NWF Blog: Youth Speak Out Against Climate Change Inaction
Advocating that today's generation of leaders act as trustees for future generations, youth climate activists recently held a series of iMatter marches and demonstrations around the globe. The iMatter organization - targeted at elementary- to college-aged youth - has also announced plans to sue the U.S. government, calling for a drastic reduction in emissions immediately. "We do have a legal right to insist that the planet is protected for our future and for generations to come," says the iMatter website. "We need our government to protect the atmosphere by reducing carbon dioxide emissions and put an end to our unhealthy reliance on fossil fuels."
Oregon State U Offers Campus Compost Options
Oregon State University has started offering several options for university departments to compost organic waste. Worm bins are now available for those who would like to manage their own composting and keep the finished compost. Buckets will be provided to those who would like to collect organic waste and then dump it at one of three compost drop points around campus. A trial collection route has also been created for larger departments. Limited to 15 participants, the initiative will investigate whether the new service could become permanent.
SEI Green Report Card on Hiatus; Collaborative Effort Underway
AASHE, the Princeton Review, Sierra Magazine and the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) have launched a collaborative effort to improve the process of collecting sustainability data from higher education institutions, it was announced in a joint statement released recently. In an effort to reduce the college and university staff time required for data collection and survey completion, the organizations will work together to develop common sustainability survey language. It was also announced that SEI will take a sabbatical this fall from publishing the College Sustainability Report Card in order to have adequate time to plan and revise the survey process.
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Posted May 17, 2011
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Other News
Southern Oregon U Students Approve Ban on Bottled Water Sales
Southern Oregon University’s student government has passed legislation banning the sale of bottled water on campus. Under the provisions of the bill, bottled water would be removed from vending machines and Sodexo operations on campus. Reusable water bottles will be given to incoming freshmen at orientation and several spigots and water purifiers will be installed across campus. The goal of the bill is to have the campus completely water bottle-free by June 2012. The administration has shown support for the ban.
Temple U Offers Graduation Gown Recycling
Temple University (PA) has announced that graduates this year will be able to recycle their gowns after the graduation day. The university has offered graduation gowns made from 100 percent recycled plastic since January 2010, but this year sustainability ambassadors will also be on hand to collect the gowns to be made into new fabrics and other products. Since adopting the Greenweaver gown, made from roughly 23 recycled plastic bottles, the university has saved more than 276,000 plastic bottles from entering the waste stream.
Trevecca Nazarene U Raises Chickens to Supply Eggs to Campus
Trevecca Nazarene University (TN) has begun raising free-range chickens. The eggs produced will be sold to campus dining services. The university hopes to have a flock of 120 chickens by August 2011, capable of producing up to 500 eggs a week. The university will also partner with Vanderbilt University (TN), which operates a mobile pantry that delivers fresh, healthy, organic produce at reasonable prices to nearby neighborhoods. Remaining eggs will be offered for sale to local restaurants.
U Alaska Fairbanks Approves Student Sustainability Projects
The University of Alaska, Fairbanks has approved nine student-led sustainability projects totaling $128,140. Grant proposals were reviewed by the Office of Sustainability and Student RISE (Review of Infrastructure, Sustainability and Energy) Board and preference given to projects that invest in energy efficiency programs and renewable energy projects. Projects selected for funding include a glass pulverizer; local shopping/restaurant guide; student CSA share plan; interactive dashboard; and a carbon emissions inventory.
U British Columbia Becomes a Fair Trade Campus
As a result of the collaboration between its Engineers Without Borders chapter and Fair Trade Canada, the University of British Columbia has been named a fair trade campus. The university has committed to purchasing fair trade coffee, tea, chocolate and tropical fruit from producers who guarantee higher social, environmental and pay standards for farmers and workers. The university also worked with students to develop sustainable purchasing principles, a code of conduct for suppliers and has added fair trade products to the menus of more than 20 campus food outlets.
U California Berkeley Debuts Native Plant Nursery
Financed by students through the Green Initiative Fund, the University of California, Berkeley has launched a new native plant nursery. With the goal of restoring California ecology to more historical ecological functions, the starts in the nursery will be used to repopulate three designated natural areas alongside Strawberry Creek on campus. With the nursery, an adjoining demonstration garden-in-progress and student-taught classes on Strawberry Creek restoration, the university plans to educate students about restoration and recruit converts for labor-intensive projects.
