Stetson U Opens Environmental Learning Center
Stetson University (FL) has opened its new Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Environmental Learning Center. The 2,800-square-foot building features a geothermal loop system, a rainwater collection system, a gray-water flush system, roofing made of recycled metal, wood harvested from certified sustainable forests, and double-pane windows with Low-E glass, which admits light while reducing heat gain in summer and reducing heat loss in winter. The structure is registered for LEED Gold certification.
St. John's U Pilots Composting Program
St. John's University (NY) has begun a pilot composting program on campus. The University is currently leasing, with the intent to purchase, a large-scale compost tumbler that breaks down food scraps in a manner that passes health safety standards. Earth Club members, with support from the University's team of Sustainability Coordinators, will oversee the operation.
Truman State U Receives Biofuels Grant
Truman State University (MO) has received a $34,000 grant from the Northeast Missouri Solid Waste District to fund a student group's project to convert waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. Bulldog Biodiesel, formed in 2007, collects oil waste from area restaurants and campus cafeterias and converts it into a clean-burning fuel used in several vehicles on Truman’s farm. In 2008, the group purchased a processor which can convert 50 gallons of fuel every 48 hours. The grant will allow the group to continue through June 2010.
U Illinois Chicago Receives Grant to Study Benefits of Green Housing
The University of Illinois at Chicago has received nearly $1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to study the benefits of green housing. UIC researchers will evaluate the health and monetary benefits when 300 low-income residents move from distressed, unhealthy public housing into green, affordable, healthy housing.
U Iowa Opens Student Garden
The University of Iowa Environmental Coalition and the Office of Sustainability have opened a student garden on campus. The 1/3 acre garden will produce "field to market" vegetable crops for the student union. Students from the UI Environmental Coalition will manage the garden and will be responsible for preparing the ground, installing structures, and maintenance.
U Kansas Students Complete Campus Climate Action Plan
A class of 12 University of Kansas graduate students has completed a Climate Action Plan for the campus. The students spent one semester collecting data on the University's carbon footprint and researched ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report suggests that the University monitor buildings’ temperatures when they are not in use, place solar panels on suitable surfaces, replace light fixtures with more efficient ones, and upgrade storm windows and awnings. The plan also recommends that students conduct energy audits of campus facilities as part of their course work and that the University should better educate incoming freshmen on alternative transportation options and offer more public transportation to commuters.
U Michigan, GM Announced Automotive Research Institute
The University of Michigan and General Motors have announced the formation of the GM/U-M Institute of Automotive Research and Education. The institute will be dedicated to clean and efficient vehicle technologies that address challenges such as energy diversity, sustainable mobility, and technology innovation. It will link U-M faculty and GM in projects and research questions, as well as enable an efficient exchange of technical personnel and knowledge. The projects will supplement ongoing work within GM and will provide U-M faculty and students with research focused on real-world challenges.
U Minnesota Morris Partners for Carbon Neutrality
The University of Minnesota, Morris has partnered with McKinstry, a design/build construction, engineering, energy services, and facilities management firm, to help attain its goal to become carbon neutral. McKinstry has completed an energy analysis of UMM; developed a Carbon Management Tool that demonstrates impacts and interactions between a multitude of conservation, energy storage, and supply side options; and created a plan for managing energy production, storage, and consumption. The new plan seeks to reduce UMM's carbon emissions by more than 80 percent by 2010. The University plans to purchase offsets for the remaining carbon emissions.
U North Carolina Begins Eco-Newsletter
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill has published its inaugural issue of "Act Today" a chronicle of sustainability at UNC. The new publication, which is published by the UNC Sustainability Office to inform the campus community about academics, research, public service, and operations that promote campus sustainability, is available in print and as an e-newsletter. The first issue focuses on solar energy.
U North Carolina Installs Reclaimed Water System
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has constructed a reclaimed water system that serves facilities on the University’s main campus. The reclaimed water system provides non-potable water which has received advanced treatment at the nearby Wastewater Treatment Plant including filtration and disinfection with ultraviolet light and chlorine. The new system will enable the University to reduce its use of drinking water for make-up water at cooling towers by about 660,000 gallons per day in Fiscal Year 2010. The University also plans to extend the reclaimed water system in the near future to serve additional cooling tower, toilet flushing, and irrigation needs on the main campus.
