IIT Bangalore Launches Bicycle Sharing Initiative
(India): The institute has partnered with Ride A Cycle Foundation’s Namma Cycle to offer bicycles for rent to the campus community. Based on the success of the pilot, the project may be expanded to incorporate areas surrounding the campus.
Institutions Freezing, Reducing Tuition to Recruit Students
(U.S.): As higher education enrollment drops, private and public colleges and universities are increasingly freezing or reducing tuition in an attempt to retain or recruit more students, reveals a recent article in The Hechinger Report. Burlington College (Vermont), Ancilla College (Indiana), Tabor College (Kansas), Urbana University (Ohio), Franklin Pierce University (New Hampshire) and Pacific Union College (California) are among the institutions that have frozen tuition this fall. Success stories include Oklahoma City University, which has 30 more freshmen enrolled this fall than last, and the University of the South: Sewanee, which saw a 17 percent rise in applications after cutting tuition by 10 percent and promising to keep the cost unchanged for entering freshmen for four years.
Maharaja Sayajirao U Holds Green March, Plants 10,000 Trees
(India): Students, faculty and administrators in the university’s Environment Army recently participated in “The Environment March” to raise awareness of the need to conserve trees. The event also kicked off a campaign to plant 10,000 trees on campus, in which members of the campus community will adopt saplings to nurture over the next three years.
McMaster U Creates Teaching Community Garden
(U.S.): The objective of the university's new garden is to facilitate local food production while providing teaching and learning opportunities and engaging the greater community. The design features two raised beds, two street level beds and permeable paving pathways. The garden plan includes a variety of plants and vegetables.
Montana State U Explores Geothermal-Based Heating and Cooling
(U.S.): In an ongoing effort to implement a comprehensive energy plan, the university has begun drilling test bore holes to explore the use of geothermal-based heating and cooling as a way to reduce energy consumption and costs on campus. After the holes are drilled, a group of engineering students will take part in the process of attaching testing equipment to the systems and analyzing the data collected.
Newsweek Magazine Releases 'Most Affordable Colleges' List
(U.S.): Among the categories in the recently released "2012 Best Colleges For You" list are the "25 Most Affordable" and "25 Least Affordable" institutions in the nation. Debt, total cost, financial aid and future earnings were all factors in compiling the lists. In addition to culling information from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Institute for College Access & Success, PayScale, CollegeView and the College Board, the magazine partnered with College Prowler, which provided data on student contentment, politics, campus culture and peer opinion.
Prescott College Debuts Sustainable Student Housing
(U.S.): Designed to meet LEED Gold certification requirements, the 104-bed residence hall features passive solar design and solar photovoltaic technology that is expected to generate 100 percent of its energy needs.
Sierra Club Names 2012 'Coolest Schools'
(U.S.): Sierra Club's sixth annual ranking of America's greenest colleges emphasizes the Sierra Club's environmental priorities and rewards schools that do a good job of measuring and mitigating their impact.
Study Finds Racially Diverse Law Students Beneficial to Society
(U.S.): According to recent findings of a 10-year multidisciplinary University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research study, a racially diverse law student body fosters richer interactions and positive educational outcomes that benefit students, institutions and society. The researchers examined linkages of race (and other factors) with educational diversity, tracking law students from their enrollment in law school through graduation. The study used national data from more than 6,500 incoming law students attending a random representative sample of 50 American Bar Association-approved U.S. law schools.
Temple U Introduces Electric Car Charging Stations
(U.S.): Students danced the "Electric Slide" as two hybrid-electric cars were introduced to campus recently as part of the PhillyCarShare program. The university has also unveiled two new electric car charging stations for use by the campus community. The electric cars and stations are part of the university's goal of reducing energy consumption by 25 percent in two years.
Temple U to Launch Financial Aid Fundraising Campaign
(U.S.) The university has announced plans to launch a $100 million fundraising campaign to boost financial aid and help reduce the cost of education. The university also announced that it would not raise tuition for the 2012-2013 academic year; a first since 1995.
U California Merced Student Wins Brower Youth Award
(U.S.): The Earth Island Institute has honored Martin Figueroa with the Brower Youth Award for his leadership in water conservation and energy efficiency. Figueroa coordinated last year's competition to see which residence hall on the UC Merced campus could save the most water. The competition, which used new water-monitoring technology to track progress and identify leaks in campus water lines, resulted in savings of more than 14 percent of the normal water usage.
UC Berkeley Helps Train Laid-Off Workers for New Careers
(U.S.): The university has launched a five-month technical education program offered through nearby Laney College that aims to enhance workers’ skills, restore their confidence and enhance their job prospects as they look to re-enter the workforce. Participants continue to receive unemployment benefits during the training program. The pilot program was developed with funding from Alameda County’s Workforce Investment Board
U Florida Performs Green Waste Audit
(U.S.): To help achieve its goal of zero waste by 2015, the university’s Office of Sustainability has embarked on a baseline audit to identify and prioritize areas for improvement. Students, faculty and staff will fill out a checklist and record the amounts of energy, water, waste and food they conserve this fall.
