U Massachusetts Amherst Debuts Car Sharing Program
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has introduced a car sharing program in partnership with WeCar by Enterprise. Students, faculty, staff and others in the community can sign up for the program.
U Montana Students Initiate Solar Panel Installation
Students in an environmental studies service learning course at the University of Montana led the recent installation of 10 solar panels on the roof of a campus building. A grant from the Kless Energy Fund and matching funds from the university were used to help launch the project.
Unity College Dedicates Passive House Residence Hall
A year after students and faculty gathered to provide design ideas and concerns, Unity College (ME) has unveiled its new Terra Haus residence hall. Designed and built to Passive House standards, the 2,500-square-foot residence was modeled to use the equivalent of 50-75 gallons of oil per year for space heating, less than 10 percent of the heating load for a home similar in size and climate.
2 New Pomona College Residence Halls to Seek LEED Platinum
Pomona College (CA) has opened two new residence halls designed to LEED Platinum standards. Sustainable features of both buildings include a solar hot water system predicted to provide 80 percent of the buildings' needs; low water-use fixtures predicted to decrease water use 36.6 percent; a stormwater management plan; and sustainability tip cards and recycling rooms on every floor to encourage student residents to learn how to live more sustainably.
AASHE Honors Campus Sustainability Champions
AASHE has revealed the winners of its 2011 Sustainability Awards. Faculty and students at Emory University (GA), University of Alberta, Washington University in St. Louis (MO), University of Texas at Dallas, McGill University (QC) and New York University are being honored during the awards ceremony at the AASHE 2011 conference on October 11 for innovations in green building, sustainability research and leadership. The University of Texas at Dallas' LEED Platinum Student Services Building will receive the inaugural Innovation in Green Building award, presented in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools.
-
Posted Oct 11, 2011
-
Other News
Antioch U New England Builds Bike Shelter
Antioch University, New England (NH) has constructed a new bike shelter equipped with bike racks that will protect about 40 bicycles from the weather. Students worked with faculty members on the design, budget development and procurement of materials. Community members, students, staff, faculty and alumni volunteered to build the shelter.
Colo State U Students Call for Health, Sustainability Coordinator
The Associated Students of Colorado State University has proposed to split the current sustainability/health coordinator position into two separate positions. The split will ensure that all of the university's sustainability initiatives are maintained in response to a new health component that was added this year, which required the position to market health-related information and advocate for responsible drinking programming to students.
Dickinson College Receives Grant for Environmental Asian Studies
Dickinson College (PA) has received a $50,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment program. The program encourages innovative approaches to Asian studies through the lens of the environment and sustainable development. The college will use sustainability as a unifying theme to incorporate Asian content into academic courses and research.
Georgia Perimeter College Appoints Sustainable Living Director
Georgia Perimeter College has named Dr. Joanne Chu as its first director of sustainable living and environmental studies. Most recently a scholar-in-residence in environmental and sustainability studies at Agnes Scott College (GA), Chu will work to integrate sustainable principles and practices into the college's academics, campus operations and student life.
Institutions Invest $65 Mil for Green Revolving Fund Challenge
The AASHE Bulletin has learned that a total of $65 million has been committed to campus green revolving funds as part of the Sustainable Endowments Institute's (SEI) Billion Dollar Green Challenge. The announcement will be made during the challenge's official launch on the main stage of the AASHE 2011 conference today. Harvard University (MA), Stanford University (CA) and Arizona State University are among 33 institutions that joined the challenge's Founding Circle. In collaboration with AASHE and the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, the challenge encourages colleges and universities to invest a combined total of $1 billion in self-managed green revolving funds to finance energy efficiency improvements and provide an ongoing source for future conservation upgrades.
Iowa State U Plants Rooftop Research Garden
A group of Iowa State University students, under the direction of the master gardener coordinator, has planted a garden atop the university's horticulture hall for education and research purposes. The $12,000 project was covered by a grant from the Iowa Nursery Research Corporation and a donation from a company specializing in green roofs.