WA State Mandates State Colleges to Purchase 100% Recycled Paper
The State of Washington has approved the Paper Recycling and Conservation Act, which requires all state agencies and state colleges to purchase paper containing 100 percent post-consumer recycled content by the end of the year. In addition, the law requires all state buildings with 25 or more employees to reduce their printing and copying use by 30 percent by July 2010 and to recycle 100 percent of the copy and printing paper used in the office.
Wayne State U Works to Revitalize Surrounding Neighborhoods
Wayne State University (MI) has begun refurbishing run-down buildings in surrounding neighborhoods for campus use. WSU has opened a new police department, academic buildings, apartments, and a welcome center in renovated buildings in an effort to help the downtown Detroit economy.
Western Illinois U to Pilot Bike Share Program
Western Illinois University has begun collecting bike donations and abandoned bikes on campus in preparation for its pilot bicycle share program to be launched this fall. The program, which is being implemented by the Transportation Subcommittee of the WIU Campus Sustainability Committee, will allow students to check out bikes for up to 72 hours.
Western State College of Colorado Saves Paper with Printing Quota
The Western State College of Colorado has saved 90,968 sheets of paper through a new print management policy implemented at the beginning of the spring semester. The College implemented a 600 page printing quota in the computer labs for each student and only 1 percent of the student body went over the quota. The goal of the new policy was to raise awareness of unnecessary printing and to reduce the amount of paper waste in campus computer labs.
18 New Institutions Sign Presidents' Climate Commitment
18 new institutions have signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment since the last update in the AASHE Bulletin. In doing so, these campuses have committed to develop comprehensive plans for achieving climate neutrality. The new signatories are: Dr. William W. Destler of Rochester Institute of Technology (NY); Karen Lawrence of Sarah Lawrence College (NY); Richard F. Celeste of Colorado College; Patrick J. Schloss of Valdosta State University (GA); Dr. Lloyd Jacobs of University of Toledo (OH); Dr. David Fuller of Minot State University (ND); Dr. Stephen B. Jones of Urbana University (OH); Dr. Christopher Blake of Mount Mercy College (IA); Gary A. Lewis of Shasta College (CA); Dr. Thomas Ramage of Parkland College (IL); Jean Conway of Eastfield College (TX); Dr. Richard W. Cummins of Columbia Basin College (WA); Dr. E. Joseph Lee of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine; David L. Levinson of Norwalk Community College (CT); Dr. Gena Proulx of Joliet Junior College (IL); Russell A. Davis of Gloucester Community College (NJ); Dr. J. Larry Keen of Fayetteville Technical Community College (NC); and Barbara Woodlee of Kennebec Valley Community College (ME). 633 college and university presidents and chancellors have now signed the Commitment.
Berea College, Emory U Complete Green Hotel Renovations
Berea College (KY) has completed the renovation of Boone Tavern, the campus' hotel. The structure features reserved parking spaces for fuel-efficient vehicles, outlets to recharge electric cars, low VOC paint and carpet, dual flush toilets, and natural daylighting. In addition, the hotel offers fair-trade coffee; ceiling fans and windows that open in all rooms; environmentally friendly shampoos, soaps, and cleaning products; and food grown by Berea College students or bought from Kentucky farmers. Berea plans to register the hotel for LEED Silver certification. The Emory University (GA) Conference Center Hotel has completed a new addition. The new development is registered for LEED Silver certification.
Bucknell U Releases Environmental Assessment
Bucknell University (PA) has released "A Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of Bucknell University." The goal of the document is to establish a baseline of existing conditions, provide a basis for improved sustainability, promote environmental awareness through the assessment process, and create an educational resource. The 226-page document covers administration and policy, education, energy, water, waste, purchasing, dining, built environment, and landscape.
Cal Poly Students Install Energy & Water Efficient Dishwasher
Student interns with the Alliance to Save Energy’s Green Campus Program and California Polytechnic State University’s Campus Dining have identified and installed an energy efficient dishwashing machine in the campus dining facilities. The replacement machine will save the campus 736,920 gallons of water, 9,321 therms of natural gas, and $16,647 annually.
