Marshall U Creates Sustainability Department, Appoints Director
Marshall University (WV) has created a new Sustainability Department and has appointed Margie J. Phillips as its new director. The new Sustainability Department will seek to help the University look for ways to conserve water and energy, reduce waste, and incorporate green technologies and materials into its planning and operations. Phillips has served as Marshall's energy analyst for more than 12 years.
Michigan State U Opens Recycling Center
Michigan State University has opened its new Surplus Store and Recycling Center. The $13 million facility will accommodate three times the amount of materials as the former MSU recycling facility. A comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the facility, will allow the University to expand recycling collection in 553 buildings on campus. The five target materials are white paper, mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard, and plastics. The 74,000-square-foot Center, which is registered for LEED Silver certification, features rainwater collection tanks, rooftop solar array panels that produce 10 percent of the electricity for the building, broad use of daylighting, and low-flow fixtures in restrooms.
Mississippi State U, Georgia Tech Increase Game Day Recycling
Mississippi State University and Georgia Tech have launched programs that aim to increase recycling during home football games. MSU's "Keep it Clean: Green Gameday, Sustainable Season," developed by the Athletic Department and the University's Environmental Collaborative Office, seeks to encourage Bulldog fans and visitors to recycle aluminum, plastic, and glass and to be responsible for picking up tailgating trash. Georgia Tech has announced plans to expand its Game Day Recycling program, an initiative that started last year. New to the project this year are the "recycling ambassadors" that will work at the gates to help direct visitors to place recyclables in blue bins. The University plans to encourage student organizations to 'adopt-a-game' to help provide the 40 volunteers that will be needed for each football game.
Nature Publishes Article on Campus Sustainability Around the World
Nature has published "How green is your campus?" in the September 2009 issue of its magazine. The article mentions the following U.S. institutions: Emory University (GA); Arizona State University; Pomona College (CA); Green Mountain College (VT); University of Minnesota, Morris; Middlebury College (VT); Harvard University (MA); University of Colorado at Boulder; and Williams College (MA).
Peninsula College Recycles Building Material
Peninsula College (WA) has begun the process to recycle or reuse approximately 95 percent of the materials from 4 buildings that were deconstructed on campus. A portion of the materials will be used in the construction of the College's new classroom building, which has been designed to meet LEED Silver standards.
Portland CC Announces Green Initiative Fund
Portland Community College (OR) has announced the Green Initiative Fund, a project to reward students, faculty, or staff with financial incentives for coming up with their own green projects to reduce the College’s carbon footprint. The fund allocates money to projects that increase the amount of renewable energy used on campus, increase energy efficiency, and reduce the amount of waste created by the College. Portions of the fund will support education initiatives and student internships and will be administered through a student-majority governance board.
Purchase College Hires Sustainability Director
Purchase College (NY) has appointed Joseph Tripodi as its director of the Office of Sustainability. Tripodi will coordinate the College’s efforts toward climate neutrality. He will concentrate on alternative fuels and vehicles, sustainability education across the curriculum, renewable energy, energy-recapture technologies, and the recycling process. Additional activities will include working with various groups to expand research and community outreach and participating in the College's tracking of progress towards its goals in sustainability.
San Antonio College Expands Campus Recycling
San Antonio College (TX) has announced plans to expand "GoGreen," the campus wide recycling program. The College will provide all participating buildings with recycling toters, or small recycling bins with wheels, that will be able to handle plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum. In conjunction with the 150 new toters, a compactor and recycling truck will now pick up recycled contents twice a week at participating buildings. Work-study “supervisors” will coordinate with participating GoGreen club officers once the locations of the drop-off toters are known. The program is expected to start this fall.
Santa Barbara City College Receives Green Construction/Landscaping Curriculum Grant
Santa Barbara City College has received a $711,436 two-year grant from the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges for green construction and landscaping curriculum. The grant comprises the planning and delivery of classes that provide students a background in green technologies and the training necessary to conduct free sustainability audits for local business and homeowners.
Smith College Opens Green Engineering & Sciences Building
Smith College (MA) has opened Ford Hall, its new Engineering and Molecular Sciences Building on campus. The 140,000-square-foot structure features LED lighting, maximum daylight exposure, photovoltaic solar cells, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
U Maryland History Department Goes Paperless
The University of Maryland History Department has gone paperless. All course syllabi and other documents will be available exclusively online. The Department has saved an estimated 40,000 sheets since the initiative began this summer.
