Keele U to Convert Farmhouse Into Sustainability Hub
Keele University (UK) has announced plans to renovate a crumbling 19th Century farmhouse into the university's Sustainability Hub Building. Renovations will aim to create a sustainable initiatives research and educational complex that is completely energy-efficient. Diverse local energy sources are expected to power the hub including wind turbines and geothermal energy.
Macquarie U Wins Green Globe Award
Macquarie University (Australia) recently won a Green Globe Award from the New South Wales government, which celebrates sustainable uses of natural resources and leadership in tackling climate change. The university's blueprint for sustainability received a Public Sector Sustainability Award in the category of people, plant and participation. In addition to operating as a fair trade campus, the university's sustainability initiatives include a recycling program that uses 100 percent recycled paper and diverts 70 percent of its waste from landfills; green cleaning, IT and e-waste policies; and a sustainability website, committee and campus tours.
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Posted Aug 1, 2010
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Other News
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan U Collects Sustainable Living Data
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's (South Africa) Georgia campus has begun a campus project to collect data on sustainable living compared to that of conventional households. The university launched the Green Campus Initiative to compare three houses equipped with solar energy geysers and rainwater harvesting systems to a sample of identical houses utilizing conventional systems. Student homes were equipped with solar panels for heating water and simple mechanisms to ensure sustainable use of water. Two groups of students living in each type of house are monitoring and comparing daily energy and household water consumption. The research will be used to raise awareness about energy consumption and the campus hopes the results will help develop a practical model that can be applied to other institutions.
NY Times Features Masdar Institute for Science and Technology
The New York Times recently featured the Masdar Institute for Science and Technology (Abu Dhabi). The school is the centerpiece of a $22 billion research park outside of Abu Dhabi, says the article, and was created to further Abu Dhabi's plan to transform itself from a resource-based economy to one rooted in the knowledge and service sectors. The school's vision is to become a world leader in energy and sustainability research. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has signed on to consult through 2012, helping to develop the school's academic and research programs; recruiting, interviewing and recommending all faculty hires; drafting the terms and conditions of employment; and helping to select the first class of students. The school will launch its doctoral program this fall.
Palestine Polytechnic U Students Build Solar Car
With limited funds and resources, engineering students at Palestine Polytechnic University have built a solar car from scratch. The car's electric engine is fed by a battery that stores energy harnessed from roof-mounted reflective solar panels. The students were part of a university project to develop renewable energy sources to replace diesel and petrol. The university hopes that the project will attract funding to enable further development.
Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman U Installs Bldg Control System
Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University (Saudi Arabia) has announced plans to implement a building control system from ABB engineering company that will allow automatic and remote control of lighting and shading through one single interface. This technology is expected to yield campus energy savings of up to 40 percent.
SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School Starts Green Education Program
SKH Li Fook Hing Secondary School (Hong Kong) has launched the Green Program to provide students with hands-on sustainable initiatives experience. Students in the program have created a demonstration mobile solar power station to educate countryside villagers about solar power. Also initiated by the program was the installation of a campus green roof and a rainwater harvesting system.
U Adelaide Building Receives Green Star Design Rating
The University of Adelaide's (Australia) new Innova21 building has received the Green Building Council of Australia's 6 Star Green Star Design – Education v1 environmental rating. The nine-level Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences facility features active slab technology (hydronic cooling loops within the concrete floor) combined with an underground air distribution system that utilizes 100 percent fresh air ventilation. Rainwater is collected through an underground rainwater harvesting system and stored for use in the building’s cooling towers for toilet flushing and irrigation. The building also features a Building Management System to reduce energy consumption.
U Bristol, U Birmingham Students Tie in Energy Challenge
A team of students from the University of Bristol (UK) and the University of Birmingham (UK) tied for first place in a United Kingdom energy challenge. Sponsored by energy company RWE npower, the challenge asked students how a power generation and supply company should respond to climate change. Students were to consider affordability, sustainability, public perception, customer retention and supply security. The Bristol team's solution included developing more renewable energy and a fixed price green energy tariff. Birmingham students proposed hydropower to cope with peaks in demand.