DOE to Establish Energy Research Centers at 31 Universities
The White House has announced the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science will invest $777 million in Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) over the next five years. Out of 46 new Centers, 31 will be located at Universities. Supported in part by funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , the EFRCs will bring together groups of leading scientists to address fundamental issues in fields ranging from solar energy and electricity storage to materials sciences, biofuels, advanced nuclear systems, and carbon capture and sequestration. Over 110 institutions from 36 states plus the District of Columbia will be participating in the EFRC research. In all, the EFRCs will involve nearly 700 senior investigators and employ, on a full- or part-time basis, over 1,100 postdoctoral associates, graduate students, undergraduate students, and technical staff.
Emory U Building Awarded LEED Gold
Emory University (GA) has received LEED Gold certification for East Village, a student residential complex completed in 2008. The structure features a system that collects rainwater from the roof and the surrounding streets to use as irrigation water during dry periods. Other green elements include the use of natural daylight, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and a highly efficient heating and cooling system.
Hartwick College Gives Energy Theme to 2009-10 Academic Year
Hartwick College (NY) has named "Energy" as the theme for its 2009-10 academic year. Over the year, the college community will engage in discussions, events, and lectures that center on the increasing relevance of energy policies, carbon footprints, greenhouse gas inventories, and how the decisions made today about energy production, consumption, and conservation will affect the future. In addition, the campus will explore patterns of energy use and apply lessons learned to enhance energy conservation on campus and in the regional community.
Jesuit Colleges Newsletter & Magazine Feature Campus Sustainability
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and University featured sustainability as the major theme of its April 2009 newsletter, "Connections." In addition, Company Magazine , a magazine for Jesuits, featured campus sustainability in its Winter edition. The section, "Green Times," includes articles on sustainability projects at Saint Joseph's University (PA); Seattle University (WA); Santa Clara University (CA); Loyola University, Chicago (IL); Fordham University (NY); Xavier University (OH); Fairfield University (CT); Rockhurst University (MO); and John Carroll University (OH).
Northland College Students Vote to Double Green Fee
The student body at Northland College (WI) has voted to double its Renewable Energy Fund fee to $40 each semester. The funds are collected by the Northland College Student Association (NCSA) for sustainability projects of the students' choice.
St. Clair County CC Purchases Electric Car
St. Clair County Community College (MI) has purchased an electric car for its campus patrol. The car can travel up to 26 miles per hour and operates on six 12-volt batteries that can be charged with a standard electrical outlet.
SUNY Oswego Launches Car Share Program
The State University of New York at Oswego has signed a contract with Zipcar to provide two self-service cars to the campus community. The two vehicles, one of which is a hybrid, can be reserved online and are available to all faculty, staff, and students ages 18 and older. Faculty, staff, and students can join Zipcar for $35 and can drive for $8 per hour or $66 per day.
U California Berkeley Profs Receive Carbon Capture Research Grant
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded grants to two professors at the University of California, Berkeley for carbon capture and sequestration research. Professors Berend Smit and Donald DePaolo will get $2 million and $4 million a year, respectively, to seek better ways to remove carbon from the emissions of power plants and natural gas wells. Smit will work on more efficient scrubbing of carbon dioxide from power plant plumes and DePaolo will focus on how to better store carbon dioxide underground where it won’t leak out of porous rocks and into the air again.
U Denver Plants Campus Garden
Students and community members have planted a community garden on the University of Denver (CO) campus. The garden will include vegetables, herbs, and flowers. All editable food will either be donated to a local homeless shelter or used in a local foods meal at DU.
U Georgia Uses Recycled Water in Fountains
The University of Georgia has begun using recycled water in two campus fountains. UGA officials turned off the fountains during the 2007 drought and in the spring of 2008, a group of engineers redesigned the fountains to use rainwater collected on campus. The system also captures air-conditioning condensation to use in the fountains.
U Wyoming Receives $3M for Clean Coal Technology
The University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources Clean Coal Technology Center has received a $1.5 million gift from the Arch Coal Foundation and a matching grant from the State of Wyoming. The $3 million will be used to support students and faculty who are dedicated to the development of improved technologies for the extraction of energy from coal.