Iowa State U Receives $25 Mil Grant for Biofuels Program
Iowa State University has received $25 million in federal grants to develop a regional biomass production system for advanced transportation fuels derived from native perennial grasses. The comprehensive study will look at the effort’s broader economic and environmental impact. The university will work with the University of Washington, Washington State University, Louisiana State University and the University of Tennessee on the five-year project.
Maharishi U Mgmt Student Promotes Sustainability with T-Shirts
A student at the Maharishi University of Management (IA) recently launched a line of organic cotton T-shirts with messages designed to educate about sustainability. His best-selling shirt has a solar power design on the front and a simplified schematic of how solar power works on the back. A percentage of the sales are donated each month to a charitable foundation or community project.
Monmouth U to Increase Solar Energy System Capacity
Monmouth University (NJ) has announced that it will increase its on-campus solar-generated electricity to 650 kilowatts under a new Power Purchase Agreement. Pro-Tech Energy Solutions and partner Torcon, Inc. will equip seven of the university’s buildings with solar panels.
Montgomery County CC Uses Energy Savings for a Greener Campus
Montgomery County Community College (PA) has announced plans to use funds from energy savings for energy-efficient campus upgrades. The college will weatherize buildings and install wind turbines, photovoltaic solar panels and low-flow plumbing. The college expects a total energy savings of more than $6 million and will use the money to offset construction costs.
North Carolina State U Debuts Green Events Certification
North Carolina State University has certified the first two events under its new "Certified Wolfpack Green" events program. The program includes food, waste, purchasing, education, marketing, transportation, energy and water, service and innovation categories that qualify campus events for a Contributor, Steward or Champion certification. The university's Sustainability Office has created a three-step process that event planners can complete toward certification.
Ohio State U Purchases Hybrid Buses
The Ohio State University has purchased two diesel-electric powered hybrid buses for the Campus Area Bus Service. Powered by a clean diesel hybrid electrical propulsion system, the university plans to boost campus fuel economy, reduce emissions, decrease noise pollution and reduce maintenance costs with the new mass transit vehicles.
Philadelphia Universities to Debut Electric Vehicles
Electric cars will be placed at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Temple University as part of a Philadelphia-based initiative among the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PhillyCarShare and the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, which includes installing infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles throughout the city.
Portland State U Combines Solar Panel Production with Green Roofs
With a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Portland State University (OR) have begun looking into the effects of combining single-cell silicon photovoltaic solar panels with green roof technology. Focusing on energy production and biological issues, the research includes photovoltaic panels that are partially shading the back half of four green roof pans.
Princeton U Develops Campus Sustainability Kiosk, Mobile App
The Office of Sustainability and the Office of the University Architect at Princeton University (NJ) have partnered with an architectural firm to develop an interactive sustainability kiosk. The kiosk will include multifunctional display cases, a video screen, demonstration space for rotating exhibits, green tour information, a bulletin board for student groups and energy monitoring dashboard. The university has also launched a new mobile application for smartphones that allows community members and visitors to take a sustainability tour of campus.
Rising Tuitions Incite National Student Protests
Students on nearly 100 campuses participated in walkouts and rallies to protest rising tuition and shrinking academic programs, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. While many of the largest student walkouts and rallies were in the Northeast, a small group of students at the University of California, Berkeley, demonstrated against proposals to increase tuition by as much as 81 percent over the next four years. Students are worried, said a student organizer at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne: "I have amassed $20,000 so far in debt...many students are not certain that they're going to get jobs, and that's why we're here."
STARS Launches International Pilot
Due to growing interest at the international level, AASHE is implementing a pilot program to welcome higher education institutions worldwide to participate in STARS. The pilot will provide an opportunity for international institutions to share feedback and make suggestions for improvements to the system, and the results will help determine the eventual role of STARS in a global context.
U California Merced Hosts Student Water Conservation Competition
To raises awareness and motivate students to reduce their water consumption, the University of California, Merced has launched a month-long water conservation challenge. More than 500 students in nine residence halls will compete to conserve the most water for a chance to win prizes including a $1,000 donation to a local nonprofit organization. Students can check their real-time water usage and hall rankings online.