U New South Wales Announces Electric Car Fleet
The University of New South Wales (Australia) has committed to an electric vehicle fleet as part of a research and infrastructure agreement. Electric vehicle provider, Better Place, will provide charge spots and additional services to support the fleet in a new solar precinct to be established by the university. The university will also begin research to investigate the impact that charging significant numbers of electric cars will have on Australia’s power grid. New solar panel arrays will generate most of the energy needed for an electrical vehicle fleet.
U New South Wales Sustainable Binding Concept Earns Grand Prize
Students at the University of New South Wales (Australia) are the winners of the inaugural Staples Global EcoEasy Challenge, a search among universities around the world to find the next green office product. The students were awarded the $25,000 grand prize for their Binder Interlock Neat Device (BIND) concept, a tie-and-ring system for organizing documents. The BIND's locking mechanism provides a reusable alternative to products like binders, paper clips and cable ties. In second and third place were students at the University of California, Berkeley and the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras for the Eco-Stapler and Step Shredder (a manual shredder that eliminates the need for electricity), respectively.
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Posted Aug 1, 2010
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Other News
U Pretoria Creates Permaculture Garden
The University of Pretoria's (South Africa) Gordon Institute of Business Science has unveiled a permaculture food garden. Designed with the help of Food and Trees for Africa, the garden's utilization of urban space is a sustainable development initiative aimed at promoting corporate greening, food security and poverty alleviation. The garden is planted with a variety of organic vegetables, culinary and medicinal herbs, fruit trees and perennials.
U Queensland Awarded $6.5 Mil for Algae Aviation Fuel Research
The University of Queensland (Australia) has been awarded nearly $6.5 million in state government funding for research that aims to produce aviation fuel from algae. The aviation biofuel research is backed by Boeing and Virgin Blue airlines and will be spearheaded by the university's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
U Queensland Installs Solar Facility
The University of Queensland (Australia) has partnered with solar company Ingenero to develop and install a flat panel solar facility. Projects will include rooftop installation and a ground-mounted solar array. The combination will provide clean energy to the university as well as a training and research platform. The 1.2-megawatt solar system will spread across four rooftops.
U Western Sydney Debuts Sustainability Fund
The University of Western Sydney (Australia) recently launched its Sustainable Rolling Fund (SURF) program. Modeled on the Harvard Green Campus Loan fund, the program provides upfront financing to staff and students for sustainability projects that reduce environmental impacts and have quantifiable returns. By encouraging investment in energy and water-efficient installations, waste reduction, renewable energy and sustainable transportation, the program aims to foster sustainable design and environmental initiatives within the campus community.
U Western Sydney Launches Sustainability Website
The University of Western Sydney (Australia) has launched a sustainability website. To help further its sustainability focus, the website provides information about the university's sustainability initiatives in the areas of energy, buildings, transportation, recycling and waste, research, water and curriculum. The university has also been commissioned by the Australian government to provide a comprehensive resource for the variety of ways that issues of social, economic and environmental sustainability are being addressed in higher education curriculum. Together with the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, the university will launch a website in November that maps current sustainability initiatives and encourages the sharing of resources and best practices.
U York Debuts Suite of Green Chemistry Laboratories
The University of York (UK) has debuted the Green Chemical Technology Facility with plans to advance its research in renewable resources. Funded in part by the Wolfson/Royal Society and the European Regional Development Fund, the laboratory will enable the university to explore biomaterials, clean synthesis and platform molecules, and study the effects of microwaves on compounds for the selective conversion of biomass to chemicals with a biorefinery microwave demonstrator.
Victoria U Considering Fair Trade Proposal
Victoria University's (New Zealand) vice chancellor is considering a proposal to become the country's first fair trade campus. The university's students voted in favor of the Victoria International Development Society's proposal, voting for fair trade advocacy at a recent student representative council.
Brookdale CC Offers New Solar Energy Course
Brookdale Community College (NJ) has announced a new solar energy system course to be offered in the fall. Students will have the opportunity to design and install solar photovoltaic systems. The course will cover the basic technology and skills required for the design and installation of a solar energy system. After successfully completing the instructional program, students will be eligible to take the North American Board of Certified Energy Providers exam.