Wheaton College Plants Apple Orchard
Wheaton College (MA) has planted an apple orchard on its campus. The Murphy Apple Orchard features 60 trees and will be maintained by two student interns throughout the summer and three student employees during the academic year. The orchard's steering committee hopes to expand the orchard and create a produce exchange with local colleges in the future.
Yale U Releases Sustainability Video
Yale University (CT) has released a video entitled, "Sustainability at Yale." The video features an introduction by President Richard C. Levin and an overview of the sustainability initiatives taking place on campus.
Angelo State U Signs $13.2M Energy Performance Contract
Angelo State University (TX) has signed a $13.2 million performance contract with TAC, the building management and energy services business of Schneider Electric. TAC has agreed to provide facility upgrades to improve operations, comfort, and efficiency at 26 campus buildings totaling 1.4 million square feet and guarantees that ASU will reduce utility costs by nearly $800,000 annually.
Brown U, Rhode Island School of Design Begin Bike Share Prgms
Brown University (RI) and the Rhode Island School of Design have begun new bike-share programs. RISD's program, which grew out of a class project, launched with 30 pink bicycles that are available to students for six-hour blocks. At Brown, students who pay a $5 yearly membership fee can be sign out bikes for a day.
Campuses Participate in Bon Appétit's Low Carbon Diet Day
Several campuses recently participated in Low Carbon Diet Day, an event when all Bon Appétit Company cafés offer a low carbon meal cooked by Bon Appétit chefs. Meals included turkey burgers (made with local turkey) topped with local avocados, cheese-less pizza, and burritos with quinoa, black beans, and local, sustainability farm-raised tilapia.
Campus Food Provider Establishes Fair Labor Requirements
Bon Appétit Management Company, a food service company operating 400 university and corporate cafés in 29 states, has established fair labor requirements that integrate minimum fair wage, worker empowerment stipulations, worker safety, third party-monitoring, and incentives to growers who exceed minimum requirements of the agreement. In an effort to address unfair treatment of Florida's farm-workers, Bon Appétit partnered with The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), a farm-workers organization that fights for more humane farm labor standards in Florida, to forgo a new agreement that frames acceptable working conditions and enforces those conditions with a strict code of conduct.
Group Campaigns to Include Green Building in Architecture Accreditation
The Boston Society of Architects Architectural Education Committee has launched a campaign to encourage the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) to include carbon neutral building in the accreditation requirements for professional degree programs in architecture. The NAAB Board of Directors has approved the first reading of the 2009 Conditions for Accreditation , and the document is now available for review and comment by the general public. The deadline for comments is June 1, 2009.
Indiana U Dorms, Greek Houses Competes to Reduce Energy
Indiana University has completed its second annual Energy Challenge. The four-week-long challenge encouraged students to compete to reduce their energy and water consumption against a baseline of the average per capita electricity and water consumption over three years. Eighteen Greek houses participated for the first time this year, saving a total of 30, 975 kilowatts of electricity, 509,475 gallons of water, and $5,000. The 10 participating residence halls saved a total of 709,211 kilowatts of electricity, a 59 percent increase over last year, 1,120,813 gallons of water, an 83 percent increase over last year, and $42,000 in utility costs. The winning Greek house received a $900 cash prize, and the winning residence hall was awarded funds for the installation of a high-visibility energy conservation project in the amount of $4,500.
Inside Higher Ed Publishes Article on Sustainable Ag Education
Inside Higher Ed has published an article titled, "Green Revolution," that discusses the growth in sustainable agriculture programs on campuses across the nation. The article mentions the University of California, Davis and North Carolina State University and profiles programs at the University of Maine, the University of Missouri at Columbia, Montana State University, Washington State University, the University of Florida, and Iowa State University.
Kansas State U Completes Commuter Study
The Kansas State University Physical Activity and Public Health Lab has completed a study to help the University understand the attitudes about active commuting as well as the major obstacles that keep people from either walking or biking to their destinations. Participants were asked about their physical activity levels, driving, health, work habits, and reasons for or against active commuting. About 800 K-State students, faculty, and staff and 428 Manhattan residents answered the surveys. Researchers found that about 5 percent of students routinely biked while 15 percent routinely walked to campus. The group also found that the distance to campus is the major factor for most people in deciding whether to actively commute or not. According to the study, individuals living within a 20-minute walk or bike ride to campus were twice as likely to walk and 17 times more likely to bike to campus than individuals living farther away.
