IARU Shares GHG Reduction Targets, Releases Sustainability Toolkit
The International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) has posted the greenhouse gas reduction targets of each of its 10 member universities, Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley included. In addition, the IARU has released a sustainability toolkit reflecting the universities’ experience that other institutions of higher learning may use as a guide to assist in developing a comprehensive sustainability plan that suits a particular campus. The six-point toolkit includes the strategies to address the following elements: mapping current situation and developing a governance structure; measuring environmental impacts; integrating campus activities; determining goals and a strategy for the process; establishing strategies to create a sustainable campus; and education and awareness. Accompanying the online toolkit are resources, strategies, and case studies on sustainability efforts by IARU members.
Survey Reports Students' Yearning for More Sustainability Curriculum
Net Impact and the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education have completed "New Leaders, New Perspectives: A Survey of MBA Student Opinions on the Relationship Between Business and Social/Environmental Issues." The survey found that nearly 80 percent of MBA students are yearning for more sustainability and corporate responsibility content in their graduate programs. The two organizations surveyed 1,850 business school students as part of the study.
AASHE Interview Series: Sustainability Programs Mgr, Stanford U
AASHE has posted another interview as part of its Interview Series with campus sustainability professionals. This installment features Fahmida Ahmed, the Manager of Stanford University's (CA) Sustainability Programs. Ahmed co-chairs the Sustainability Working Group, connects the Sustainability Working Teams, coordinates implementation of sustainability projects, supports Stanford’s long term climate and infrastructure planning, and manages the office’s communications and community relations programs. In the interview, Ahmed discusses her current sustainability projects, how she incorporates the social dimension of sustainability into her work, how students are involved in sustainability initiatives at Stanford, and the challenges of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets.
AASHE Makes Academic Programs in Sustainability Resource Public
AASHE has made its Academic Programs in Sustainability resource available to the public. The resource lists Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degree programs in Sustainability, minors and certificates in sustainability, and discipline specific sustainability related degrees in areas such as Agriculture, Architecture, and Business.
Book: Campus Design + Planning
The Canada Green Building Council has published a new book entitled, Campus Design + Planning: Culture, Context, and the Pursuit of Sustainability . The book includes best practices at leading post-secondary institutions and illustrates, by example, ways and means to realize better design, better planned, and greener campuses.
Webcast: Placemaking on Campuses
The Society for College and University Planning hosted a webcast entitled, "Placemaking on Campuses: Creating Destinations That Build Community." The webcast, which is now available on CD, discussed the concept of placemaking; making short-term, low cost campus improvements; and improving the town/gown relationship through cooperative planning of outdoor spaces.
AASHE Interview Series: Dir of Env Studies, U Wisconsin Oshkosh
AASHE has posted a new interview as part of its Interview Series with campus sustainability leaders. In this installment, David Barnhill, Director of Environmental Studies and Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, discusses the University sustainability efforts, including its recent designation as the first 'Fair Trade University' in the US and its adoption of an institution-wide sustainability learning outcome.
DePauw U Documentation of ACUPCC Campaign
Students at DePauw University (IN) have documented the process leading up to the signing of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) by their institution. The document includes timelines, memos, articles, agendas, a press release, and lessons learned about effecting institutional change.
Guide to Going Organic on Campus
The Organic Agriculture and Products Education Institute has released, "Taste the Change: How to Go Organic on Campus." The guide begins with an introduction to organic, including its definition, history, benefits, standards, and labeling. It then presents an overview of the organizational tools needed for getting started on campus. Tips for working with food service, approaching issues like purchasing policy, working within budgetary constraints, and building relations with organic vendors are covered in detail. The guide also offers tips on how to raise awareness and support for organic on campus, as well as ways to showcase organic through special events and interactions with the media.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Sustainability: The Journal of Record has released its February 2009 issue. Articles include an interview with the Rice University Director of Sustainability, a profile of Stanford's sustainability initiatives, coverage of campus recycling programs, a book review on Van Jones' The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems ," and a roundtable on how to choose among the most sustainable coffees.
AASHE Interview Series: Dir of Sustainability, U Calgary
AASHE has posted a new interview as part of its Interview Series with campus sustainability professionals. In this installment, Joanne Perdue, the Director of Sustainability for the University of Calgary (AB), offers advice to new Sustainability Officers and discusses how U of C is integrating sustainability into the curricula, incorporating the social dimension of sustainability into its procurement plan, and funding sustainability efforts on campus.
