps the campus cool on hot summer days. Locally-adapted plant species are also featured in shaded landscaping areas.
India, U.S. Partnerships Zero in on Climate Change, Food Security
(U.S. and India): During a recent U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue, Indian and American higher education leaders vowed to focus on educational partnerships that furthered priority areas including workforce training, using technology to make educational opportunities available to greater numbers of people, and undertaking joint research in priority fields like food security and climate change. The talks are the latest in a nearly three-year-old effort by the administrations of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to increase cooperation in higher education between the two countries, a $10 million joint commitment to further academic collaboration and exchange, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Institutions Weigh Natural Gas Options in Face of Rising Tuitions
(U.S.): A solution to rising tuition prices is one reason that colleges and universities in the shale-gas zone, which extends from New York to Ohio and West Virginia, are considering the option of opening campus land to natural gas drilling, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Pros include the money, research opportunities and new gas industry programs that "fracking" (a controversial extraction method for natural gas) would bring. Also tempting is a proposed bill that would allow Pennsylvania's public colleges to keep the money that comes from drilling for gas on their land and use it for energy-efficiency projects or a backlog of deferred maintenance, which stands at $2 billion systemwide. Cons include the environmental, socioeconomic, and public-image implications of pursuing fracking on university land in the face of local community opposition and institutionalized sustainability commitments. A new state law that directs Ohio's state institutions to inventory their parcels and determine whether gas companies can drill on them also has Ohio institutions worried that they will be forced into gas leases.
Kerala U Plants Trees to Celebrate Birthday
(India): In celebration of its 75th birthday, the university has launched "Oorma maram," a green initiative to plant 75 trees at each of its 75 campuses. The variety of saplings includes fruit and herb trees.
Maastricht U Student Green Office Wins Int'l Sustainability Award
(Netherlands): The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) and oikos International have recognized the achievements of the university’s student-led Green Office with a Student Leadership Award that represents sustainability student activism. Students have already successfully implemented several sustainability projects through the Green Office including the first sustainability baseline analysis of the university; business cases for a more energy-efficient computer infrastructure and light system; and several conferences and networking events.
Masdar Institute of Technology Offers Solar Energy Training
(United Arab Emirates): The institute recently held a course on solar energy technology for members of its Young Future Energy Leaders program. Students had the opportunity to learn about solar cell technology and the fabrication processes for various types of modules. They also participated in a hands-on lab session with the institute’s 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant.
New Yale U Green Vehicles Offer Easier Access for Disabled
(U.S.): The university has debuted two new special services vans designed for community members with physical disabilities to get around campus more easily. One of the vehicles runs on domestically-processed compressed natural gas, designed to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Goes Solar
(India): A 50-kilowatt solar power plant was installed aimed at providing clean energy to the institute. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also advocated rainwater harvesting to conserve ground water, inaugurated the plant.
Rice U Physics Hall Receives LEED Gold
(U.S.): Home to dozens of experimental, theoretical and applied physicists, this 110,000-square-foot facility features an energy-recovery system that saves as much as 30 percent of the energy needed to cool the building in the summer. The building also has a dehumidification system, which captures humidity and returns it as pure, clean water to the university's Central Plant.
SUNY ESF Establishes 'No-Mow' Zones
(U.S.): The university is converting areas of turfgrass into meadows, kicking off a new "no-mow" initiative on its main campus. By focusing on plants and plantings rather than turfgrass and trees, the university aims to save energy, emissions, maintenance staff demands, and money spent on fuel, oil and machinery.
Taibah U Students Build Biological Incubator
(Saudi Arabia): Students of the renewable energy and biotechnology unit have created a model of a biological incubator to produce antibiotics from bacteria using solar energy. The group is currently working on various applications that make use of solar energy and research on manufacturing solar cells locally.
U Buffalo Residence Hall Earns LEED Certification
(U.S.): The university's William R. Greiner Residence Hall features low-flow faucets and floor tiling made from recycled soda bottles. The university is also recycling thousands of brick pavers from a campus sidewalk for use in a new dining hall and is working to repurpose soiled old lounge chairs for continued use on campus.
U California Davis Awarded $2.7 M for Alternative Fuel Research
(U.S.): The California Energy Commission has approved a two-year, $2.77 million grant to the university's Institute of Transportation Studies to research the value, benefits and drawbacks of all types of alternative transportation fuels and fuel uses in the state. The grant will support teams of research leaders and graduate students in the institute’s NextSTEPS consortium as they complete research tasks.
U Lisbon Wins Nationwide Green Campus Challenge
(Portugal): The University of Lisbon has been named the winner of Portugal's Green Campus Challenge: Energy Efficiency in Higher Education. After an energy analysis of one of their buildings, during which they created an energy profile that distinguished the thermal and electrical energy sectors, the Faculty of Science team presented a set of technical and behavioral changes to reduce energy consumption that included energy, economic and environmental savings.
