Campus Environmental Resource Center
In collaborations with several other higher education associations, the National Association of College and University Business Officers recently launched an online environmental resource center called CampusERC. The site is designed as a multifaceted library of resources for college and university environmental officers to keep up with the latest news and information on environmental issues, study best practices in environmental management, view case studies, and better understand what institutions must do to comply with environmental regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agenda.
Facilities Manager Magazine: Sustainability & Environmental Stewardship
APPA's Facilities Manager Magazine dedicated their March/April 2008 issue to "Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship." The issue includes articles on AASHE's STARS: Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System for Colleges and Universities, green building, climate change, and reducing your carbon footprint.
U Maryland Plan to Develop Climate Action
The University of Maryland has released its schedule for developing a Climate Action Plan. The plan includes conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, identifying possible climate mitigation and education strategies, including stakeholder input, and selecting neutrality targets and timelines.
How-to Guide for Dorm vs. Dorm Sustainability Competitions
AASHE and the Duke University (NC) Environmental Alliance have created a how-to guide website for dorm vs. dorm sustainability competitions that provides an instructional video, additional event ideas, and planning documents such as a sample competition calendar, a sample budget, and a sample preparation schedule. The guide is modeled off of the Duke University Eco-Olympics, a dorm vs. dorm sustainability competition that includes a suite of events promoting recycling, energy and water conservation, environmental education and other sustainable practices.
Lists of Academic Programs in Ecological and Environmental Economics
AASHE has prepared a series of new resources on sustainability in economics education. The resources include lists of graduate and undergraduate programs in ecological and environmental economics, as well as a list of academic centers focused on ecological and environmental economics. The resources are available only to AASHE members.
Campus Sustainability Whitepaper Series: 10% off for AASHE Members
PaperClip Communications is offering a 10 percent discount to AASHE members on their recently released Campus Sustainability Whitepaper Series. The series is comprised of 6 whitepapers: Greening Your Events: How to Plan and Implement Sustainable Campus Events ; Sustainable Campus Food Service Programs: From Little Changes to Large Initiatives That Change the Environmental Balance ; Going Green in Residence Life: Putting Your Operation in Line with Sustainable Practices ; Sustainable Campus Practices: Green Campus Facilities, Purchasing and Business Practices ; Sustainable Student Initiatives: What's Working on Our Campuses ; and Hosting a Campus Sustainability Day: 40 Campus Examples, How-to Tips & Resources . The whitepapers offer ideas, strategies, and best practices for moving toward sustainability.
List of Academic Programs on Sustainability & Environmental Law
AASHE had prepared a series of new resources on sustainability in legal education. The resources include lists of graduate programs in sustainability and environmental law, as well as a list of academic centers focused on sustainability and environmental law. The resources are available only to AASHE members.
Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System Podcast
AASHE has posted a podcast on STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System. The podcast gives an introduction to the rating system and the categories therein. The discussion also covers the process campuses will use to complete an assessment and receive an overall sustainability rating.
Unity College President's Blog: Env. Studies for the Real World
The President of Unity College, Mitchell Thomashow, recently started a new blog entitled, "Environmental Studies for the Real World." In the blog, Thomashow's goal is to use his voice as the President of Unity College to comment on how climate change, loss of biodiversity, and sustainability must be at the forefront of higher education.
Environmental and Social Issues Within Business Education
The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education has released February's "A Closer Look at Business Education" which discusses ways future business leaders are being introduced to Supply Chain Management and how some faculty are recognizing the opportunity to explore important social and environmental questions inherent within the subject.
Free One Year Subscription to YES! Magazine
YES! magazine, an independent, ad-free quarterly journal of solutions for building a just and sustainable world, is offering a free one-year introductory subscription to educators in the U.S. Those who take advantage of the offer by mid-April 2008 will receive the spring issue of YES!, Climate Solutions, as the first of four complementary issues. The YES! Climate Solutions issue highlights possible solutions to climate change and features writers such as Bill McKibben, Peter Barnes, and Joanna Macy. The issue also includes resources on teaching sustainability in the classroom. Faculty can request free copies of the YES! Spring 2008 Climate Solutions issue by contacting Kay Hubbard, YES! Education Manager, at khubbard@yesmagazine.org.