U California Santa Barbara Releases Development Plan
The University of California, Santa Barbara and representatives of Sustainable University Now (SUN) have announced the adoption of the campus' Long Range Development Plan. Highlights of the plan include more effective mitigation of potential environmental impacts; striving to reduce car trips to campus by reducing the number of future parking spaces by 650 from the original campus plan and increasing the number of bicycle paths and bicycle parking spaces; replacing its car and truck fleet with ultra fuel-efficient vehicles; monitoring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions; and implementing energy reduction strategies.
U Central Florida Students Propose Campus Solar Farm
Engineering students at the University of Central Florida have presented an idea for an on-campus solar farm that would help make the campus climate neutral by 2050. Presented at the Progress Energy Senior Design Symposium, the three-acre farm would eventually produce 15 percent of the campus' power requirements. Upcoming seniors will have the chance to work on the solar farm project this fall semester, but whether the project is realized depends on potential funding sources.
U Florida Announces New Sustainability Studies Program
The University of Florida has announced a new sustainability studies major that will start in fall 2011. The interdisciplinary program will investigate the means to maintain environmental health, create economic welfare and pursue social justice. Students will gain an understanding of how these goals are interdependent and explore how they best can be pursued over the long term on local, national and global scales. Students will also be required to take part in internships or service learning projects.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Scraps Wind Turbine Plans
Due to an estimated cost that rose to $5.2 million and opposition to its proposed location, the University of Illinois has decided to put an end to a plan to build a wind turbine on its Urbana-Champaign campus. The school had planned to erect the 400-foot-tall electricity-generating turbine just south of the Urbana, Ill. city limits.
U Kansas Awarded USDA Grant for Green Cleaning Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a research team at the University of Kansas a $5.6 million grant to find ways to green many household products. The research will look to replace petroleum-based chemicals used in products like plastics and laundry detergents with biomass products like nonfood crops and agriculture leftovers.
U New Mexico Sustainability Studies Program Receives $1.6 Mil
The Sustainability Studies program at the University of New Mexico has received two grants totaling more than $1.6 million from the W.K. Kellogg foundation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also gave the program $290,000 to pay faculty salaries, hire a graduate assistant for a year and a half and provide travel grants and stipends for minority students to take part in the summer field program. The Kellogg grants were invested in the stock market to pay dividends and help keep the program running.
U Oregon Creates Reusable Office Supply Exchange
The University of Oregon’s Campus Recycling office has created a Reusable Office Supply Exchange, available to all departments, faculty, administrators and student groups. The self-service program brings together surplus supplies from around campus including pens, notebooks, staplers and calculators. The university hopes to reduce the purchase of new office supplies and prevent old supplies from being sent to landfills.
U Richmond to Implement Solar Energy Pilot
The University of Richmond (VA) has announced new pilot solar projects that will hopefully lead to the expansion of solar energy on campus. Two campus apartment buildings have been chosen for new photovoltaic and water-heating solar panels to be installed this summer. The panels will be used to collect data from electricity and hot water usage. Two other apartments without panels will also be monitored for comparison.
U Victoria Building Awarded LEED Gold
The University of Victoria's (BC) Administrative Services Building has earned LEED Gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The $16.3 million project incorporated a number of sustainable design features including a glass atrium, natural ventilation, an aggressive waste management plan and plumbing fixtures that use recycled water from the university’s aquatic research facility. The building is the fourth campus facility to achieve LEED Gold certification.
Washington State U Vancouver to Offer Renewable Energy Option
Washington State University, Vancouver has received a $250,500 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to develop curriculum in renewable energy. The program will develop and combine eight courses from mechanical engineering, computer science and electrical engineering. Students majoring in any of the programs will have the opportunity to complete the renewable energy option. Solar energy and wind power will be the primary focus of the course work. The grant will also be used to equip an energy systems laboratory and radio frequency communications laboratory. Courses will begin in spring 2012.
York U Adopts Sustainability Policy
Building on the recent release of its 2010 Sustainability Report, York University (ON) has announced a new sustainability policy. Approved by the Board of Governors in April, the policy provides the framework for sustainable and responsible practices, activities and operations on campus.
Youngstown State U Students Participate in Green Energy Challenge
A team of Youngstown State University (OH) students have completed an energy audit of a campus dormitory as part of the National Electrical Contractors Association Green Energy Challenge. The students will begin drafting potential solutions and will present their proposals with cost estimates and possible funding sources to a panel of contractors. The national competition challenges teams to identify residence halls on their campuses that need energy-efficiency improvements.
