American U Unveils Solar Energy Dashboard
American University (DC) has announced that students, faculty, staff and the general public can now track the energy production being generated by campus solar panels online. The School of International Service building's solar array is live via an online energy dashboard that tracks daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and total energy generation. The live data also includes the electricity consumption of the LED lights in the building's parking garage.
California Polytechnic State U Debuts Vending Machine Sensors
California Polytechnic State University has installed VendingMiser devices on 13 vending machines across campus. The devices use an infrared motion sensor to power down the vending machine when the surrounding area is vacant. The university expects to save more than $600 a year.
California State U San Bernardino Hands Out Sustainable Fortunes
California State University, San Bernardino sweetened its sustainability messaging by passing out fortune cookies during its recent Welcome Week. The cookies were filled with green campus information inside, an idea initiated by the university's Green Campus interns. The team is currently gearing up for more student-involved green activities.
Cal Poly Pomona Installs 4,500 Solar Panels
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is installing 4,500 solar panels on campus that are expected to go into operation in October. As part of the university's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the panels will generate enough electricity to power 161 homes for a year with carbon savings equivalent to planting 282 acres of pine trees.
Central Carolina CC Offers Green Building Courses
Central Carolina Community College (NC) has begun offering green building and renewable energy classes. The courses will focus on the LEED rating system and building environmentally friendly structures. An introduction to photovoltaic system design, sustainable design and communities, building analyst training, solar water heating principles and water management courses will also be offered.
Champlain College Opens Green Admissions Center
Champlain College (VT) has opened the doors of its new environmentally friendly Welcome & Admissions Center. The $12 million renovation of the 1859 historic building includes energy-efficient lighting and climate control systems including a geothermal pump. The new staff headquarters will seek LEED Platinum status.
College of the Canyons Receives National Science Foundation Grant
College of the Canyons (CA) has been awarded a four-year grant totaling $3 million from the National Science Foundation to establish a renewable energy regional center. The center will create and expand courses and workforce training programs to help address the high demand for renewable energy technicians throughout the state. Funding will also go toward developing renewable energy programs and workforce training at the consortium's partner colleges, which include Cuesta, Cerro Coso, Allen Hancock, Santa Barbara City, L.A. Pierce, Moorpark, Oxnard, Merced and Porterville community colleges.
Colorado State U Earns Grant for Solar Array
Colorado State University has been awarded a $15,000 grant from New Energy Economic Development funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will be used for the installation of a 206-kilowatt thin-film solar array on campus and solar energy education kiosk.
Colorado State U Recreation Center Gets Green Makeover
Colorado State University's Recreation Center is undergoing a green renovation. Sustainable features include energy-reducing lighting and thermal controls, motion sensors, water-efficient landscaping and the re-use of more than 75 percent of existing structural walls, floors and roofs. The center will achieve a 20-30 percent reduction in water use and at least a 21 percent reduction in energy use. Seventy-five percent of the construction waste will be recycled.
Dickinson College Hall Awarded LEED Gold
Dickinson College's (PA) Althouse Hall has received LEED Gold certification. Home to Africana studies, economics, and international business and management, the building's green renovations used more than 27 percent of recycled building materials. Other green features include a dedicated area of bicycles and recycled materials, waterless urinals, automated energy-saving lighting and thermal controls, water-efficient landscaping and erosion, sedimentation and stormwater runoff control plans to prevent pollution from construction activity.
Emory U Debuts Green Residence Hall
Emory University's (GA) newest residence hall completes phase three of its planned freshman complex. Designed to LEED Silver standards, green features of the Longstreet-Means Hall for incoming freshman include recycled countertops, flooring and a new water recycling system. Eighty-four percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Grand Rapids CC Launches Green Job Training
Grand Rapids Community College (MI) is set to launch its green technician training course. The 80-hour, four-week class will prepare students for entry-level sustainable manufacturing jobs. Three area manufacturers will draw on graduates from the program.
James Madison U Implements Residence Hall Geothermal Units
James Madison University (VA) has drilled eco-friendly geothermal units as part of a sustainable renovation of Wayland Hall. The units are located under a parking lot and will contribute to the heating and cooling of the dormitory. Set for a 2011 completion, the 158-bed residence hall has been designed to meet LEED Platinum certification.
Jones County Junior College Receives Award for Recycling Efforts
Jones County Junior College (MS) has been awarded a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award, designed to provide education on green building and sustainability in higher education. The award was given to the college for their leadership and progress in recycling. Since partnering with Sumrall Recycling in the fall of 2009, disposal fees have been cut in half.