Dell Social Innovation Competition
Dell, in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, invites students from any college or university in the world to enter their ideas to change the world to its Social Innovation Competition. The venture should exist primarily to address a significant social problem, incorporate a quantifiable social return, and be financially viable. The grand prize is $50,000, and all entries addressing environmental sustainability are eligible to win a special $10,000 prize.
World Watch Magazine – Free Online Access for Professors & Students
The World Watch Institute is offering free online access to the World Watch magazine to professors and students so that they can easily integrate the magazine articles into course studies. The magazine covers environmental events and sustainability issues. To obtain access, email Juliane at jdiamond@worldwatch.org.
Podcast: Water Conservation at the University of Georgia
Facilities Net has posted a podcasted interview with Mark Duclos, director of operations and maintenance at the University of Georgia. In the interview, Duclos discusses how UGA has dealt with historic drought conditions, has implemented water-saving programs, and has planned for future droughts. The podcast's transcript is also posted on the site.
Proposal to Create Campus-Based Energy Innovation Institutes
The Brookings Institution has released a "Blueprint for American Prosperity" proposal entitled, "Energy Discovery-Innovation Institutes: A Step Toward America's Energy Sustainability." If the proposal is adopted, more money would become available for sustainability-related research at higher education institutions.
AASHE Interview Series: Green Fees Coord, Southern Energy Network
AASHE has posted a new installment of its sustainability leaders Interview Series. The latest interview is with Zachary Keith, a University of Florida alum who is working with the Southern Energy Network to get a student green fee passed for the University System in Florida. In the interview, Keith discuss the setbacks, challenges, and lessons learned he and other have encountered in the process towards getting a green fee approved.
Chronicle of Higher Ed Posts Blog Series on Campus Sustainability
The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted four guest blogs by Steve Bellona, Hamilton College's (IA) Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning. Posts include, "How to Help Sustainability Survive the Downturn," "Justifying Energy-Saving Projects as Energy Prices Tumble," "Education and Feedback are Keys to Sustainability," and "Are Sustainability's Costs Prohibitive? No."
EPEAT Electronic Purchasing Policies
AASHE has posted a new resource that highlights higher education institutions that have adopted formal purchasing policies which incorporate the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) into the requirements for new computer purchases. EPEAT, which was developed by the Zero Waste Alliance with a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, evaluates computers on criteria related to energy efficiency, the reduction and elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, materials selection, design for end-of-life, product longevity and life cycle extension, end-of-life management, corporate performance, and packaging characteristics.
Webcast: Solutions for the First 100 Days
The National Teach-In has posted "Solutions for the First 100 Days," a 50 minute webcast that focuses on the recommendations from The Presidential Climate Action Project, an initiative based out of the University of Colorado that lays out an agenda for the first 100 days of the new administration to put the U.S. on a path to stabilizing the climate. There are two versions of the webcast: one for campuses and one for faith audiences. The campus version of the production includes a discussion of the National Wildlife Federation's "Chill Out" competition. The National Teach-In has also posted a list of discussion questions to supplement the webcast.
AASHE Interview Series: Co-Director, UT Ctr for Sustainable Dev
AASHE has posted a new interview as part of its interview series with sustainability leaders from campuses, businesses, and non-profit organizations that are taking the lead in advancing sustainability on campus. The latest interview is with Dr. Steven Moore who is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Texas, a Co-Director of the UT Center for Sustainable Development, and the Director of the Graduate Program in Sustainable Design. In the interview, Dr. Moore answers questions related to trends he sees occurring in the field of sustainable design, what students are most interested in, the progress that the Center for Sustainable Development has achieved, and what he's most looking forward to in 2009.
Podcast: How to Start Talking about Green IT
The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted "Episode 40: How to Start Talking About Green IT." In the podcast, Scott Carlson and Warren Arbogast talk about ways that colleges' technologists, campus-facilities staff members, and sustainability advocates can get on the same page to save energy and resources devoted to information technology.
Presentation Materials from AASHE 2008 Conference
AASHE has posted more than 150 slide sets, papers, posters, and other materials from presentations at AASHE 2008 on the conference website. Presentation materials can be located through three different methods: keyword index of presentation materials, concurrent session schedules, and abstracts.
New Issue of International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
A new issue of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education is now available. The new issue includes articles entitled, "Sustainable development: Assessing the gap between preaching and practice at Aalborg University," E-waste and the sustainable organization: Griffith University's approach to e-waste," and "Improving group processes in transdisciplinary case studies for sustainability learning."