Central College Creates Global Sustainability Minor
Central College (IA) has created a global sustainability minor to be offered in fall 2011. The program is designed to offer all students a means of acquiring some of the tools and practical experience needed to enter the workforce and deal with complex issues focusing on the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability. The minor requires 20-22 hours of class study and students must complete two courses including "Introduction to Environmental Science" and "Global Sustainability."
Cornell U Students Use Art to Promote Waste Reduction
Cornell University's (NY) Sustainability Hub has installed two new pairs of trash receptacles brightly decorated with local art near campus to help reduce litter and promote proper waste disposal practices. The student-run waste reduction project, Collegetown ART (Art, Recycling, and Trash cans), has raised about $6,485 through funds, grants and sponsorships, and plans to raise an additional $2,200 to decorate two more locations with trash receptacles. Local stores can help the urban art project through the sponsorship of a trash can.
George Washington U Announces Water Sustainability Plan
George Washington University (DC) has announced a new campus water footprint and sustainability strategy that addresses potable water, rainfall capture, waste water and bottled water. The university plans to reduce its bottled water direct expenditures by 50 percent over the next five years, increase its permeable space by 10 percent in 10 years and decrease campus water consumption by 25 percent in 10 years.
Georgia Tech Alumni Gifts $20K to Recycling Efforts
Georgia Institute of Technology's Student Alumni Association recently presented the campus' Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling with more than $20,000 through its Gift to Tech program. The department will work with the student association to expand recycling efforts on campus. The initiative was voted to receive funding by students, who chose from five campus projects including campus safety efforts, the Alumni Association's Living History program and a commemorative bench at the undergraduate learning commons.
Harvard U Ed Students Call for More Focus on Social Justice
After a sociologist who considered issues of grassroots organization was denied tenure, more than 50 doctoral students at Harvard University's (MA) Graduate School of Education are protesting the school's direction toward results-driven management and policy concerns. The students say the school has veered away from social justice and equality issues in education over the last decade.
Indiana U Coal Free Club Installs Campus Solar Panels
The Sierra Club Coal Free organization at Indiana University has installed eight solar panels on the roof of a campus building. The Indiana University Student Foundation awarded the club’s project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels. There will also be a live monitor in the building to allow people to see how much energy is being used and how much energy is being generated by the solar installation.
Johnson County CC Earns Edison Green Award
Johnson County Community College (KS) recently earned a silver Edison Green Award for its sustainability efforts. Part of the annual Edison Awards series, the Green Award recognizes an organization's commitment to developing sustainable solutions and green business models. It is designed as a platform to recognize efforts to create green collar jobs through new innovation methods and improve community health and self-sufficiency. Judging criteria included societal impact, marketplace innovation, marketplace success, technological innovation and market structure innovation. The only institution to be honored in the category, the community college was recognized for its green workplace practices, sustainable resource management projects, green workforce training programs and initiatives to teach sustainability across the curriculum.
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Posted May 10, 2011
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Other News
Kansas State U Performs Waste Audit to Increase Recycling
Kansas State University's "Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences" capstone class has partnered with the K-State Recycling Committee to perform a campus waste audit. The group will sort through trash and determine what recyclable products students and faculty are throwing away. The audit will give the university a better understanding of how to target solutions to increase the campus recycling rate, which is currently about 20 percent.
McGill U Launches Campus Sustainability Awards
McGill University's (QC) Office of Sustainability has announced the creation of the Catalyst Awards, an initiative to inspire sustainability action and thinking by celebrating individuals who have gone above and beyond to foster a culture of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) on campus. Six recipients were chosen during the recent inaugural ceremony for advancing and institutionalizing sustainability within the campus community. The Emerald Key category was implemented for students who make an exceptionally outstanding and enduring contribution to sustainability overall.
Michigan State U Receives $2.9 Million for Biofuel Research
Michigan State University has received $2.9 million in federal grants for biofuel research. University professors will lead three research projects on campus that will focus on topics including greenhouse gas emissions associated with biomass production, ways to use byproducts from the production of biofuel, and pests that affect switchgrass, a plant used to produce biofuels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded five-year grants to 27 universities, one college and two USDA research arms for sustainable bioenergy research.
Ohio State U Announces New Waste Reduction Efforts
The Ohio State University's Energy Services and Sustainability office recently announced several new programs aimed at meeting the university's goal to divert 40 percent of its waste from the landfill. Initiatives in the works include the creation of the new Zero Waste Event Service that provides waste containers for trash, recycling and compost for special events on campus; the testing of a pre-consumer composting program at specific areas on campus; and waste infrastructure and waste stream audits by staff, students and community volunteers for the Ohio State Spring Game. The information gathered will be used for its Zero Waste Stadium initiative, with at least 90 percent of game day waste recycled or composted starting with the 2011 football season.
