The University of Central Missouri was recently honored with Trane's "Energy Efficiency in Leader Education" award for $36.1 million in campus-wide energy-saving infrastructure upgrades that resolved $20.1 million in deferred maintenance. The upgrades, which will be funded directly from energy savings and related costs, are expected to save more than $735,000 in annual energy costs. The university used a performance contract to pay for the improvements directly from energy saving and other future avoided costs. The contract allows the use of future energy and operational savings to finance infrastructure improvement projects.

The week before the University of Louisville (KY) received a STARS Silver rating, the university also received word that it had achieved its third LEED Gold certification for its Center for Predictive Medicine biosafety research lab. The $44 million, 50,000-square-foot center allows scientists from Kentucky and surrounding states to study diseases like the flu, glanders and the plague in a secure environment.

The University of Mississippi will direct 60 percent of a $100,000 grant issued from the state government to improve its recycling program. The primary investment will be the purchase of new recycling bins on campus. The remaining 40 percent of the grant will be invested in recycling improvements for the university's hosting town of Oxford, Miss.

The University of South Florida is collaborating with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to initiate a water conservation campaign called “Every Drop Counts!” The first stage of this campaign began with a sculpture installation in the lobby of the Marshall Student Center by a university alumnus who constructed a pyramid of 111 one-gallon jugs. The number correlates to the amount of water used by the average individual in the Tampa Bay, Fla. region.

A recent survey of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus shows that transit bus riding has increased 19 percent over the past five years. Students and faculty may ride the city bus for free if they have their campus ID. An additional bus route has contributed to the increase, but campus construction and increased prices for a parking pass are also factors that affected the increase.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s new Sage Hall is nearing completion and is on track for a LEED Gold designation. Some of the eco-friendly features include a green roof, stormwater purification, solar thermal for heating water and recycled materials used for construction. Natural sunlight will provide 90 percent of the interior lights.

Warren Wilson College (NC) has released a campus Sustainable Practices Guide, recommending actions that support sustainability values and formal pledges including the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. Developed by the campus Sustainability Working Group to replace the college's Green Office Guide, the new guide goes beyond office practices to cover areas such as transportation and campus events. The college has also implemented the Sustainability Recognition Award, which will recognize up to 3 sustainability projects per year. The Sustainability Working Group will select an annual award winner that best reflects the principles of the college's sustainability commitments.

Wartburg College (IA) has begun a $2 million sustainability project that includes numerous energy efficiency upgrades to 17 existing structures on campus and is estimated to save the college $260,000 per year. Upgrades include an efficient steam boiler, control units for heating and cooling, and low-flow water fixtures. This initiative is expected to create 31 jobs between now and September 2011. The Office of Energy Independence helped kick off the project with a $666,000 grant.

Washington State University's Environmental Health and Safety Department is in the last stages of a commuter survey conducted to develop models to better estimate reductions in campus carbon emissions. In its first attempt to understand greenhouse gas emissions as they relate to campus commuting practices, the university emailed the survey to faculty, staff and students statewide.

Yale University’s (CT) Business Operations has announced that it will opt out of printing the typical 8,000 - 10,000 copies of its annual financial report. Instead, the report is available for viewing, downloading and selective printing on its website. This is estimated to save the university $60,000 and more than 300,000 pages of paper. All printing will be done on 100 percent recycled paper for those hard copies that are requested, part of the university's commitment to reduce paper purchasing by 25 percent by 2013.

Forty-three new campuses have submitted Climate Action Plans (CAPs) as part of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) since the last update in the AASHE Bulletin on Dec. 6, 2010. The plans illustrate the specific steps schools are taking to reach climate neutrality. The CAP is the second major reporting requirement of the Commitment and is due within two years of signing. The new submissions are, in alphabetical order: Babson College (MA); Clemson University (SC); Coppin State University (MD); East Los Angeles College (CA); Everett Community College (WA); Gateway Community College (AZ); Goucher College (MD); Governors State University (IL); Gustavus Adolphus College (MN); Hillsborough Community College (FL); Holyoke Community College (MA); Huston-Tillotson University (TX); Johnson County Community College (KS); Juniata College (PA); Lane Community College (OR); Los Angeles City College (CA); Los Angeles Harbor College (CA); Los Angeles Mission College (CA); Los Angeles Pierce College (CA); Los Angeles Southwest College (CA); Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (CA); Los Angeles Valley College (CA); Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Monroe Community College (NY); New Mexico State University at Carlsbad; North Carolina State University; Southern New Hampshire University; St. Mary's College of Maryland; State University of New York at Albany; The New School (NY); University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; University of Minnesota-Crookston; University of Minnesota-Duluth; University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; University of Mississippi; University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Missouri - Kansas City; University of Richmond (VA); University of South Carolina Lancaster (SC); University of Vermont; University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; West Los Angeles College (CA); and Western Technical College (WI).