U Mass Medical Installs LED Light Fixtures
(U.S.): A wing of recently renovated offices for research staff features the first installation of an integrated LED system for offices on campus. In combination with new lighting controls, the LED fixtures are expected to be 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient, and last up to seven years longer than the fluorescent lamps used elsewhere on campus.
UniversityNow Acquires Patten U to Offer Affordable Tuition
(U.S.): Higher education accessibility company UniversityNow, Inc. has acquired Patten University (California) to enable the university to continue to serve students at a low cost. The university will introduce an affordable, flat rate tuition model including the option to earn a bachelor’s degree at a total cost of less than $10,600.
U Oxford Receives ￡75 M Donation to Support Low-Income Students
(U.K.): Targeting students from families earning under ￡16,000 ($25,000) a year, the Moritz-Heyman Scholarships will provide financial support of ￡11,000 ($17,000) a year per recipient. Half will be awarded as a scholarship, with the remainder used as a fee waiver on Oxford’s ￡9,000 tuition charge ($14,000). About 100 students will receive the scholarship in 2012-2013, but the university hopes to extend the plan to all students from the lowest-income bracket.
U Puget Sound Health Sciences Building Earns LEED Gold
(U.S.): The university's Weyerhaeuser Hall features 40 geothermal wells; 10–20 percent recycled content in a quarter of the building's materials; paints, coatings, carpets, wood and agrifiber that emit low levels of air pollutants; and predominant daylighting. More than 97 percent of all construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
U Tennessee Knoxville Installs Solar Secure Structure
(U.S.): The university has installed a new solar powered wireless structure that provides self-sufficient power and a communications source for Emergency Assistance Stations, video surveillance, LED lighting and wireless Internet. The SunStation also features a power outlet, allowing students the convenience to stay connected by using their laptops, cell phones and other technology outdoors.
Walters State CC to Offer Clean Energy Technology Degree
(U.S.): Beginning this fall, the college will offer an associate of applied science degree in clean energy technology. Four core focus programs will be offered including electricity, sustainable agriculture, transportation and building technology.
ACUPCC Network Reduces Collective GHG Emissions by 25%
A recent five-year report released by the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) reveals that collectively, the ACUPCC network of almost 700 signatories has reduced gross greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent since 2007. Released in conjunction with the ACUPCC's annual Climate Leadership Summit, the report also states that more than 30 percent of signatories have targeted climate neutrality within 20 years and, by 2022, signatories are projected to reduce their gross emissions by more than 50 percent.
Alfred State College Names Chief Sustainability Officer
Julian Dautremont-Smith has been named as the college's chief sustainability officer. Dautremont-Smith was most recently with Green Schools National Network, analyzing green school assessment and recognition tools, and developing recommendations for the creation of a new national green school rating system. Dautremont-Smith has also held an associate director position at AASHE and currently serves as a STARS Steering Committee member.
Antioch U New England Sustainability Prgms Earn PSM Designation
The Council of Graduate Schools has approved the university’s master degree programs in resource management and conservation, and environmental studies for affiliation as Professional Science Master’s programs.
The recognition confirms that the programs effectively train students to be both scholars and practitioners.
Concordia U Receives $1.6 M for Renewable Energy Research
The university’s Institute in Energy, Water and Sustainability has received a $1,643,700 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to train approximately 20 students a year in research areas including the production of renewable energy and the optimization of water usage in industry.
Creighton U Student Spearheads Fair Trade Status
Inspired by the economic plight of a community in the Dominican Republic during a service trip, a senior at the university has successfully campaigned for the university's Fair Trade status. The status commits the university to support Fair Trade through the use of fair trade products where feasible in university-operated/owned outlets, meetings and special events; Fair Trade education and awareness building on campus; and general support of Fair Trade through procurement practices.
Indiana U Awards Fellowships for New Sustainability Courses
Three faculty members have been awarded Sustainability Course Development Fellowships for 2012. Courses to be developed include "Pleasure, Pain and Peak Oil," "Hands-on LEED for Existing Buildings on Campus” and "Cheaper is not Better, Zero is: Sustainable product development starts with students." The fellowship program supports efforts to enhance instruction of topics related to sustainability and environmental literacy.
Milwaukee Area Technical College Plans Wind Turbine
The college’s Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing has announced plans to install a 47-foot wind turbine at its Oak Creek campus. If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the turbine would join the campus' 510-kilowatt Photovoltaic Educational Laboratory solar array.
Oregon IT Renewable Energy Program Plans Battery Research
The institute has partnered with Powin Energy to provide battery testing equipment for students and faculty in the renewable engineering program. Students will conduct advanced experiments on batteries, the results of which will be publicly disseminated to help inform companies that design and use batteries.