California State U Long Beach Students Ramp Up Green Program
Interns with California State University Long Beach’s student-led Green Campus Program are working to ensure that campus classrooms are as energy efficient as possible. One project features the use of data loggers that record the activity of occupancy sensors through on/off changes of lights. The students will watch for irregular patterns in lighting usage that indicate when automatic light sensors are not working properly and inform the university's Facilities Management Department. The Green Campus Program was implemented last spring at the university, with plans to promote energy efficiency to students, make operational change recommendations and encourage the implementation of energy efficiency lessons into university curriculum. A main goal of the program, which is currently in place on 19 California campuses, is to build pathways for students to green careers through trainings, internships, volunteer opportunities and project-based learning.
Clinton CC Creates Wind Turbine Technician Certificate Program
Clinton Community College (NY) has created a new wind turbine service technician certificate program. The certificate is designed to prepare students for careers in wind energy or enhance current employment in the renewable energy industry. The 31-credit program will provide students with a background in industrial electricity and mechanical systems. All credit hours are transferable to the wind energy and turbine technology associate's degree program.
Coppin State U Receives Grant for Solar Project
Coppin State University (MD) has been awarded a $500,000 grant to fund the installation of solar arrays on eight campus buildings. The Sunburst Project is a stimulus-funded grant through the Maryland Energy Administration. The solar installations are expected to provide three to five percent of the university’s total annual consumption, and will reduce annual electrical costs by $10,000 to $15,000.
Duke U Implements Indoor Temperature Policy
Duke University (NC) has announced a policy to regulate indoor temperatures. Participating campus buildings at Duke will now be set to 76 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter. The university expects to save as much as $600,000 in heating and cooling costs.
Harvard U Lab Awarded LEED Gold
Harvard University's (MA) Jacobsen Lab has achieved LEED Gold certification. The Faculty Arts and Sciences' organic chemistry lab features overhead lighting occupancy sensors and variable air volume fume hoods that decrease energy use by lowering exhaust rates when the sash is closed. Eighty-four percent of the construction waste from the renovation was diverted from landfills and 38 percent of construction materials came from recycled content.
Hendrix College Student Center Receives LEED Gold
Hendrix College’s (AR) Student Life and Technology Center has earned LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features of the 77,000-square-foot building include energy-efficient plumbing fixtures and windows, and drought-tolerant vegetation. Twenty percent of materials used during the $26 million construction contained post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content. The college diverted 75 percent of the total construction waste from landfills.
Lake Forest College Students Start Campus Garden
Lake Forest College (IL) students have created a campus garden, funded by the Andrew Mellon Grant for environmental studies. The garden features four different garden styles, including three bio-intensive beds, two tilled fields, three raised seeder beds and a no-dig garden. Crops include carrots, potatoes, radishes, lettuce, broccoli, kale, chard, tomatoes and herbs. The students are working to direct the harvest to the school cafeteria.
Lynchburg College Installs Solar Array
Lynchburg College (VA) has installed a solar array as part of the college’s $4.56 million plan to reduce its energy consumption and associated costs. The solar array produces energy that is pumped into the building, reducing the amount of electricity required from the grid. The array produces enough energy to power 125 fluorescent lamps. The college is also renovating three buildings and installing low-flow toilets. The college expects to save $583,000 in annual energy costs.
Maharishi U Management to Open Sustainable Living Center
Maharishi University of Management (IA) has announced the use of renewable energy to power the construction of its Sustainable Living Center. Non-toxic materials from local sources will be used during construction, and all energy will be provided from solar panels on the building and an outside wind turbine. Rainwater catchment will be the complete source of the building's water, with a drinking water purification process through ultraviolet technology. Wastewater will be treated onsite using a constructed wetland. Slated for a late fall opening, the center will allow students in the sustainable living major to monitor energy performance and make adjustments.
Missouri State U to Offer Geotourism Degree
Missouri State University has announced that it will offer an undergraduate geotourism degree in the fall. The degree combines cultural and environmental geography with community planning, development and tourism. The program will include courses that present a holistic approach to the study of local and global tourism impacts, with the primary focus on enhancing the quality of life of all affected by tourism development. The program was developed in consultation with National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations.