A Louisiana State University industrial engineering assistant professor has teamed up with PURETI Inc, a U.S.-based manufacturer to announce the first evaluation of air-purifying asphalt and concrete. Photo catalytic pavement uses light and titanium dioxide to accelerate decomposition of organic matter. A field study of this new technology is underway near the university's campus. The year-long study will measure air quality and groundwater runoff. Dr. Hassan will present her findings at the Transportation Research Board’s Annual Conference in Washington DC. She says that this will be “the first photo catalytic pavement in the U.S. capable of purifying outdoor air...from traffic emissions.”

A recent survey of Portland State University’s (OR) staff and student population revealed that 75 percent commute to campus without a car. The survey shows that bus, light rail and streetcars are the dominant forms of transportation to the campus. With a new bicycle track that runs through campus, however, biking is the mode of transportation that is growing the fastest. The inclusion of 2,000 bike parking spots and a bicycle repair shop on campus has helped increase the popularity of biking to campus. The electronic survey was completed by 960 employees and 1,109 students.

The senior class of American University (DC) recently unveiled its parting gift – a wind turbine that will power a campus building called the Tavern. A fundraising event raised money towards the overall goal of $22,000. The class of 2011 will continue to fundraise to pay for their gift, but the college’s Office of Sustainability will finance the difference should they fall short of their goal.

Funded by $1.6 million of stimulus money, Austin Community College (TX) has successfully installed enough solar panels on its Eastview campus to save the school $44,000 each year. Besides saving the college money on its utility bill, the project also created five jobs and contributed to 48 others at Jamail & Smith Construction and Texas Solar Power Company.

Brigham Young University (UT) chemistry professor Richard Watt and a team of graduate students have developed a process that mimics photosynthesis to create energy. It is still in the developmental phase, but the chemical reaction works by using protein, citric acid and gold atoms. Their study was recently published in the Journal of Nanoparticle Research.

The Power and Energy Society, an on-campus electrical engineering club at California Polytechnic State University (CA) recently volunteered to help install solar panels on low-income houses. Five houses received the solar panels that are expected to provide 90 percent of their electrical needs. The students installed the panels with two non-profits, GRID Alternatives and People’s Self-Help Housing Corp. The project received funding from the California Solar Initiative Single-family Affordable Solar Homes program.

The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in California is turning waste vegetable oil into biodiesel to fuel its campus shuttles. Oil from multiple oil fryers in campus kitchen classrooms is being converted to fuel using a BioPro biodiesel processor. This processor is expected to pay for itself within a year. By switching from diesel, the institute saves $64 a tank in the two shuttle vans outfitted to run on biodiesel.

A shaky economy with an uncertain job market is contributing to a surge in popularity of campus food pantries, reports Inside Higher Ed. Three pantries at Iowa State University, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of California, Davis have opened in the past month. Last year's National College Health Assessment revealed that finances for the past 12 months were "traumatic or very difficult to handle" for 35.2 percent of students. The two biggest financial issues facing college students are joblessness and education cuts.

Ithaca College (NY) has received LEED Platinum certification for its Peggy Ryan Williams Center, which houses the Office of the President and other senior administration. More than 50 percent of the building's energy comes from renewable sources, with a geothermal system to provide heating and cooling and natural convection ventilation that pre-cools the atrium at the start of each day by drawing in cooler night air and relieving it out a light monitor four stories above. Other sustainable features include nearly 6,500 square feet of vegetated roofing and a 12,000-gallon tank below the garden that collects rainwater from the roof, serving more than 85 percent of the building's yearly water needs.

John Brown University (AR) has announced plans to construct a wind turbine expected to produce 2,000-3,000 kilowatts per year. At 60-feet tall with a 3.5-kilowatt capacity, the turbine will be used to power trail lights around the campus. The turbine is a donation from the Spanish manufacturer Sonkyo Energy.

Kansas University's Surplus Property Recycling Program has saved an estimated $100,000 in recycled furniture. This program aligns departments who need furniture with those who want to get rid of furniture on campus. The program has developed an inventory and has a store on campus. Many projects are small in scale, but they recently refurnished the entire Transit and MV Transportation offices with recycled furniture.