Lincoln Land CC Set to Expand Renewable Energy Program
Lincoln Land Community College (IL) has received a $2 million grant to expand opportunities for students in alternative energy and green construction trades. The college will offer wind, solar and geothermal energy training with new equipment and teaching spaces.
Long Island U Installs Solar Panels
Long Island University (NY) has installed a new 10-kilowatt solar generating system. Incentives from the Long Island Power Authority and National Grid lowered the cost of the solar panels by $28,000. The university also purchased renewable energy certificates amounting to three percent of its total energy consumption.
Mineral Area College Launches Renewable Energy Technology Degree
Mineral Area College (MO) has developed an associate degree in renewable energy technology with agriculture, manufacturing, solar and wind concentrations. The coursework can be articulated to a bachelor's degree at Southeast Missouri University. The college is also offering a 15-hour Renewable Energy Technician Certificate.
NY Times Features Rise of Community College Green Job Training
Highlighting the growing need for a new generation of environmentally smart managers, The New York Times recently featured the rise of green job training opportunities at community colleges. The federal government is contributing $500 million toward green job training, says the article, and the energy efficiency sector is estimated to grow as much as four times in the next decade to an estimated 1.3 million people. Educational institutions are offering courses and degree programs to ready managers who will oversee the technologies, manufacturing processes and materials that will be used to conserve energy and help safeguard natural resources.
Palm Beach State College Unveils First Green Building
Palm Beach State College (FL) has announced the opening of its first green building. The 33,982-square-foot Technical Education Center was constructed to LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features include a wastewater recycling system, energy-efficient lighting and renewable energy sources. The native landscaping is designed to utilize stormwater runoff for irrigation. The $13 million project will be used as a training facility for a variety of careers including sustainable building.
Penn State York Offers Green Advantage Training, Certification
Pennsylvania State University, York will offer Green Advantage training and certification in October. Green Advantage is a commercial construction program designed for builders, developers, contractors and suppliers. The training is open to the public and will cover the construction principles behind sustainable building and the LEED rating system. Participants will learn how to lighten the impact on the environment, save energy and improve the health conditions of construction workers and building occupants.
Pennsylvania State U Awarded $129 Mil for Energy Innovation Hub
Pennsylvania State University has been awarded up to $129 million in federal funding to develop an energy innovation hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The grant, to be paid over the next five years, will fund energy-efficient building design research with a focus on how to improve energy efficiency and cut pollution in the construction, maintenance and management of buildings. A particular emphasis will be placed on training workers to retrofit old buildings. The project is expected to create and retain 100,000 jobs over the next five to 10 years.
Pierce College Plans for 3 Solar Arrays
Pierce College (CA) will install three new photovoltaic arrays on campus. The $8.7 million project is part of a six-year lease of the new equipment, after which the Los Angeles Community College District will assume ownership of the lease.
Redstone College Creates Wind Energy Curriculum
Redstone College (CO) has created a new wind energy technology program. The 15-month curriculum includes hands-on learning with test equipment and troubleshooting for wind turbine installation, testing and repair. The college will use a wind turbine that has been converted to a ground-floor wind lab.
Richard Stockton College Creates Green Parking Lot
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey is foregoing the traditional asphalt used for parking lots in favor of a porous surface of plastic grids. The 1.86-acre parking lot will feature recycled polyethylene grid sections that lock together to form a surface that supports cars and light trucks. A mixture of top soil and EcoSoil—a composted blend of yard waste collected by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority—will fill the open spaces in the grids, allowing for grass to germinate. Rainfall will soak through the parking lot without the need for storm drains.
Southern Texas U Begins Solar Installation
Southern Texas University has begun installing a new solar demonstration. Partnering with the university, Evolution Solar will install eight thin-film photovoltaic panels on the campus that are intended to serve as a cornerstone of the new Green Technology Center. Students will be included in the installation process.
SUNY College Enviro Science and Forestry Turns Butter into Fuel
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) will turn an 800-pound sculpture made entirely of butter into biodiesel. The sculpture, which debuted at the New York State Fair, presents the future of dairy farming as an environmentally friendly endeavor and will end up as fuel for the ESF vehicle fleet. This is the third year that the college will turn butter into fuel as an extension of ESF's ongoing initiative that turns frying oil from campus dining services into biodiesel.