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
The Earth Policy Institute is offering a free PDF download of "Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization," a new book by Lester Brown. The book, which could be used a textbook, covers topics such as deteriorating oil and food security, emerging water shortages, eradicating poverty and stabilizing population, and raising energy efficiency. The book may be downloaded by chapter or as a whole.
Academic Programs in Sustainable & Environmental Engineering
AASHE had prepared a series of new resources on sustainability in engineering education. The resources include lists of undergraduate and graduate programs in sustainability and environmental engineering, as well as a list of academic centers focused on sustainability engineering. The resources are available only to AASHE members.
2008 Higher Ed Sustainability Officer Position & Salary Survey
AASHE has released the 2008 Higher Education Sustainability Officer Position and Salary Survey, which provides information about the roles, salaries, and positions of college and university sustainability officers. The survey expands and updates the information captured in the 2005 version.
Chapter on Campus Energy Use by Millikin U President
The Presidential Perspectives Series recently released its newest chapter, "Campus Energy," written by Douglas E. Zemke, President of Millikin University (IL). In his chapter, Dr. Zemke explains the success and benefits of Millikin’s approach to reducing energy and improving the environment. He also places the University’s actions within the context of its goal for a broader sustainable campus.
Greening the Campus Mail System
The National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) recently published an article about greening campus mail systems. Entitled "Green Mail," the article lists ways colleges and universities can reduce costs and environmental impact within the campus mail centers. It offers a detailed case study from the mail center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Green Student U
OTOnetworks recently released Green Student U, an online student sustainability resource that offers a guide to greener living, provides suggestions on how to live green on campus, and keeps students up to date with world-wide environmental news.
List of Academic Programs in Sustainable Agriculture
AASHE has produced a new resource focused on sustainability in agricultural education. The resource includes lists of undergraduate and graduate programs in sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, and agroecology. Additionally, the resource includes a list of academic centers related to sustainable agriculture.
UC Berkley Study on GHG Mitigation Options
The University of California, Berkley recently published the findings of a climate action course that evaluated options for reducing the University's greenhouse gas emissions. The students found that green building retrofits should be expanded, renewable energy should be used on campus, and that the campus needs to develop a long-term program for mobilizing the resources needed to become a more energy-efficient campus.
Campus Sustainability Planning Network
The Society for College and University Planning has created a social networking website for people to connect and share knowledge about campus sustainability planning. The site will also serve to manage and promote campus-based Campus Sustainability Day events.
New Resource on Academic Programs in Urban Sustainability
AASHE has compiled a list of undergraduate and graduate programs that focus on urban sustainability. The resource also features a list of academic centers and research initiatives related to urban sustainability. The resource is only available to AASHE members.
2008 Campus Vote Initiative
Campus Compact has launched a new website to encourage higher education institutions to help educate and empower students to take part in the upcoming elections. The website features information on voter registration, ways to connect service with civic engagement, strategies for encouraging democratic participation, and model campus programs. The site also offers hands-on tools and templates for students, faculty, and community service staff as well as information on other nonpartisan democracy initiatives.
Higher Education in a Warming World
The National Wildlife Federation has released "Higher Education in a Warming World: The Business Case of Climate Leadership on Campus." The new publication highlights the business, educational, and moral arguments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on campus, with best practices from US colleges and universities. The report includes case examples on implementing climate action solutions in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, cogeneration, transportation, green buildings, renewable energy
Achieving Campus Sustainability in the Curriculum and Culture
The Presidential Perspectives Series recently released its newest chapter, "Achieving Campus Sustainability in the Curriculum and Culture," written by John Brennan, the President of Green Mountain College. The chapter is a case study on how campuses can leverage sustainability for institutional gain while facing a highly competitive higher education marketplace.
Handbook on Responsible Investment Across Asset Classes
Boston College's (MA) Institute for Responsible Investment has released the Handbook on Responsible Investment Across Asset Classes. Each chapter of the Handbook focuses on a single asset class-cash equivalents, public equities, fixed-income, real estate, private equity, hedge funds, and commodities-identifying three key issues and challenges for responsible investment, including real-world examples of responsible investment underway in each area. Each section includes information on how to: design a responsible investment strategy for the asset class; identify opportunities for market-rate responsible investments in the asset class; and incorporate engagement strategies into the asset class investment strategy. The Handbook will be useful to universities who want to align their endowment investments with their institutional missions, in order both to further institutional goals and manage reputational risk.