As institutions like Pennsylvania State University, University of Central Florida and possibly Purdue University (IN) make the switch to natural gas, the fossil fuel is getting a fair amount of attention in the media. The Chronicle of Higher Education and The New York Times' Green Blog both point to a ProPublica article that says the assumption that natural gas produces 50 percent less greenhouse gases than coal is not taking into account the methane and other pollutants emitted when gas is extracted and piped to customers. When all emissions are counted, gas may be as little as 25 percent cleaner than coal or less. The benefits of natural gas are also weighed, including the fact that it's a cleaner-burning fuel and doesn't have the devastating effects that the mountain top removal method of coal extraction has.

Princeton University (NJ) has announced plans to install a 5.3-megawatt solar collector field on 27 acres owned by the university adjacent to its main campus. Construction could begin as early as this summer on the system, which will include 16,500 photovoltaic panels. The collector field is expected to generate eight million kilowatt-hours per year, enough to meet 5.5 percent of the total annual campus electrical needs. The renewable energy source will be funded and owned by Colorado-based Key Equipment Finance, which will lease it to the university. The university will pay for the lease through incentives and by initially selling solar renewable energy credits associated with the system.

The San Bernardino Community College District (CA) has initiated a five-year Alternative Energy Concept Plan that is expected to reduce energy consumption at two campuses and the district offices. They will accomplish this with additions in solar panels at the Crafton Hills campus and the consolidation of electrical control at the Valley College central plant. These sustainability-driven modifications will cost the district $10 million. With savings estimated at $1.2 million a year, the district is expecting this initiative to return its investment in 10-15 years.

Following pilot programs at more than a dozen schools, food service provider Sodexo has announced plans to launch its Meatless Monday initiative at 650 Sodexo-served campuses this fall. Developed by nonprofit The Monday Campaigns with the assistance of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, the adoption of this public health initiative is part of Sodexo's "Better Tomorrow" plan including commitments to promote health and wellness solutions and protect and restore the environment. The Meatless Monday campaign's primary goal is to reduce Americans' saturated fat consumption by 15 percent and reduce the environmental impacts of industrial meat production.

Thirty-four institutions have submitted reports for the first deadline of AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). Among the institutions who have submitted complete reports so far, seven have received a STARS Gold rating including American University (DC); Duke University (NC); Middlebury College (VT); New York University; Oregon State University; University of Colorado at Boulder; and University of South Florida. Seventeen have earned a STARS Silver rating including Babson College (MA); College of Lake County (IL); Delta College (MI); Furman University (SC); Grand Valley State University (MI); Indiana University Bloomington; Pacific Lutheran University (WA); Royal Roads University (BC); Santa Clara University (CA); St. John's University (NY); University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; University of Florida; University of Louisville (KY); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Texas at Arlington; University of Texas at Austin; and Wake Forest University (NC). And nine institutions have earned a STARS Bronze score including DePauw University (IN); Estrella Mountain Community College (AZ); Goshen College (IN); Kankakee Community College (IL); Moraine Valley Community College (IL); Orange County Community College (NY); State University of New York at Fredonia; University of Illinois, Chicago; and Wilfrid Laurier University (ON). Earlham College (IN) also submitted its data as a STARS Reporter, a reporting level that doesn't seek a rating but is still available for viewing on the STARS website.

Winston Chung, a Chinese executive who invented a special lithium battery, has donated $10 million to the University of California, Riverside. The donation will be used to create a long-term endowment for the Bourns College of Engineering. The annual interest of this endowment, estimated at about $500,000 annually, will be spent to advance research for electric vehicle batteries. This donation will immediately be put to use by establishing the Winston Chung Global Energy Center at the university and two endowed professorship positions.

A Mitsubishi engine 30-feet long and 10-feet wide will run on natural gas and provide the University of Central Florida's main campus with a third of its energy. The $9 million project is scheduled for completion in December 2011 and university officials estimate it will save $2.5 million per year. Along with electricity, "absorption chillers" will capture escaping heat and power the campus water cooling system.

The University of Colorado at Boulder's Environmental Center has launched a sustainability management certificate program. "Designing for Sustainable Transportation," "Becoming a Sustainability Coordinator" and "Introduction to Smart Grid" are a few of the courses offered through the Sustainable Practices Program at a 20 percent discount to faculty and staff, and a 50 percent discount to students. The curriculum is tailored to professionals and entrepreneurs interested in developing new skills and sustainability training.

