USA Today Highlights Student Push for 'Real Food'
Students at 216 campuses in 46 states and five countries are asking their campuses for healthier and sustainable foods, reports a recent USA Today article. The student groups are a part of the national The Real Food Challenge movement, which calls for institutions to serve more organic, locally grown foods that don't come from industrial farms. The challenge recently launched the Real Food Campus Commitment, a pledge for institutions to spend 20 percent of their food purchasing budget on "real foods."
U Southern Mississippi Cuts Energy Costs by $2 Mil
With the installation of energy meters, energy-efficient boilers and energy management systems that adjust energy settings when buildings are unoccupied, the University of Southern Mississippi has achieved energy savings of nearly $2 million in the past year. The savings are a result of a three-year energy efficiency initiative that included a campus-wide energy assessment, the implementation of new technology and energy use adjustments, and an outcome analysis.
U Wisconsin Stevens Point Installs Solar Panels
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has installed solar panels on a campus residence hall to help heat water for the building. The university is also looking to upgrade existing solar panels once funding is available.
Vancouver Island U Adds Gathering Place for Aboriginal Students
Vancouver Island University has opened a new meeting place for aboriginal students on campus. Designed to resemble a traditional Coast Salish longhouse with sustainable features including a green roof, the 3,900-square-foot Shq'apthut building is one of 27 being created at public postsecondary institutions across British Columbia through a $13.6 million investment by the province.
Western Carolina U Enlists Goats for Weed Eradication
Western Carolina University recently welcomed goats to its campus as an environmentally friendly weed-eradication strategy. The goats took a few weeks to clear kudzu at the site of an old campus landfill, a task that would have taken the university's grounds crew a few months to accomplish. The university will enlist the goats again in the spring.
Xavier U Opens Green Dining Complex
Xavier University (OH) has opened its new residential and dining complex. The 245,000-square-foot building features a multi-layer green roof system, low-flow plumbing fixtures, lighting occupancy sensors and plans for a “how low can you go” energy reduction competition among residents.
Arizona State U Creates Social Justice Graduate Degree
Arizona State University has created a new master's degree in social justice and human rights. The program will offer a non-governmental organization management track and a research track to prepare students for agency careers and doctoral programs in social sciences and law.
Arizona State U Expands Global Institute of Sustainability
Arizona State University has partnered with Tecnologico de Monterrey to launch the Latin America office of ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability. The Latin America office will conduct applied, transdisciplinary research to address Latin American issues, offer an innovative curriculum, and develop business solutions and governance models that accelerate the adoption of a sustainable culture.
Arkansas State U Installs E-Waste Recycling Bins
Arkansas State University has installed two electronic waste recycling bins. Personal cell phones, rechargeable batteries, ink cartridges and other electronics up to five pounds can be recycled. Facilities Management has partnered with MARCK Recycling and WW Recycling to cover the cost of the bins.
CA Institutions to Launch Student Clean Technology Competition
The California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, OnGreen and University of California, Los Angeles have received a $360,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate clean technology innovation through student entrepreneurship. A new Western Regional business plan student competition will work to double the number of student groups engaged in clean technology production.
California's 'Dream Act' Becomes Law
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation that will allow illegal immigrants who graduated from high school in-state to receive state financial aid for college, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Known as the California Dream Act, the law will allow undocumented students to apply for state grants, fee waivers at community colleges and institutional financial aid at public universities, starting in 2013. In related news, the governor vetoed another bill that would have allowed public colleges to consider race in admissions.
Chattahoochee Technical College Campus Receives LEED Gold
The Canton campus of Chattahoochee Technical College (GA) has earned LEED Gold certification. The one-building campus features drought resistant landscaping, light pollution reduction, optimized energy performance and recycling facilities.
Citrus College Launches Sustainability Pilot Program
In partnership with the California Community College Chancellor's Office, Citrus College will develop a pilot program to serve as a sustainability model for other California community colleges in the 112-college system. A committee of faculty and staff will create a sustainability template that addresses the areas of energy, transportation, recycling and curriculum.
Duke U Makes Offset Purchasing Available to Students, Employees
Employees, students and departments at Duke University (NC) can now buy offsets through the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative to lower the emissions they can't reduce or avoid. The offsets support university-sponsored greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. With offsets starting at $10 per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, about $30 will offset a year of university-related carbon emissions by an average employee.
Indiana U Rolls Out Student Sustainable Computing Contest
Indiana University has launched a competition designed to make its computing more sustainable. Students will work in groups to create a tool, system or process that addresses at least one of three sustainable computing areas: waste reduction, leveraging IT for campus-wide sustainability gains, and campus sustainability metrics.
Pennsylvania Creates Campus Energy Efficiency Fund
Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord has unveiled a Campus Energy Efficiency Fund investment opportunity aimed at generating $45 million in campus improvements at as many as 12 schools through projects creating more than 700 jobs. Over the 20-year useful life of these projects, institutions are expected to save $150 million in utility costs and reduce their carbon dioxide footprint by 1.4 million tons. Drexel University has signed on as the inaugural participant.
Portland State U Adds Solar to Renovated LEED Platinum Hall
As part of a LEED Platinum certification awarded in June, Portland State University (OR) has completed the installation of 234 solar panels on its 100-year-old Lincoln Hall. Extensive renovations to the building, which also include 324 new energy-efficient windows, have been funded in part by $31 million in appropriations by the Oregon Legislature and government stimulus money.
Purdue U Introduces Car Sharing Program
Purdue University (IN) has introduced a new car sharing program on campus through a partnership with Zipcar, Inc. Six cars, including hybrids, will be available to students, faculty and staff for an annual fee of $25 per person.
Rhode Island Approves In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students
The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education has approved a measure that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at the state's public institutions. Under the new policy change, in-state rates will be available to undocumented immigrants' children who have attended a high school in the state for at least three years and graduated or received an equivalent degree.
Salem State U Partners with City for Bike Share
Salem State University (MA) has partnered with the City of Salem to establish a bike share program. Twenty bikes will be available for public use free of charge, 10 of them downtown and 10 on campus. The university hopes the new program not only provides an alternative transportation option but also helps connect the campus community with the downtown.
San Diego State U Installs Locally Produced Solar Modules
San Diego State University (CA) has installed 1,680 locally produced solar modules atop a campus parking building. The system is designed to resist wind uplift and mitigate seismic concerns. The Associated Students of San Diego State University funded the system through a student-approved green fee referendum.
U California Davis Extension Launches Sustainability Curriculum
The University of California, Davis Extension has launched a new sustainability studies certificate program. The multidisciplinary collaboration combines aspects of green building, sustainable design and energy. Students will have the ability to take just one course, pursue a whole certificate or choose from a number of courses within a variety of programs.
U Cincinnati Launches Car Sharing Program
The University of Cincinnati (OH) has partnered with Zipcar, Inc. to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty and staff. Zipcars can be reserved via telephone, online and on smartphones.
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.
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Posted Oct 11, 2011
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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.