Paul Quinn College Turns Football Stadium into Farm
Paul Quinn College (TX) recently planted the first seeds in a former football field that will now serve the college as a student-run, two-acre urban farm. After grocers told the college's president that they didn't want to invest in the underserved Dallas neighborhood where the college is located, he contacted the Sustainable Food Project at Yale University (CT) for a crash course on organic agriculture and educational programs that emphasize the importance of local, healthy food. Part of the harvest will be sold to the company that runs concessions at Cowboys Stadium and the other will be donated nonprofit groups that feed the hungry. By fall the college plans to create a farmers market on its outdoor recreational basketball courts and eventually open its own grocery store.
Santa Clara U Student Initiates Sustainable Office Award Program
A Santa Clara University (CA) student intern has initiated the Sustainable Office Award Program (SOAP) to celebrate environmental achievements in different departments across campus. Departments are rated Going Green, Beyond Green or Certified Sustainable through a self-audit. Recent SOAP projects include reducing waste by dedicating a copier drawer to store once-used paper for internal print jobs, and reducing energy consumption by turning off electronics at night and on the weekends.
Southern Oregon U Receives $23K in Renewable Energy Credits
Southern Oregon University has received a $23,000 refund from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The refund is a result of the university’s investment in renewable energy credits, known as “Green Tags,” purchased with student fee money to offset the institution’s energy usage. The foundation uses the money from student fees to research and develop sustainable energy projects and 20 percent of the total amount received is refunded back to the school for its own projects. The Student Fee Committee is weighing requests from students for ideas on how to use the money.
SUNY Oswego Launches Campus Donation Initiative
State University of New York at Oswego has created the Leave Green initiative to encourage students residing off campus to donate household and personal items as they prepare to leave town for the summer. Items to be collected include clothing, linens, rugs, kitchenware and appliances, electronics, furniture, office and school supplies, unopened cleaning products and nonperishable foods. The collected goods will be donated to local organizations.
U Calgary Researchers to Convert Sewage into Power
The University of Calgary's (AB) Schulich School of Engineering has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations Grant to pursue a global health and development research project. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the grant funds scientists and researchers worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how to solve persistent global health and development challenges. The engineering school will look at developing technology that will turn human excrement into a range of useful products such as methane gas, fertilizer, water, heat and electricity. Their idea is to design small residential units much like portable toilets but with built-in reaction chambers. Chemical and bacterial reactions would convert fecal matter and urine into solids for use as agricultural fertilizer and gases – mostly methane – that could be burned to make electricity. Pure water would be a byproduct.
U California Berkeley Unveils Water Conservation Goal
At its recent Annual Sustainability Summit, the University of California, Berkeley's chancellor announced a water conservation goal to reduce campus use of potable water to 10 percent below 2008 levels by 2020. The university uses more than 600 million gallons of potable water annually, mostly for water faucets, toilets, showers and other domestic purposes on the main campus and in the student-residence halls. The university plans to meet its goal by upgrading to lower-flow fixtures, repairing leaks, replacing heating equipment and encouraging water conservation. The initiative will require an investment of $1.6 million over five years, with an expected savings of $250,000 a year.
U Maine Dining Services Emphasizes Local Food
The University of Maine’s Black Bear Dining has switched its five-year contract in order to have access to more local food. Through Sysco’s purchasing partner, Farm Fresh Connections, clients have the ability to connect with localized farmers and vendors through one source rather than individually. Black Bear Dining has increased its offering of Maine-grown produce by 50 percent within the past year. To create more awareness about the local food it offers, Black Bear Dining would like to centralize an area that solely offers local food with labels noting the origin of each item.
U Maryland Students Enlist Goats for Campus Weeding
Students at the University of Maryland have contracted goats to combat weeds in a proposed garden area near the School of Public Health. More than 30 goats grazed for three days, clearing the way for fruit and vegetable growing. Also aimed at bringing attention to the new garden, the $13,00 initiative was funded by an Office of Sustainability grant from mandatory student sustainability fees.
U Mass Amherst Launches Sustainable Food and Farming Certificate
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has announced a new sustainable food and farming certificate program that is open to the public. Available this summer, the 15-credit program is designed to serve students who are not able to make a commitment to a four-year degree but still want to earn college credentials. Available entirely online or by mixing online and campus classes, the program will offer sustainable farming systems, education, and public policy and advocacy areas of study.