U Pennsylvania Eliminates Junk Mail
University of Pennsylvania Mail Services has announced that it will no longer accept unsolicited mail from the U.S. Postal Service for redistribution to the college houses. Since 2007, Penn Mail Services has recycled "no value" mail, which is addressed to "occupant" or "resident." From this point forward, however, the U.S. Postal Service will stop delivering the junk mail to the University.
U Tampa Expands Recycling, Increases Energy & Water Conservation
The University of Tampa (FL) has expanded its recycling program and has implemented several new energy and water conservation initiatives. 15 new recycling receptacles have been placed in buildings around campus to allow faculty, staff, and students to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Recent energy initiatives include replacing 729 175-watt light bulbs with 420 80-watt bulbs, which will save UT approximately $125,000 per year; replacing window air conditioning units in one campus building with central air, which will reduce energy use by 60 percent; and installing a new air chiller and two air handlers in a campus gymnasium. UT has also installed 955 tamper-proof 1.2 gallon-per-minute shower heads.
Washington State U Begins Bike Share Program
Washington State University has launched the Green Bike Program. The fleet of 40 mountain bikes features hybrid tires, locking systems, baskets, lights, and helmets. The program has two check-out/in locations on campus and provides bikes to WSU faculty, staff, and students free of charge for 24 hour periods. The program is designed to help decrease congestion, promote physical activity and health, and lessen the use of fossil fuels.
3 MA Campuses Install Walk-In Cooler Energy-Reduction Systems
Smith College has installed 20 "CoolTrol" systems on campus. The system reduces the amount of time a walk-in cooler's compressor runs, thereby maximizing the energy efficiency and minimizing operational costs. After an up-front cost of $50,000, the technology will save Smith about $17,000 a year in electricity. Smith also received a rebate from National Grid to invest in the energy-saving project. The installation project is the result of a class assignment undertaken by a Smith undergraduate student. The coolers will also be installed at Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
3 Schools Receive DOE Funding for Carbon Capture Training Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that the University of Illinois, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Wyoming will each receive a portion of its $8.4 million in funding to develop sequestration technology training projects. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois will create the Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium Sequestration Technology Training Center; the University of Texas at Austin will create an alliance for Sequestration Training, Outreach, Research and Education, as part of the Gulf Coast Carbon Center, to promote the transfer of scientific knowledge and applied engineering technologies related to CO2 storage in the Gulf Coast region; and the University of Wyoming will develop the Wyoming Carbon Capture and Storage Technology Institute to implement training and technology transfer in the Wyoming and Rocky Mountain regions.
Bates College Assigns Summer Reading on Climate Change
In an effort to encourage arriving first-year students to participate in researching and taking action on carbon emissions and climate change, Bates College (ME) has made climate change the focus of its 2009 summer reading program. The list of books included: With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change by Fred Pearce; Climate Code Red: The Case for Emergency Action by David Spratt and Philip Sutton; and Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben. As part of the same effort, the institution's annual orientation will feature a presentation by Franke James, an artist known for her environmental activism, and on October 24, Bates students will take part in an international day of action advocating for real progress in curtailing climate change.
California State U San Bernardino Installs Green Fitness Machines
California State University, San Bernardino has installed 20 elliptical fitness machines in the student recreation and fitness center that generate energy from exercise. Each machine generates about 100 watts of power per hour when in use and features a sign that explains that the machine generates energy that is converted to electricity. A digital banner on several television monitors also shows the generated electricity.
Central College Receives $25K Rebate for Energy Reduction
Central College (IA) has received a custom rebate check for $25,789.27 from Interstate Power and Light Company for its efforts in reducing the College’s energy usage. When constructing its education and psychology building, Central College installed energy-efficient insulation, energy-efficient windows, and a heat recovery system. The installation resulted in a gas usage reduction of 19,746 therms, which will avoid more than 98.7 metric tons of carbon dioxide. In addition to the rebate, Central College will realize an estimated savings on its annual energy bill of more than $13,000.
Georgian Court U Offsets 100% of its Energy w/ RECs
Georgian Court University (NJ) has purchased more than 5.6 kWh of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). The purchase, which offsets 100 percent of the University's energy usage, includes 5 million kWh of biomass energy and 665,280 kWh of wind energy from national wind farms.