Pennsylvania State U Launches Eco-Rep Program
Pennsylvania State University has announced plans to start an Eco-Rep Program in the fall. Students who are Eco-Reps will live in residential halls and promote environmentally responsible behaviors. Eco-Reps are expected to focus on the reduction of electricity use during the fall semester and recycling in the spring. The university is looking to fill 28 spots open to incoming freshman.
Purdue U Installs Wind Turbines for Research
Purdue University (IN) has announced the installation of multiple wind turbines for research. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, 10 turbines standing at 30 feet will be installed as a simulation of 800-watt turbines. Two additional turbines will be installed on top of the engineering building. The turbine placement will be mobile in order to study how they interact with one another.
Rochester Inst of Tech to Research Energy Use in Collections
The Rochester Institute of Technology's (NY) Image Permanence Institute has received two grants totaling $648,405 to fund sustainable heating, venting and air conditioning operations in campus library, archives and museum collections. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will fund a three-year project that will search for the best ways to reduce energy use without compromising the preservation quality of collection environments. The NEH will also fund a two-year education and training project that will help collections staff avoid risks to collections while supporting sustainability and energy-reduction efforts.
Southern Methodist U Uses Solar Array for Online Teaching Tool
Southern Methodist University (TX) has installed a 68-panel solar array for demonstration purposes. The university plans to share information learned from the online monitoring system with K-12 students. The online feature allows anyone to monitor the energy produced by the system in real time. Time lapse animation is used to demonstrate how the solar panels absorb the sun and transform it to energy. Graphics on the site allow the user to compare highs and lows in energy production across the days and months since the array was installed. The solar array has generated enough electricity to offset the university’s footprint by 10.7 metric tons.
Springfield Technical CC Installs Solar Array
Springfield Technical Community College (MA) has installed an 82.9-kilowatt solar array, funded by a $7,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The solar array feeds into an online databank that students can access to monitor the system's performance, including ambient temperatures and power input. The college expects the system to pay for itself within 18 years.
U New England Expands Bicycle Program
The University of New England (ME) has expanded its on-campus bicycle program. Prospective students and their families can now take a two-hour tour through campus by bike, ending with lunch and a presentation. Current students now have access to free bicycle rentals, enhancing the existing option for free bicycles or Zip cars to first-year students who do not bring cars to campus.
U Rochester Offers Solar Energy Doctoral Program
The University of Rochester (NY) has created a solar energy doctoral program that will start in the fall. With a $3.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the university aims to turn out students with advanced degrees in various disciplines but with similar groundings in science, business and solar energy public policy. The program will enroll six students a year.
U Tennessee Starts Compost Initiative
The University of Tennessee has created a pilot composting program from on-campus, pre-consumer waste and leftovers from the campus cafeteria. Coffee is also collected from both campus locations of Starbucks. The university expects to compost all food items by the spring and currently sends it to a student-run organic farm. The university is looking to purchase a $230,000 wood grinder to assist in the expansion of the program.
U Toledo Awarded Grant for Algae Biofuels Research Facility
The University of Toledo (OH) was recently awarded almost $3 million through the Ohio Third Frontier Wright Projects Program to build a research and development facility for algae biofuels. The facility will include open ponds, greenhouse ponds and enclosed photobioreactors to test the efficiency of a variety of growth systems. The facility will also include a pilot-scale “downstream processing” system where the algae materials can be converted to fuel. The university plans to focus on Lake Erie algae that are adapted to local environmental conditions.
U Washington Students Urge to End Nike Licensing Contract
Students at the University of Washington are urging the school’s president to end its apparel agreement with Nike. The university would join the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Cornell University (NY), both of which ended licensing agreements with the Ore.-based apparel company as a result of its failure to adequately address the problems caused by the closing of two Honduran factories. At issue is the non-payment of severance to workers at two apparel factories, both of which were under contract with Nike to produce collegiately licensed apparel. The University of Washington’s Student Action Labor Project argues that Nike breached the University’s Code of Conduct that safeguards workers’ rights who produce logo apparel for the university.