U Mass Medical Conducts Wind Power Feasibility Study
The University of Massachusetts Medical School has initiated a wind study on campus, installing anemometers designed to measure wind speed and direction on the top levels of two campus parking garages. Currently available wind maps for the region suggest that sustained wind levels are not high enough on campus to make a wide-scale installation of wind turbines feasible or economical, so the instruments are being used to determine if there is enough wind blowing at these locations to generate electricity using small-scale wind turbines. Wind data will be collected through the summer, when wind levels tend to drop off. The additional data will be used to produce more accurate models of sustained wind levels on campus.
U Mass Medical Plans Computer Nightly Shut-Down Project
The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Information Services and Facilities departments are rolling out a program to target some 3,800 of the school's personal computers for nightly shutdown. A pilot shutdown program last year that covered 300 personal computers revealed that 65 percent of the computers, and 74 percent of the monitors, were left on overnight. With a software tool that programmed the computers to turn off at a certain time with flexibility that accounted for staff schedules and needed computer access, the pilot project resulted in an 80 percent shutdown. If the 3,800 administrative computers are brought into the shutdown program, the team estimates $100,000 in savings from reduced electricity consumption.
U Notre Dame Creates Sustainable Energy Center, Minor
The University of Notre Dame (IN) has established a Center for Sustainable Energy to enhance energy-related research and increase energy awareness through outreach and educational initiatives. The new center, which will sponsor a newly-created energy studies minor, will also serve as the primary campus hub for information or advice on energy topics and issues. The center will expand on the work of the Notre Dame Energy Center and Sustainable Energy Initiative to reach university students and the community with energy-related information and work with local science, technology and mathematics teachers to broaden their knowledge through research and curriculum development opportunities.
U San Diego Opens E-Waste Collection Center
The University of San Diego (CA) has opened an E-Waste Collection Center near campus. The center is open six days a week and accepts the following items: microwave ovens, gaming consoles, DVD players, VCRs, telephones, cell phones, digital cameras, radios, stereo components, cables and cords, televisions, flat panel displays, computer monitors, computers (CPUs), laptops, keyboards, printers, mice, hard drives, tape drives, networking equipment, modems, routers, switches, servers, printed circuit boards, lab equipment, fax machines, power supplies and zip drives.
Villanova U Students Expand Campus Biodiesel Production
After two years of producing biodiesel on campus, chemical engineering students at Villanova University (PA) have begun converting the glycerin byproduct into soap. The student group developed the idea of making soap as a sustainable way to dispose of the byproduct rather than putting the glycerin in the compost or paying to dispose of it. The bars of soap have been used as promotional items and have garnered interest from local businesses to sell in their shops.
Washington Post Highlights Higher Ed Bottled Water Bans
Rallying against bottled water has become a cause for college environmental groups in the past few years, reports a recent article in The Washington Post. The article addresses the controversial nature of bottled water bans, and gives examples of how colleges are trying to make it easier for students to pick refillable bottles over throwaway ones and educating students about recycling and how their several-bottles-a-day habit quickly piles up in a landfill. Bottled water restriction efforts at the University of Maryland College Park, Washington University in St. Louis (MO), DePauw University (IN) and American University (DC) are among those mentioned.
Western Kentucky U Creates Master's in Social Responsibility
Western Kentucky University has announced a new master's degree in social responsibility and sustainable communities, scheduled to begin in fall 2011. The graduate program will provide students from diverse backgrounds the tools to lead communities toward social justice and sustainability. Students will have the opportunity to conduct an action research project to understand relevant community issues and to identify possible solutions. The program has core courses and additional electives, with or without a thesis option, for a total of 33 hours.
Arizona State U Students Conduct Waste Audit
Students in Arizona State University's School of Sustainability recently conducted a 15-hour organic waste audit that resulted in more than 800 pounds and 69 bags of organic waste, recyclables and trash. With the aim of working toward a more sustainable solution to manage organic waste generated on campus, the students sorted through items destined for the landfill or a recycling facility. One-third of the compiled trash included pre-consumer compostable materials that didn't make it to the intended users including uncooked waffle batter and 45 pounds of raw meat and fat scraps. Understanding the makeup of its waste footprint is the first step in determining what strategies the university can implement to reduce food waste.
Bristol CC Receives $900K for Green Energy Curriculum
Including partnerships with area businesses and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Bristol Community College (MA) has announced a new Sustainability and Green Energy Across the Curriculum initiative. With a three-year, $900,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the college will now offer concentrations in solar energy and wind energy including a new green building technologies certificate.