U Arizona Recreation Center Receives LEED Platinum
The University of Arizona's Recreation Center has been awarded LEED Platinum certification. The $27.6 million, 55,000-square-foot building's location and established programs support and encourage mass transit, walking and bicycling. Sustainable features include solar panels, preferred parking for low-emission vehicles and a water runoff site where rain is funneled to planting areas or directed to a rock pile beneath the ground.
U Michigan Offers Single-Stream Recycling
The University of Michigan has announced plans to offer single-stream recycling. The new system will allow paper and container recyclables to be collected in the same bin. New materials that can be recycled in the program include all plastics except for No. 3, plastic grocery bags, plastic films and plastic foam.
U North Texas Dallas Opens Green Building
The University of North Texas at Dallas has opened its newest green building. The 103,000-square-foot building was designed to meet LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features include a 60,000-gallon rainwater cistern to irrigate the campus, passive solar design, a roof garden and 448 solar panels expected to produce 100.4 kilowatts of power.
U Victoria Achieves LEED Gold
The University of Victoria's Social Sciences and Mathematics building has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council. The building features two green roofs and patio gardens to help insulate and capture rain and moisture. Other sustainable features include energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation, and showers and lockers for bicyclists.
U Wyoming Debuts Green Building and Gardens
The University of Wyoming has opened the Bim Kendall House, a 1950s office building that was renovated to house the university's environment and natural resources program. Sustainable features include a passive ventilation system, photovoltaic system, cork and rubber flooring, recycled and re-used construction materials and energy-efficient windows. Twenty-five percent of the construction waste was recycled. The building is intended as a model for residential and small-scale institutional green design with native plant gardens that feature rain chains mounted to the gutter to move water from the roof to the landscaping below.
Washington U St. Louis Opens Green Dining Services
Washington University, St. Louis (MO) has opened a new dining facility. Sustainable initiatives include sensor lighting, reusable food boxes and a compost system. Excess food will be donated to a local food bank and the waste oil will be converted to biofuel for dining services vehicles. The university will also place a priority on the use of local food.
Appalachian State U Provides Energy Tours to School Groups
Appalachian State University (NC) has begun offering tours of its various energy projects to local school groups. Conducted by the university’s Wind Applications Center, tour stops include the university’s wind turbine, biodiesel processing facility, energy-efficient dwelling and photovoltaic solar array. Interactive features of the tour include the chance for students to make their own electricity to light a light bulb by pedaling a bike that is connected to a generator. Students also learn how alternative and renewable energy is good for the environment and its increasing role in consumer energy use.
Bluffton U Dining Services Goes Green
Bluffton University's (OH) Dining Services has announced plans to become more sustainable. In an effort to reduce food waste and water usage, the department will no longer use trays, and will switch to fair trade coffee and tea. The university will also use paper products and stir sticks made from recycled materials.
Central Carolina CC Opens Sustainable Technology Center
Central Carolina Community College (NC) will open the doors of its new Sustainable Technologies Building in September. The college will share the building, which will house several college programs including sustainable technology, sustainable agriculture and biofuels production, with the Chatham County Public Library. The biofuels area will include both a production facility and research lab for students. The building uses a wastewater reuse system and features a green roof to reduce energy costs.
Clemson U Starts Healthy Campus Initiative
From a campus bike share program to recyclable cafeteria to-go containers, Clemson University (SC) will kick off the school year with the Healthy Campus project. Targeting environmentally conscious students and those who struggle to remain active and healthy, the initiative takes a personal approach to sustainability. In an effort to keep fitness levels up, the university is working with engineers to make the campus more pedestrian friendly to encourage walking. Clemson Housing is also working with Students for Environmental Action to start a new on-campus live-in, learn-in community. The university's EcoPlex will serve as the pilot building for the learn-in community, featuring energy-efficient heating and cooling, reduced water use and on-site recycling.
College of William and Mary Enhances Campus Recycling
The College of William and Mary (VA) is expanding its campus-wide recycling efforts. The college has added 1,000 new recycling containers across campus to collect paper, glass, plastic bottles and aluminum or tin cans. The college will also coordinate all indoor and outdoor collection through facilities management and residential life.
Faulkner State CC Opens Green Science Building
Faulkner State Community College (AL) has announced the opening of its Allied Health and Natural Science Building. The $7.3 million, 45,000-square-foot building will seek LEED Silver certification and is expected to reduce energy costs by 38 percent. The new building will house the college’s nursing program and other classrooms.