U Dayton Students Receive Energy Consumption Report Cards
The University of Dayton (OH) has begun issuing monthly energy report cards to students living in university-owned houses. Eighty-five percent of the 469 residences earned an average or better score during the 2010-2011 school year, during which the university estimated a savings of $20,000 on gas and electric. A group of engineering students compiled a grading model of "A" through "F" based on the last six years of energy data for each of the houses.
U Memphis Pilots Rooftop Garden
The University of Memphis (TN) has installed a 200-square-foot rooftop garden on its physical plant building as a pilot project. Featuring succulent plants that can withstand extreme weather, the garden will help insulate the building, reduce stormwater run-off and prolong the life of the roof. If the pilot proves cost-effective, the university plans to install more green roofs across campus.
U.S. Higher Education Solar Capacity Leaps 450% in 3 Years
AASHE has released a new database of hundreds of campus solar photovoltaic installations that reveals higher education's rapid adoption of solar. Among the notable findings is a 450 percent growth of installed solar capacity in the higher education sector over the last three years. The database enables higher education solar advocates to browse success stories at campuses of a similar type, size and location. To learn more, view additional charts and graphs, and contribute to this new resource, visit the database.
U Texas San Antonio Expands Solar Energy Program
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has announced plans to install 600 solar panels on its School of Medicine and a campus carport. The university expects the installations to collectively generate 131 kilowatts of power and provide 100 percent of the Academic and Administration Building’s energy needs at certain times of the day.
Whitman College Students Create Vermicomposting Program
Students from the Campus Climate Challenge at Whitman College (WA) have launched a new vermicomposting initiative. Thousands of worms will break down campus food waste into compost for campus landscaping. The college expects the vermicomposter to be able to process about 100 pounds of food waste per day.
Arizona State U Leads National Engineering Research Center
Arizona State University will lead a new national Engineering Research Center that will seek ways to harness solar power in economically viable and sustainable ways. The National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy will jointly provide funding of $18.5 million for the first five years of the center's operations.
Bowling Green State U Installs Green Roof
Bowling Green State University (OH) has installed a green roof atop its Oaks Dining Center to reduce heat and stormwater runoff. The university's Green Initiative and Dining Services funded the $30,000 project.
Chronicle of Higher Ed: U.S. Seeking Foreign Student Diversity
There is a growing effort by higher education institutions in the U.S. to attract a more geographically diverse group of foreign students, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. By recruiting more students from underrepresented countries including South Asia and Latin America, admissions officers hope to enrich campus culture, help undergraduates prepare for globalized workplaces and hedge against the risk of a sudden drop-off in foreign enrollment.
Davidson College Launches Local Food Cart
Davidson College's (NC) Food Club has launched a mobile cart to provide local food to the campus community. The Food Cart sells locally produced pasta noodles, peaches, apples, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and pastries that club members purchase from the local farmers market.
Emory & Henry College Debuts Electric Vehicles on Campus
Emory & Henry College (VA) has introduced two electric vehicles to its transportation fleet for campus maintenance use. The college's president and her husband also donated an electric vehicle for presidential use across campus. The college is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2036.
Fed Officials Announce $500 Mil for CC Job Training
To help dislocated workers shift to new careers, the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor have announced that 32 community colleges and consortia will share $500 million for job training and workforce development. The grants are designed to work in tandem to increase opportunities for the unemployed with the president's recently proposed American Jobs Act, which would provide $5 billion to renovate community colleges.
Montgomery College Unveils New Green Science Center
Montgomery College (MD) has opened a new 140,000-square-foot Science Center designed to meet LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features include a green roof, high-efficiency chillers, solar panels, an underground cistern and recycled construction materials. Exterior features include native planting, extensive bicycle racks and a stormwater management pond.