U Memphis Constructs Outdoor Recycling Center
(U.S.): In an effort to engage students and provide a place to hang out, the new recycling site features benches, wireless Internet, and a wall constructed from recycled broken stones. The sustainable campus fee provided funding for the project.
U Minnesota St. Paul Students Host 'Weed Dating' Event
(U.S.) In addition to bringing together like-minded people who care where their food comes from, the recent Cornercopia Student Organic Farm event was a good opportunity to get some extra weeding done on the campus farm.
U Queensland Student Groups Debut Sustainability Market
(Australia): Organized by the university’s Ipswich chapter of Doctors for the Environment and Towards International Medical Equality, the university’s first Sustainability Market on campus featured information stalls, a clothing exchange, bike accessories, fresh local produce and a community garden booth. Organizers hope the market will become a regular event to promote sustainable products and services that can be accessed in the community.
U West England Installs 2 Solar Arrays
(England): The university, in partnership with Solarsense, has constructed a 50-kilowatt array on its Centre for Sport and a 32-kilowatt array atop the Department of Planning and Architecture. The university is also implementing a program to replace existing campus lights with low energy lamps.
U Western Cape Wins Africa’s Greenest Campus Award
(South Africa): The university was recently awarded the national 2012 Green Campus of the Year award at the inaugural African Green Campus Initiative conference. Students are actively involved in managing the university’s 74-acre private nature reserve, an international biodiversity hotspot, through eradicating alien vegetation and maintaining firebreaks. The university also received five additional awards including most innovative programs, best-designed outfit made from recycled materials, recognition of student achievement, and the award for the most environmentally proactive South African campus.
Vanderbilt U Announces Environmentally Friendly Paper Practices
(U.S.): The university’s parking map will be the first campus publication to carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified mark, and will be printed on paper containing 50 percent recycled content and 30 percent post-consumer waste. The university aims to certify 99 percent of its printed publications.
Western Nevada College Constructs Second Solar Array
(U.S): The college, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array consisting of 840 panels. The system is expected to save the college $14,000 per year in energy costs.
Yale U Students Volunteer in Local Neighborhoods this Summer
(U.S.): As part of the Yale President’s Public Service Fellows (PPSF) program, 33 students planted trees and spruced up buildings in neighborhoods around New Haven this summer. This is the first year that the PPSF participants spent a few days undertaking volunteer work as part of the program.
2 U California Berkeley Buildings Earn LEED Gold Certification
Sustainable features of the 55,000-square-foot addition to the university’s Law Library include a rooftop garden, thermal and lighting controls, and the use of low-VOC and recycled materials. The university’s Li Ka Shing Center features reclaimed wood paneling, low-emitting office carpeting, rubber lab floors and a green roof planted with vegetation attractive to native butterflies and bees.
Call for Abstracts: Ball State U Geothermal Conclave
Ball State University is accepting abstracts for the first in a series of annual Geothermal Conclaves. These events are designed to bring together researchers, practitioners and students interested in the design, installation and operation of large-scale geothermal heating and cooling systems. The deadline to submit an abstract is Dec. 1, 2012. The dates for this event have been changed from Sept. 24-26, 2012 to Feb. 11-13, 2013.
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Posted Aug 14, 2012
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Other News
Chronicle of Higher Ed Announces 'Great Colleges to Work For'
With categories including "diversity," "work/life balance" and "facilities, workspace and security," the Chronicle of Higher Education has released its fifth annual review of the Great Colleges to Work For. Nearly 47,000 employees evaluated their colleges in 12 categories, revealing, among many things, how important respect and appreciation are to employees. The 103 "best colleges in the country" are grouped as four-year or two-year institutions, and by enrollment size.
Cornell U Commits to Sustainable Seafood
The university has become the first Ivy League school to earn the Marine Stewardship Council’s Chain of Custody certification. The certificate attests that the fish stock used on campus comes from sustainable fisheries that are concerned with the marine ecosystem; and is supplied by processors and distributors that also have been checked out for sustainable sourcing practices.
Hartwick College Receives Watershed Education Grant
The Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies has received a three-year, $201,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage faculty and students in efforts to increase knowledge, understanding and action in order to protect and maintain the Upper Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
Lafayette College Launches 2 Environmental Studies Programs
As a result of an $800,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance environmental curriculum, the college will debut environmental studies and environmental science degree programs this fall. The college has created 12 new environmental courses that will address the scientific as well as social and ethical aspects of human interactions with the environment.
RIT to Create Green Office Supplies Research Hub
The new lab at the institute’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability will act as a research hub for the manufacturing of green office products and services. The institute will collaborate with Staples to find innovative solutions for product design, manufacturing and packaging that reduce environmental impacts.