Idaho State U to Offer 2 Associate Degrees in Renewable Energy
The Idaho State University Energy Systems Technology and Education Center (ESTEC) has announced plans to begin offering two new Associate of Applied Science degree programs this fall — Energy Systems Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) and Energy Systems Wind Engineering Technology (WET). The Mechanical Engineering Technology program is a two-year program that will train engineering technicians to work in the mechanical portions of a power plant. Graduates will be able to work in fossil, nuclear, and renewable energy sources. The Wind Engineering Technology program, also a two-year program, will train technicians to install, maintain, and service wind turbines. The Wind Engineering Technology program provides coursework in electrical and mechanical engineering as well as necessary training to climb towers safely and develop the specialized skills and training needed for the growing wind industry.
Ithaca College Launches New Dept of Env'l Studies & Science
Ithaca College (NY) has announced the creation of the Department of Environmental Studies and Science, which will house its degree programs in environmental studies and environmental science. The two majors were previously under the umbrella of the environmental studies program.
Lafayette College Students Take Honors in Green Building Contest
A group of civil engineering graduates at Lafayette College (PA) have won third place, trailing two teams of professional architects, in the U.S. Green Building Council's Natural Talent Design Competition in New York City. The Lafayette team designed a complex that includes a middle school and affordable housing for a 7,500-square-foot lot along Adam Clayton Boulevard in Harlem. The contest provides an applied learning experience in integrated design, sustainability, innovation, and social consciousness.
Leeds Metropolitan U Headingley Opens Green Dorm
Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley (United Kingdom) has opened a new green dorm with 479 bedrooms. The building was designed to include solar thermal panels, recycled materials in construction, and harvested rainwater for use in the toilets.
Luther College Names Assistant Sustainability Coordinator
Luther College (IA) has named Maren Stumme-Diers to the position of assistant sustainability coordinator. Working with Daniel Bellrichard, Luther's sustainability coordinator, Stumme-Diers will help facilitate Luther’s sustainability programs and initiatives with the goal of reducing the environmental impact of the institution. She will help engage students, faculty, and staff in sustainability initiatives related to campus operations, student life, and teaching and research. She will assist Bellrichard in his work as a liaison between campus and community sustainability groups and in implementing strategies to achieve reductions in solid waste disposal and campus energy use.
Metropolitan CC Partners with IBM for Green Data Ctr Degree
Metropolitan Community College (NE) has partnered with IBM to develop a green data center management degree. The two-year, associate degree in Information Technology - Data Center Management includes courses to help students gain technical and business skills to prepare them for careers in the design and management of energy-efficient data centers. Students will have the opportunity to learn virtualization and server consolidation, energy efficiency, business resiliency, and security and compliance skills. The program will officially launch in the spring of 2010.
Monroe CC Building Receives LEED Silver
Monroe Community College’s (NY) Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing structure has received LEED Silver certification. The building includes low-flow plumbing, a highly reflective roof, and a building envelope that optimizes energy performance. The 22,000-square-foot facility also contains at least 20 percent overall recycled content that has been manufactured, harvested, and/or recovered within 500 miles of the College.
NCSE to Create Climate Solutions Learning Community
The National Science Foundation has awarded the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) a $1.7 million grant to build CAMEL (Climate, Adaptation, and Mitigation E-Learning), a nationwide learning community that will engage educators and scholars to develop curriculum at the undergraduate level based on the best available research and most effective teaching methods. It will also focus on faculty development, community building, and the cyberinfrastructure to disseminate innovative strategies. The three-year project will focus initially on expanding the curricular materials on climate science and solutions available to undergraduate students. Content will include an interdisciplinary treatment of climate change causes and consequences and solutions relevant to regional, national, and global scales. Once the project is completed, a virtual tool chest of teaching and learning resources on climate solutions will be freely available online for use by universities and colleges nationwide.
Northwest Missouri State U Introduces Reusable Shopping Bag Prgm
The Northwest Missouri State University Recycling Committee has introduced a cloth shopping bag program in an effort to reduce the volume of paper and plastic shopping bags that end up in landfills. The University plans to give away approximately 15,000 Bearcat-green bags to students, faculty, and staff during the 2009-10 academic year.
Portland State U Opens Cycle Track
Portland State University and the City of Portland have opened a “cycle track” – a bike path physically separated from the road – on a high-traffic street running through campus. The primary advantage of the cycle track design is that it provides a more protected and comfortable space for cyclists than a conventional bike lane. Bicyclists on the cycle track will be separated from moving motor vehicle traffic by parked cars and a 3-foot, striped “buffer-zone” that will protect them from car doors.