Virginia Polytechnic Launches Employee Van Pool
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has launched an employee van pool as part of a series of programs designed to reduce driving and the need for parking spaces. The van pool is geared toward full-time employees who live more than 10 miles from campus. The university provides a minivan from its fleet and allows riders to fuel up on campus. In exchange, each rider pays up to $75 a month to cover expenses. Forty-five percent of full-time university employees are using alternative transportation.
Western New England College Awarded Clean Energy Grant
Western New England College (MA) is one of five grant recipients from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to purchase demonstration and training equipment to prepare students for clean energy jobs. The college will install a demonstration wood pellet burning system that will incorporate testing equipment for measuring system efficiency, emissions and the effects of pellet material selection on system performance. The equipment will also support new courses in bioenergy.
Western State College of Colorado Building Earns LEED Gold
Western State College of Colorado's Kelley Hall was recently awarded LEED Gold certification. The $5.5 million renovation of the building, which houses the environmental studies and behavioral and social sciences departments, included the student-spearheaded installation of solar panels on the roof. Other green features include native plant landscaping, recycled paper product insulation in the roof, motion lighting, recyclable carpet tiles, cork flooring and the use of reclaimed wood in desks and furniture.
Austin CC Receives Grant for Alternative Fuel Training
Austin Community College (TX) has received a $98,860 grant for alternative fuel training. Lessons on hybrids and other green cars that are fueled by propane, natural gas and biodiesel are currently being worked into a two-year certification program. The grant will help double the school’s hybrid training fleet. With the new equipment, the college plans to offer its first fully-devoted alternative fuel class this fall.
California State U Northridge Creates Community Garden
California State University, Northridge has constructed three raised-bed vegetable boxes for a community garden. The garden, which will eventually feature five raised beds, a spiral herb garden and a raised potato bin, is a working demonstration of sustainable practices with an educational focus on healthy eating. The harvest will be used for cooking classes and donations to local food banks.
Columbia U Faculty House Earns LEED Gold
Columbia University's (NY) recently renovated Faculty House has been awarded LEED Gold certification. Environmentally-friendly features include energy-efficient utilities, appliances, fixtures and insulation; recycled low-emission furnishings, materials and finishes; restored original details; and repurposed materials. Construction waste was recycled during the renovation.
Durham Tech CC Earns Grant for Sustainability Tech Certificate
Durham Technical Community College (NC) has received a $249,000 grant from Duke Energy to launch a sustainability technologies certificate program in the fall. The program will certify electricians to install solar energy structures. Students will study residential solar energy configuration with a recently-installed, 150-square-foot solar array. The college aims to offer a renewable energy diploma and sustainability technologies associate’s degree in the future.
Eastern New Mexico U Roswell Begins Renewable Tech Program
Eastern New Mexico University, Roswell will debut a new associate of applied science degree program in renewable energy technology this fall. The curriculum will educate entry-level technicians in clean energy systems including solar, wind, water and geothermal. Students will be introduced to industry energy concepts and trends, and learn the fundamentals of energy systems.
Pennsylvania State U Debuts Energy and Sustainable Policy Degree
Pennsylvania State University has launched an online undergraduate degree in energy and sustainable policy that will start this fall. This program is designed to prepare students for policy making and communications in the renewable energy field. Curriculum will focus on client-stakeholder relations, integrative design and decision making for energy solutions, and business strategies in the energy field.
Portland CC to Offer Green Technology Degree
Portland Community College’s (OR) Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology program has announced a green technology and sustainability option. Starting this fall, the associate's degree program will provide students with the skills to practice sustainable engineering. Courses will include renewable energy, environmental sociology, environmental quality and an introduction to geographic information systems.
Portland State U Featured in NY Times as Planned EcoDistrict
The Portland State University (OR) campus will be the site of a pilot EcoDistrict, according to a recent article in The New York Times. To steer away from the reliance on large, centralized systems to generate electricity, dispose of waste, transport people and process stormwater, Portland residents will experiment with the management of such systems on a smaller, distributed scale in five pilot neighborhoods. The Oregon Sustainability Center, slated for construction at the edge of the university’s campus, will generate all of its electricity, consume only the rainfall that falls upon it, and process all of its wastewater.