Second Nature Names New President
David Hales, former president of the College of the Atlantic, has been named as the new president of Second Nature. Hales succeeds founding president Dr. Anthony Cortese. Second Nature provides program support for the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). “Tony Cortese and I share a commitment to a constructive transition to sustainable and just societies,” said Hales.
Southern Oregon U Receives Grant to Explore Biomass Generation
The $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow the university to determine the feasibility of using wood pellets, slash and other byproducts from nearby forests to generate heat and electricity on its Ashland campus. The study will also determine whether the recommended 1.2 megawatt biomass co-generation system will meet Department of Environmental Quality and other regulatory agency requirements. If built, the power plant could generate 100 percent of the current campus electrical need.
U California Berkeley Researchers Develop Low-Cost Solar Cells
The new technology allows low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells to be created from almost any type of semiconductor material. Through a process of chemical doping, abundant inexpensive materials that otherwise would not work well can be used to create solar cells.
U Hawaii Manoa Enters Power Purchase Agreement
The agreement signed between the university and SolarCity will provide renewable energy to the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology for the next 20 years. As part of the agreement, SolarCity has begun to install, and will own and maintain, a series of photovoltaic systems with the capacity to provide an estimated 25 percent of the institute’s energy needs, with 260 kilowatts of generation capacity. The project received financial support from the Center for a Sustainable Future, and is expected to provide up to $2.3 million in cost savings to the university.
U Louisville, City Officials Plant Downtown Green Roof
The green roof is among the sustainable features of the first building at Nucleus Innovation Park-Market Street, a subsidiary of the U Louisville Foundation. The park is expected to attract more jobs, research and innovation in lifelong wellness and aging-care services.
U Minnesota Assists Community with Sustainability Master Plan
The Central Minnesota Sustainable Development Plan targets affordable housing, broadband access, demographic shifts, economic development, education and workforce improvement, energy and transportation options, health care access and natural resource management.
U Southern California Plans Institute for State and Global Policy
Prioritizing education, energy and environment, fiscal and economic policy, health and human wellness, and political reform, the new Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy will focus on local and regional solutions to solving global problems. The institute is named after former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will serve as a professor and chairman of the board of advisers at the institute.
Bellevue College Implements Ride Share Program
The college has received a grant of $21,000 from King County Metro and $26,500 from the Washington State Department of Transportation to offer rideshare incentives to students and employees, and provide fare subsidies for commuter vanpools. The grants will also fund the launch of BC RideMatch, a website that will allow students, faculty and staff to connect with carpoolers.
Berea College Recognized for Lowest Tuition, Fees in U.S.
The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center, a resource that helps parents and prospective students learn about and compare college costs, has declared Berea College (KY) as the nation’s least expensive private college. The average tuition and fees at Berea College amount to $910 per academic year. The national average for the cost of tuition and fees is $21,949.
Berklee College of Music Creates Bike Pavilion
Features include parking for 75 bikes and charging stations for five electric scooters, as well as a repair station with an air pump and various tools. The facility is an attempt to protect the bikes from theft and to encourage alternative forms of transportation.
Catawba College Creates Clean Energy Revolving Fund
Over the next four years, the college will set aside $400,000 to provide the principal for a new green revolving fund that will loan money to finance on-campus investments in clean energy and efficiency projects. The college has also joined the Sustainable Endowments Institute's (SEI) Billion Dollar Green Challenge, which promotes turning energy efficiency projects into long-term financial investments.
CSU East Bay to Offer Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Two new charging stations will be installed as part of California State University, East Bay’s master plan to transition to more sustainable technologies. The university will also replace outdated parking lot pole units with more energy-efficient plasma lighting systems. The projects will receive funding through renewable energy grants.
Desert Research Institute Installs Solar Array
The institute, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array to offset the energy costs of its laboratory facilities. The cost was fully subsidized by NV Energy’s Solar Generations Program. The institute has also partnered with the State Works Division and Hamilton Solar to construct a 365-kilowatt solar array on its Las Vegas campus.
Framingham State U Dorm Achieves LEED Gold
The 410-bed residence hall features ultra-high efficiency boilers, a geothermal heat pump system and a 20,000-gallon underground cistern that captures and diverts rainwater to irrigate the surrounding landscapes. Additional sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, a bottle filter station and rooftop ventilators that recover energy by taking heat out of the exhaust air to reheat the air coming in during the winter. One hundred percent of electricity consumed by the building is purchased from renewable sources.
Georgia NW Tech Launches Green Building Technician Program
With courses including "Energy Measures and Efficiency" and "Green Building Construction Techniques," students in this new program will be introduced to green building methods, energy efficient mechanical systems, energy monitoring and green building construction techniques.
Pratt Institute Students to Develop Green Roof
Graduate students in the institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development have presented concept proposals for a soon-to-be-built green roof on campus. Realized through $475,167 from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Green Infrastructure Grant Program, the roof will be located on a building that houses the campus cafeteria as well as classrooms, and will be planted with native species and monitored to measure stormwater management and energy efficiency benefits.