Luther College Increases Local Food Purchases
Luther College (IA) has increased the amount of local food purchases from 2 to 10 percent from the 2007-2008 to the 2008-2009 academic year. Luther uses locally grown ingredients in the salad bar items, main entrees, and desserts. The College defines local foods as items begin produced within a 100-mile radius of the College.
Moravian College to Expand Trayless Dining
Due to the success of its "Trayless Tuesdays" pilot program, Moravian College (PA) has announced plans to expand the initiative to every day of the week. The College realized a 20-25 percent reduction in food waste a result of the pilot project. Moravian's Trayless Tuesdays initiative has also been successful in raising student awareness. The administration estimates that 25 percent of students now voluntarily eat without the use of a tray on other days of the week.
Northland College Launches Collaborative for Sustainability Ed
Northland College (WI) has launched the Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education (MRSCE). The goal of the MRSCE is to use education as the catalyst for community-based sustainability initiatives that engage four aspects of sustainability: environmental integrity, economic prosperity, social equity, and educational innovation. The MRSCE plans to host a five-day sustainability workshop this June and has launched an online social network for sustainability education. Each member on the website will be able to post a personal profile and add content to the website.
NY Times Covers Colleges Going Trayless
The New York Times has published an article on the growing number of colleges and universities that are eliminating the use of trays in the dining halls in an effort to reduce food, water, and energy waste. The article mentions Skidmore College (NY), Williams College (MA), the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), Cornell University (NY), and the Culinary Institute of America (NY).
Penn State Dedicates Green School of Law
The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law has dedicated its new 114,000-square-foot Lewis Katz Building. The structure was designed to meet LEED certification requirements and features a green roof, pervious surfaces, natural daylighting, and local and recycled content building materials. Construction of the building was completed in December 2008.
Roberts Wesleyan College Library Awarded LEED Silver
Roberts Wesleyan College’s (NY) B. Thomas Golisano Library has achieved LEED Silver certification. The $11 million, 43,000-square-foot library features a two-story atrium that supplies natural light with a north-south orientation, cork flooring and sunflower board cabinetry made with materials from local sources, and carpeting that was manufactured with recycled content. In addition, the Library is heated and cooled with a geothermal pump system.
Rutgers U Completes Campus-Wide Energy Challenge
Rutgers U (NJ) has completed its first-ever, campus-wide RU Energy Challenge. The month-long competition saved the University 250,000 kW of power. As part of the competition, members of the campus community received flyers and emails reminding them to turn off lights, wash their clothes in cold water, and turn the heat off whenever possible. The winning college received a 45-pound glass trophy.
Santa Clara U Sustainability Activist Wins Fulbright Award
Santa Clara University (CA) senior Elizabeth Tellman has won a Fulbright U.S. Student Award. Tellman, a double major in Environmental Studies and Individual Studies with an emphasis on Sustainable Globalization, plans to use the fellowship to continue work she began using a Hackworth grant at SCU. With fellow student Alexandra Dunne, she explored whether Salvadoran organic coffee farmers are better off with established or alternative trade networks to sell their coffee. She plans to continue that analysis as a Fulbright scholar for 10 months starting in August, measuring the various trade options by their impact on the farmers’ food insecurity, or whether they can grow or buy enough food for themselves and their families. While on campus, Tellman hosted multiple events each quarter to increase awareness in the areas of sustainability, labor rights, and cultural values surrounding food. Tellman also received honorable mention in the 2008 AASHE Student Sustainability Leadership Award program.
SUNY Plattsburg Energy Competition Nets 5% Savings
The State University of New York at Plattsburgh has completed "Power Down Plattsburgh," a challenge that asked all faculty, staff, and students to find ways of conserving energy on Earth Day. The University realized five percent in energy savings as a result of the initiative, which was sponsored by the newly formed Campus Sustainability Task Force.