NY Times: Higher Ed Seeking Out Students Who Can Pay Full Price
More than half of the admissions officers at public research universities said in a recent Inside Higher Ed survey that they have been working harder in the past year to recruit students who need no financial aid and can pay full price, reports the New York Times. According to the survey of 462 admissions directors and enrollment managers, 22 percent of admissions officials at four-year institutions said the financial downturn has led them to pay more attention in their decision to applicants’ ability to pay. Admissions directors at many public universities said in the survey that recruiting more out-of-state and international students, who pay higher tuition, was their top strategy. At community colleges and private institutions, admissions officers were more likely to say that providing aid for low- and middle- income students was their focus.
Oberlin College Art Museum Renovation Earns LEED Gold
Oberlin College’s (OH) renovation of the Allen Memorial Art Museum has achieved LEED Gold certification. Built in 1917, the building features geothermal wells and new energy-efficient mechanical systems to meet stringent climate control requirements. Additional sustainable features include the preservation of the building’s footprint, protection of vegetated open space and the use of materials with recycled content.
Queen’s U Builds Solar Education Center
The Solar Design Team at Queen’s University (ON) has designed a 640-square-foot house to act as a laboratory to test the applications of renewable energy sources in homes. The structure’s energy generation and consumption will constantly transform as the team tests different simulations to create a practical net-zero house.
Quinnipiac U Debuts Campus Energy Dashboard
Quinnipiac University (CT) has launched a Building Dashboard website, allowing students to track their energy consumption around the clock. The system displays real-time data on energy used for electricity, heating and cooling for more than 20 buildings on the university's three campuses.
Rochester Inst. of Tech Starts Global Sustainability Ed Exchange
The Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) has announced plans to share its model of sustainability education with institutions in five developing countries. By sharing curricula and supporting faculty exchanges and mentorships, the university aims to educate a global generation of scientists, engineers and businesspeople who can help find solutions to climate change, pollution and growing energy consumption.
San Diego State U to Establish Renewable Energy Training Center
San Diego State University's (CA) Imperial Valley campus has been awarded a $1.67 million job creation grant to establish the Renewable Energy Generation Training and Demonstration Center. Acting as a field station for university researchers and students, the center will feature demonstration sites for renewable energy projects and a generalized power plant simulator to provide skills training for geothermal and solar power plant installations. The federal funds are intended to boost the green energy technology industry in the region by bringing in private companies to partner with the university for training.
Stonehill College Launches Car Sharing Program
Stonehill College (MA) has launched a car sharing program on campus through a partnership with Zipcar, Inc. Two cars on campus are available for students, faculty and staff to rent starting at $7 an hour. The college expects the new program to reduce the use of permanent cars on campus.
Temple U Students Initiate Bike-Powered Concerts
Verde Styles, an environmental student group at Temple University (PA), is expanding its bike-powered concert initiative. The idea has grown from a single bicycle that powered part of the sound system during Earth Day to a four-bike setup that recently powered the sound at two local green-awareness events. Next year, they plan to power a bigger concert with 50 to 60 bikes. The bikes were funded in part by a $5,000 grant from Hewlett-Packard.
Tufts U Celebrates Car-Free Week
Tufts University's (MA) Office of Sustainability recently partnered with MassRIDES to promote Car-Free Week. Participants were encouraged to log every trip they completed without a car on the MassRIDES website. The Office of Sustainability targeted faculty members but also highlighted students’ potential to contribute to the program.
U Calgary Hosts Waste-Free Event
The University of Calgary recently hosted its largest zero-waste event. Everything served at the president's barbecue for 3,500 undergraduate students was compostable or recyclable.
U Kansas Installs Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
In anticipation of the statewide energy conservation Take Charge Challenge, the University of Kansas' Center for Sustainability has partnered with Energy Solutions Professionals to replace approximately 3,000 incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient light bulbs around campus.
U Massachusetts Students Debut Farmers Market
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has launched a student-run farmers market. Leafy greens, ripe tomatoes, garlic and squash were among the student-grown and organic selections for sale during its debut. The Student Farming Enterprise, a six-credit course at the university, also runs a community supported agriculture (CSA) program.