Purchase College Announces Green Landscaping Project
Purchase College (NY) has announced plans to renovate its central plaza. The renovation will reduce the amount of pavement by 25 percent and increase the thermal properties for the occupied spaces below the plaza. Plants will include a variety of native and adapted trees, shrubs, grasses and ground cover planted in soils specifically engineered to promote infiltration and plant health. In addition, about 4,000 linear feet of existing granite paving will be re-used as curbing around the perimeter of the new planting beds. The project seeks to reduce the amount of current surface runoff, slow the infiltration rate of rainwater, and act as a bio-filter to improve the water quality of runoff conveyed to the existing storm system. The work is scheduled for completion by August 2012.
Renovated Hotel Opens for Student Housing in Michigan
Riverfront Residence Hall, a 340,000-square-foot structure that was formerly a hotel in Flint, MI, has opened to provide housing for students attending the University of Michigan, Flint; Mott Community College; and Baker College. The first phase of the $20 million renovation will provide housing for 250 students. The second phase, which is expected to be complete in 2010, will open space for 550 students on the top eight floors. The building originally opened in 1981 as the Hyatt Regency Hotel and was operating as the Riverfront Character Inn when it was bought by Uptown Reinvestment Corp.
Saint John's U to Open Green Building
Saint John's University (MN) has announced plans to open the McKeown Center, the community center for the lower campus of SJU. Designed to meet LEED Silver standards, the McKeown Center features a rain garden; pervious sidewalk pavers; local materials; energy efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning systems; and plumbing fixtures that will help reduce water consumption.
Stony Brook U Hospital Pledges to Reduce Env'l Impact
Stony Brook University (NY) Hospital has become the first hospital in the U.S. to pledge to reduce its environmental impact through an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agreement signed by the two entities outlines goals and strategies for energy and water conservation, solid waste management, green design, and the use of environmentally-friendly products. Stony Brook University Hospital will track the results of these efforts and submit reports to EPA every six months.
Syracuse U Opens Green Residence Hall
Syracuse University (NY) has opened Ernie Davis Hall, a residential and dining facility that is registered for LEED Silver certification. The structure includes low-flow faucets and showerheads, efficient lighting, and a stormwater management system.
U Adelaide Biodiesel Bike Taken on Trek Across Australia
A University of Adelaide (Australia) biodiesel motorcycle designed and built by mechanical engineering students has been chosen to be used for a 20,000 km trek across Australia to show its performance ability. The BioBike, which runs on used cooking oil and fats, won acclaim for generating minimal greenhouse gas emissions in completing a 3000km trek in 2007 between Darwin and Adelaide in seven days.
U Alabama Launches Car-Share Program
The University of Alabama has signed an agreement with Zipcar to offer a car-sharing program on campus. The program, which rents six, self-service vehicles to UA faculty, staff, and students ages 18 and older, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Members who are 21 and older will have access to all of Zipcar's vehicles in North America and the U.K. in addition to the cars located on campus.
U Albany Launches 2 Green-Themed Res Halls, Local Food Dining
University at Albany (NY) has opened two new sustainability-themed residence halls and has introduced local food in one of its dining halls. Students living in the sustainability-themed residences will learn about sustainable living, help raise awareness among the student body about the importance of environmental conservation, and model best practices towards sustainability. Prior to the fall semester, students signed contracts agreeing to calculate their carbon footprint; initiate sustainability-themed programming for faculty, staff, and students; and attend meetings of the campus group UAlbany Students for Sustainability. The local food options will include produce, grass-fed beef, and cage-free eggs, which will be prepared and cooked to order.
U California, San Diego Begins Several Green Initiatives
The University of California, San Diego has launched several sustainability initiatives to start the new school year. UCSD has hired seven student “Econauts” to provide peer-to-peer sustainability education. The students will work with the campus residential life staff to educate students and dining customers about ways to reduce their carbon footprint and help UC San Diego meet sustainability goals. The University has also installed bioswales - landscape elements designed to wash water through rocks so that it can be absorbed into the land and minimize the need for irrigation - around new buildings. The bioswales contain native plants. In addition, students moving into the transfer student housing on campus will receive individual electricity bills (to give them an incentive to keep energy consumption low) and a reusable recycling bag in which they can deposit plastic and glass bottles and jars, paper and newspaper, metal containers, and cardboard to take to central recycling locations. UCSD has also instituted a policy to serve only cage-free eggs and fair trade coffee, tea, and sugar in campus dining facilities, and all dining locations will begin regularly featuring farmers' markets where students will have the opportunity to buy locally grown, organic produce directly from local food businesses.