Haywood CC to Offer Green Building Curriculum
Offered through the JobsNOW program and a grant from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, Haywood Community College (NC) will offer an eight-week course on the Fundamentals of Green Building this fall. The course is designed to help construction workers and contractors land work in the emerging green construction industry. The course will cover theories, practices and materials used in green building. Students will work on a model green home being built on the campus.
Humboldt State U Expands Recycling Efforts
Humboldt State University's (CA) student-initiated Campus Recycling Program has changed its name to the Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) to reflect its growing efforts. The program now includes a reusable office supply exchange, composting, tap water promotion efforts and advocates for zero waste campus events.
Kansas City Kansas CC Reduces Mowing
Kansas City Kansas Community College has reduced mowing campus grounds from once every 10 days to twice a year. Environmentally, the uncut fields reduce carbon emissions and create a habitat for wildlife. Financially, the reduced mowing saves the college manpower, fuel and maintenance costs.
Meredith College Debuts Environmental Sustainability Major
Meredith College (NC) will offer an interdisciplinary major focused on environmental sustainability this fall. The undergraduate program will focus on three foundations: natural and mathematical sciences, social sciences, and economics and communication. Students will have the opportunity to tailor a program that fits their professional interests. A wide variety of liberal art courses will be offered including environmental ethics, economics and politics, along with research or internship experience.
Montgomery County CC Receives Kresge Fellowship
Montgomery County Community College (PA) has received a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award. The fellowship program provides college and university executives with the information and networks necessary to become successful green building leaders for their institutions. The foundation focuses on assessing some of the critical challenges faced by under-resourced colleges and universities to implement green building on their campuses.
New York U Pilots Student-Initiated Bike Share Program
New York University has kicked off the pilot phase of its bike share program. With support from the university's Sustainability Office, a group of students designed the program with the long-term goal of lowering barriers like cost and experience for campus bicyclists. At the start of the university's academic year, bikes will be available in several residence halls for rental by students, staff and faculty. The program will expand based on demand.
Owens CC Receives Renewable Energy Grant
Owens Community College has been awarded a $96,000 Renewable Energy Grant from the Ohio Department of Development to advance the college's alternative and renewable energy initiatives. The grant will be used to offset the installation costs of the college's recently installed 120-foot wind turbine.
Princeton Review Names Green Rating Honor Roll Institutions
The Princeton Review has named 18 institutions to its 2011 Green Rating Honor Roll for receiving the highest possible score in its Green Rating tallies this year. Green Ratings are a measure of how environmentally friendly an institution is on a scale of 66 to 99. Ratings for 703 institutions were tallied based on surveys concerning green practices, policies and academic offerings. The top 18 schools are Arizona State University; College of the Atlantic (ME); Evergreen State College (WA); Georgia Institute of Technology; Harvard University (MA); Northeastern University (MA); Northland College (WI); State University of New York, Binghamton University; Unity College (ME); University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Georgia; University of Maine; University of Maryland, College Park; Warren Wilson College (NC); West Virginia University; and Yale University (CT).
Richland College Installs Grease and Oil Recycling Station
Dallas County Community College District and Dallas Water Utilities have announced the installation of a cooking grease and oil recycling station at Richland College (TX). The cooking oil and grease recycling program is part of an effort to reduce the number of sewer pipe blockages in a sustainable way. Collected cooking oil will be used to make biodiesel for Dallas County school buses.
San Francisco State U Creates Green Move-In Day
San Francisco State University (CA) students and their families were asked to reduce waste on campus to achieve a sustainable move-in. Parents were encouraged to take cardboard boxes home to be re-used, or to drop them in recycling bins behind each residence building. Coat hangers saved from last year’s residents were available for free at residence building community desks.
Spring Hill College Student Center Achieves LEED Certification
Spring Hill College (AL) has opened its first LEED-certified building. Environmentally friendly features of the college's student center reduce the building's energy needs by 14 percent, including recycled building materials, low-VOC paint, passive solar design, and water-efficient plumbing fixtures and landscaping. The center houses a variety of offices, lounges and dining services.
U Minnesota Receives $8 Million for Wind Turbine Installation
As part of an overall $24 million grant for institutional wind research from the U.S. Department of Energy and wind trade groups, the University of Minnesota has been awarded $8 million to install a 2.5-megawatt wind turbine in December. The turbine will provide university officials with an opportunity to study energy capture and operational capabilities. The university also hopes to create undergraduate courses focusing on wind energy and renewable energy technologies.