Practical Guide to Reducing the Campus Carbon Footprint
APPA has released a new report titled, "The Educational Profession's Practical Guide to Reducing the Campus Carbon Footprint." The resource for facilities managers provides pragmatic assistance to effectively implement a carbon reduction plan. The guide is broken down into five chapters that expand on the following actions: forming a stakeholder group; completing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory; developing a strategic climate action plan, indentifying resource investments, and implementing a tactical plan.
Publication: The Role of IT in Campus Sustainability Efforts
EDUCAUSE has posted a new publication entitled, "The Role of IT in Campus Sustainability Efforts." The whitepaper captures key findings from the two day Summit on IT Greening and Sustainability and outlines a higher education agenda for moving forward.
Publication: The Vital Role of Community Colleges
The National Council for Workforce Education and the Academy for Educational Development have published a new guide entitled, "Going Green: The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a Sustainable Future and Green Workforce." The publication features 3 sections on "Addressing Climate Change and Promoting Sustainability," "Educating and Preparing America's Green Workforce," and "Six Action Steps for community College Leaders to Build a Sustainable Future."
Audio Recordings of Campus Sustainability Presentations
Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E) has made audio recordings from selected past events available for download for free. Available presentations include, "Seven Steps to Developing a Climate Action Plan," "Leadership's Role for Administrators in Establishing a Campus Sustainability Program," and "What You Need to Know About EPA Tier II Filing Requirements."
Email List for Sustainable IT at Universities
EDUCAUSE has launched "Sustainable IT Constituent Group," a new online discussion list for sharing information on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through IT infrastructures at colleges and universities. Joyce Dickerson, Director of Sustainable IT at Stanford, will moderate discussions, suggest interesting topics, and coordinate the annual gathering at the EDUCAUSE Annual Meeting in the fall.
Online Book: Addressing Global Env'l Security Through Educational Curricula
Springer Link has posted a new book, "Addressing Global Environmental Security Through Innovative Educational Curricula," online and made the copy available for download. The book includes chapters titled, "Science on the Marsh: Towards the Ground of Education for Sustainable Development," "The Educational Dilemma of Environmental Security: Hard Science or the Art of Decision Making," "Learning Eco-Efficiency Tools Through University-Corporate Cooperation," and "A Comparison of Ecological Education and Sustainable Development Education."
Online Book on Sustainability Education
C.A. Bowers has posted a new book online entitled, "Transitions: Educational Reforms that Promote Ecological Intelligence or the Assumptions Underlying Modernity?" The free downloadable book features chapters on ecologically sustainable educational reforms, the challenge facing science educators, rethinking social justice issues within an eco-justice conceptual and moral framework, and a state-wide approach to ecologically sustainable education reforms.
Best Practices for College Unions & Student Activities
The Association of College Unions International (ACUI) has released a new online publication entitled, "Sustainability Smarts: Best Practices for College Unions and Student Activities." The publication covers green cleaning, fair trade, car-sharing programs, sustainability ratings and rankings, and using technology to connect with students about sustainability.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc has released the December 2008 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record . This month's issue features an editorial by L. Hunter Lovins, President of Natural Capitalism Solutions; a roundtable on integrating sustainability into the higher education curriculum; the AASHE Student Award-Winning Paper, "Converting Food Waste to Biogas;" and an interview with David Kepler, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Dow.
New Issue of The Journal of Ecopedagogy
The Ecopedagogy Association International has published its latest issue of Green Theory & Praxis: The Journal of Ecopedagogy . The scholarly journal presents research papers and essays on ecological politics and culture, ecocriticism, the critique of social structures, and sustainability education. The current issues includes such papers as, "Toward an Ecopedagogy of Children's Environmental Literature," "Understanding the Ideology of the Earth Liberation Front," and "Capitalist Discipline and Ecological Discipline."
AASHE 2008 Keynote Speaker Videos
AASHE has posted the keynote speaker videos from its conference, AASHE 2008: Working Together for Sustainability and Beyond. Videos include Lester R. Brown, Founder and President of the Earth Policy Institute; Van Jones, Founder and President of Green for All; and Peter Senge, Senior Lecturer at MIT and chair of the Society for Organizational Learning.
Best Practices for College Unions & Student Activities
The Association of College Unions International has launched a new publication entitled, "Sustainability Smarts: Best Practices for College Unions and Student Activities." Topics covered include sustainability rating systems, college tours, sustainability blogs, fair trade, and green cleaning.