The University of Colorado at Boulder leads the recently released Peace Corps' annual ranking of the colleges and universities that sent the most volunteers to serve last year, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. With 117 volunteers, the university led the category of large colleges and universities. The universities of Florida, Michigan, North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington rounded out the top five.

A recent survey at the University of Dayton (OH) shows that a new sustainability project targeting student neighborhoods is influencing student energy usage at home. The Greenhouse Effect report card program measures current resident usage of natural gas and electricity versus the bills of previous residents. Forty-eight percent of the 350 students surveyed said that their first report card grade affected their energy habits. Of the roughly 300 houses and 150 apartments tracked, it is estimated that $7,320 was saved over the course of November and December last year. The university’s administration is repaying the top performers with financial incentives to build support for the program.

Joined by Tennessee state Rep. Jeanne Richardson of Memphis, University of Memphis faculty, staff and students recently held a vigil with local faith leaders and elected officials for increased wages. A study by the university’s professor emeritus of economics determined that a living wage - the pay required for a household to "live a minimally decent life" - in Memphis is $11.62 per hour. University employees have not received a wage increase in four years, and in some instances, employees of over 20 years are still making $7.50 an hour. The vigil was an effort to raise awareness to introduce the issue to Tennessee’s state legislation.

The Morris Healthy Eating Project, a University of Minnesota, Morris-based program, has announced plans to launch a campaign to make locally grown fruits and vegetables and other healthy food options the easy choice on campus and in the community. With obesity rates rising in Minnesota and on campus, the project conducted a food assessment that shows access to fresh fruits and vegetables is lacking at their campus. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota estimates that obesity-related health conditions could cost the state $3.7 billion by 2020. The 95-page assessment outlines the Morris Healthy Eating Project’s vision for a healthier community.

The University of Toledo (OH) has installed three electric vehicle chargers. The charge stations use technology that debuted last year including General Electric Co.’s smart meters and Juice Technologies’ Plug Smart engine. The university's decision to implement charging stations is in anticipation of the university community's purchase of electric vehicles as electric cars gain traction with national automakers.

Scientists at the University of Utah have installed an experimental system on campus that will store winter cold underground in a giant ball of ice to use as air conditioning in the summer. A team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering created a system of 19 connected vertical pipes that extend 50 feet into the ground. The pipes will circulate a refrigerant that when exposed to the winter air, will become chilled. As it goes back into the ground, it's expected to freeze moisture in the soil, creating a ball of underground ice about 35 feet in diameter. In the summer, the refrigerant will be pumped up to the building's air-conditioning system to cool the building as the ice ball melts. The university expects the $20,000 installation to pay for itself in reduced energy bills within two years if used on a building with a high demand for cooling.

The Campus Sustainability Fund committee at the University of Washington voted unanimously to approve a $78,306 proposal to expand the campus farm. A part of the funding will initially fund student internships, but over time, the farm director says the university hopes that profits will pay for student interns. Another portion of the funding will purchase an additional acre to increase production. The farm also plans to increase its capacity to engage students with experiential learning, academic credit and food.

Allegheny College (PA) has received LEED Gold certification for its North Village II residence hall, which opened in fall 2010 and houses 230 students. Sustainable building strategies include Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, construction materials with high recycled content that were produced within 500 miles of the building site, open spaces with vegetation to reduce water run-off, an energy-efficient heating and cooling system fed by on-site geothermal wells and energy-saving motors in all mechanical equipment.

Five student-initiated sustainability ideas at Brandeis University (MA) have been awarded financing through the university's new Sustainability Fund. The fund was established last year by a campus-wide referendum that received the required two-thirds student votes. The vote authorized an increase of $15 a year in student activity fees to be dedicated to student-proposed environmentally friendly projects. The $47,000 collected this year will be spent on Smart Meters to monitor electricity use at select campus buildings; cold frames to increase the size and utility of the campus garden; the installation of a micro-turbine to be part of an energy-efficient lighting pole system; an extension of the campus bike program to allow for semester-long rentals and the expansion of the bike repair shop; and the installation of vermiculture bins in a residence hall.

Clatsop Community College’s (OR) Towler Hall can now generate 42.5 kilowatts of its own energy with the recent installation of rooftop solar panels. Through its Power Purchase Agreement with SolarCity, the college is able to purchase power generated by the panels to service Towler Hall. If the panels produce more than Towler Hall consumes, the solar provider will pay the college for the energy it produces. The college will monitor the energy production of the solar panels on its website.