U Delaware Expands Recycling
The University of Delaware has expanded its single-stream recycling program to include the entire campus. Blue recycling containers marked with a "single-stream" logo are being placed next to every trash can on campus, in every residence hall, and in each office area. The new bins join the 2,300 that were added last fall when single-stream recycling was launched on the Laird and South campuses.
U Evansville University Center Awarded LEED Certification
The University of Evansville's (IN) Ridgway University Center has received LEED certification. The 92,000-square-foot structure, which opened in November 2008, features a stormwater management system, lighting controls, and use of renewable resources such as bamboo and recycled rubber.
U Hawaii MÄnoa Unveils Solar Testbed
The University of Hawai'i, MÄnoa has installed a renewable energy demonstration and testing site on the roof of a campus building, Saunders Hall. The “Kumu Kit” solar panel system will provide an opportunity for students to study the potential of solar energy and test different technologies for turning sunlight into electricity. The first project for the testbed will evaluate micro-inverter technology that improves the efficiency of solar power arrays. The micro-inverters communicate real-time power production data from each solar panel to a central web site that archives historical data.
U Kansas Launches Litter Reduction Campaign
University of Kansas Recycling, the Center for Sustainability, and Facilities Operations and Housekeeping have launched the Campus Litter Reduction Campaign, a pilot program that aims to reduce the amount of trash on campus and to limit extra work for campus housekeeping. The initiative places a newspaper recycling bin, a plastic and aluminum bin, and a trash bin outside of nearly every classroom in three buildings on campus. All of the bins were relocated from other places on campus.
U New Mexico Unveils Veggie Bus
The University of New Mexico has unveiled its Veggie Bus, a shuttle powered by waste vegetable oil. The vehicle, which would have otherwise been retired, was overhauled to run on used oil that is collected from UNM dining facilities and converted to B-100 vegetable fuel.
U Pennsylvania Graduation to Feature Recycled-Plastic Caps & Gowns
The University of Pennsylvania has announced that all caps and gowns at the 2010 commencement ceremony will be made of 100 percent, post-consumer, recycled plastic bottles. The fabric will be spun from molten plastic pellets, with an average of 23 bottles needed to make each gown. For every gown purchased, the company producing the outfits will make a contribution to the University's green fund.
Washington U St. Louis Opens 2 Green Residence Halls
Washington University in St. Louis (MO) has opened South 40 House and Umrath House, two new residence halls that were designed to meet LEED Silver standards. All equipment in South 40 House dining facilities, including stoves, hoods, and refrigerators, has an Energy Star label, and food waste will be sent to a pulper, which is similar to a composter. Umrath Hall will house 99 first-year students and three resident advisors (Ras). Three Ras and 126 students will live in South 40 House.
Western Carolina U Launches Yellow Bike Project
Western Carolina University (NC) has launched the Yellow Bike Project, a bike-share program on campus. The fleet of 14 bicycles, which were donated by the campus police impound and by individuals, are available for students to ride as needed and will be repaired and maintained by the WCU Cycling Club. The program received a $300 grant for paint, tubes, stickers, racks, and advertising to help it get started.
Western State College to Install Biomass Boiler
Western State College of Colorado has announced plans to install a boiler system that relies on woody biomass for fuel. A local source does not currently exist for the wood chips necessary to fuel the system, so Western plans to produce its own.
9 Minnesota Institutions Launch Energy Technician Degrees
Nine colleges in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system have announced plans to begin offering a two-year degree program this fall that aims to prepare students to work either in the renewable energy or traditional energy industries. Besides the energy technical specialist degree, students will be able to earn a 16-credit certificate in one of four specialties – ethanol production, biodiesel production, wind turbine maintenance, or solar energy assessment. The certificate programs, which can be completed in as little as one semester, will be available online. The colleges offering the new degree are Alexandria Technical College, Century College, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, South Central College, St. Cloud Technical College and four colleges of the Northeast Higher Education District – Hibbing Community College, Itasca Community College, Mesabi Range Community and Technical College and Vermilion Community College.