Podcast: Understanding What the Sustainability Movement Means
The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted a podcast interview with Debra Rowe, a professor of renewable energy, energy management, and psychology at Oakland Community College (MI). Rowe is also the President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development.
Revolving Loan Fund and Green Fees Resources
Campus InPower has posted two new resource pages on its website. The Green Fees page contains sample bylaws, a campaign timeline and guide, a volunteer training guide, and sample flyers. The Revolving Loan Fund page features an RLF overview, a payback guide, and AASHE's Clean Energy Revolving Loan Fund guide.
Building Local Food Programs on College Campus
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers has published "Building Local Food Programs on College Campus," a guide that provides tangible guidance on how to conceptualize, structure, and implement food programs that support local family farmers. The publication includes chapters on "Understanding College Student Interest," "Financial Guidelines," "Working with Distributors," "Guidelines for Farmers," "Education, Marketing, and Making the Case," and "Summary Tips for Getting Started."
New AASHE Resource on Responsible Investment Practices
AASHE has posted a new resource that highlights colleges and universities that take sustainability into account when making investment decisions. The resource provides a list of Responsible Investment Policies and a list of Committees on Responsible Investment.
ACUPCC Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol
The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment has released a Voluntary Offset Protocol to guide ACUPCC institutions and others through the process of evaluating and investing in the voluntary carbon offset market. The 73 page document offers a set of 10 principles characterizing high-quality offsets.
New Guide on Funding Mechanisms for Campus Sustainability Initiatives
AASHE has posted a new guide in its Resource Center entitled "Raise the Funds, A Student and Administrator's Guide to Funding Mechanisms for Campus Sustainability Initiatives." The new guide, which includes information on student fees, ESCO and university partnerships, endowments and internal campus banks, administrative funds, outside grants, alumni funds, and revolving loan funds. The guide was published by Campus InPower in partnership with AASHE, Breakthrough Generation, Wild Gift, and Big Ideas at Be
USGBC Higher Education Update
The U.S. Green Building Council has launched a new newsletter on green buildings at higher education institutions. The Higher Education Update's first issue features an introduction from the USGBC's Higher Education Sector Manager, an interview with a student from St. Mary's College of Maryland, and information on Harvard University's Green Building Resource.
Whitepaper on Writing a Climate Action Plan
EH&E has released a free whitepaper entitled “Striving for Climate Neutrality on Campus: 7 Steps to Writing a Climate Action Plan for a Reduced Carbon Footprint.” The paper describes seven distinct steps to creating a university planning document that provides a roadmap for achieving a greenhouse gas reduction target.
New Issue of 'Sustainability: The Journal of Record'
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has released the latest issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record . The fifth issue contains and interview with Dedee DeLongpre, the University of Florida Director of the Office of Sustainability, profiles Michigan State University's sustainability program, and features articles such as, "In the Green: Green IT 101," "Covergence: Innovators in Sustainability, AASHE honors four top leaders in the field," and "Research and Solutions: Think Systemically, Act Cooperatively: The
Clean Air Cool Planet Online Campus Climate Action Toolkit
Clean Air-Cool Planet has released the newest version of its online Campus Climate Action Toolkit (CCAT). It is intended to model what an actual published Campus Climate Action Plan might look like and provide direction for creating a new plan. It consists of guidance for every aspect of "campus climate action" along with hyperlinks to technical resources and examples/case studies that will help people understand, plan, and execute or implement the CCAP's various elements.
List of Sustainability Research Inventories
AASHE has released a list of Sustainability Research inventories. The list highlights institutions that have identified their sustainability research activities. The resource is available to AASHE members only.
2008 Guide to Social & Env'l Issues in Grad Business Programs
Net Impact has released its 2008 issue of Business as UNusual . The publication is a report of a survey sent to MBA students to evaluate their own institutions in the areas of social and environmental issues. The report includes school profiles, which contain information on curriculum, student activities, career services and alumni, administrative support, and reasons to attend, and provides ratings and aggregate responses from the survey.
Interview with Princeton Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs
AASHE has posted an interview between Michael Oppenheimer, Princeton Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, and University of Kentucky student Tate White. Oppenheimer is a scholar on global warming and has participated actively on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the co-authors of the Fourth Assessment Report. In the interview, Oppenheimer discusses his thoughts on the role of higher education in addressing climate change.