The College of Southern Idaho will receive a $4.4 million federal grant for its planned Applied Technology and Innovation Center. With the objective to train Idaho's growing alternative energy sector workforce, the 29,600-square-foot center will feature solar photovoltaic and wind energy components, exposed mechanical systems, geothermal heat, and measurement and verification equipment to be used in its curriculum.

Columbia University's (NY) McVickar Hall, home to the university's Alumni Center, has earned LEED Gold certification. Historically preserved, sustainable features of the 1908 building include a recycled heating system, water filtration system and lighting that automatically adjusts to natural light and uses occupancy sensors to maximize energy efficiency.

Coppin State University (MD) has initiated a contract with Constellation Energy that will produce 500 kilowatts of on-site solar power for the university. The energy products supplier will own, operate and finance the project, which, in turn, will produce electricity that the university will purchase at a reduced rate over a 20-year period. Approximately 2,040 roof-mounted crystal photovoltaic panels will supply more than 600,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Production is scheduled to begin in spring 2011.

The complete world switch to power from only the wind, sun, waves and heat from the Earth in a matter of a few decades is both possible and affordable, say two researchers from the University of California, Davis and Stanford University (CA) who are profiled in a recent National Geographic News special series. Their study tallies the build-out that would be required to supply renewable energy for all the world's factories, homes and offices, as well as cars, planes and ships. Some estimations toward 100 percent renewable energy include four million, five-megawatt wind turbines and 90,000 large-scale solar plants for which, the pair says, there is no significant economic or environmental constraints on the production of the bulk materials like concrete and steel that this would require. The main bottleneck could be the production of rare earth materials like neodymium for which the worldwide production would have to more than quintuple. However, the researchers suggest the recycling of rare earth metals. No such recycling program exists today, says the article.

Students at Iowa State University have launched a campus food pantry that evolved from a fall semester learning community project that looked at food assistance needs in their community. After volunteering at local food pantries to learn more about who is using them and who is not, the students found that college students are not using food assistance programs in noticeable numbers even at a time that the number of federal, need-based financial aid recipients at Iowa State rose from about 4,300 in the 2008-2009 school year to 5,300 in 2009-2010. Between 20 and 30 students have joined the new student organization that will oversee the SHOP (Students Helping Our Peers), which will be stocked with donations.

The $125 million effort to open a natural gas power plant on the New York University campus was recently profiled in The New York Times' Green blog. The plant, now in the final stages of development, will provide electricity for the university's lights, elevators and computers, and steam for heating and cooling water. At nearly 90 percent efficiency, the new plant gets almost three times as much useful energy out of a unit of fuel as a typical utility power plant does and its carbon dioxide output is 23 percent smaller than the university's old system. While the university has been generating its own electricity since the 1970s, the switch to natural gas was spurred by air pollution regulators that told the university that it must reduce emissions of the conventional pollutants that resulted from its old power plant.

North Carolina State University and Meredith College (NC) have partnered with Zipcar, Inc. to provide both campuses with the car sharing service. The alternative transportation option will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to faculty, staff and students at both campuses for $8 per hour and $66 per day with a $35 annual membership fee. Four Zipcars will be located on the North Carolina State University campus and two cars available on the Meredith College campus. Members of either campus will have access to cars at both locations.

"Today's business students are far more socially aware than their predecessors," Hult International Business School's London president Stephen Hodges tells The New York Times in a recent article. The school's plan to debut a new master's degree in social entrepreneurship at its London location in September 2011 is the focus of the article that reveals student interest as the motivation behind expanded social enterprise business curriculum. While the article names a number of American universities that offer social entrepreneurship programs, London's School for Social Entrepreneurs' director of policy, Nick Temple, says that he is concerned that social entrepreneurship education in the U.S. seems to be embedded in universities: "...we feel that social justice is also about addressing inequalities. If you're limiting yourself to people who've passed exams or can afford the cost of private university fees you limit yourself to a relatively small pool."

With money from a federal grant, the Department of Parking and Transit Services at Oklahoma State University recently converted 18 buses to run on compressed natural gas. A natural gas station recently opened near campus and the university plans to convert more vehicles to natural gas in the future.

Owens Community College (OH) has announced its new Alternative Energy and Sustainable Systems Technology Program, which will offer an associate degree in alternative energy. Students enrolled in the program will use the campus' wind turbine, solar panels and geothermal heating systems to learn the technology behind alternative energy sources.