U Wisconsin Madison to Offer New Sustainability Certificate
The new certificate to be offered through the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies with support from the university's Office of Sustainability will allow students to diversify their major course of study with interdisciplinary coursework in sustainability principles and application to real-world challenges. Through the certificate program, students will learn about links between natural and human systems, life-cycle thinking, value-generation for energy and other natural resources, and the role of public policy.
Montgomery County CC Honors Sustainable Food
A new focus of a Honors Colloquium, students spent time learning about sustainability issues of the modern agriculture and food system and were asked to provide possible solutions such as policy changes.
UC Santa Cruz to Develop Campus-as-Lab Academic Plan
The provost's sustainability intern is working with the university's Campus Natural Reserve staff to develop a curriculum of field activities that will be offered to undergraduate students accessing the on-campus outdoor classrooms and living laboratories.
Tompkins Cortland CC to Devise Farm to Restaurant Program
(United States): As part of the community college's new Sustainable Farming and Food Systems degree program, the farm-to-bistro curriculum will combine food from an on-campus farm with educational opportunities for students and engage community through a downtown restaurant.
U California Berkeley to Offer Food Systems Minor
In an effort to bring more attention to sustainability issues and experiential learning in food systems education, the Berkeley Food Institute has begun to form a committee to develop plans for a minor in food systems and sustainability.
Dickinson College Joins The Eco League
The college recently accepted an invitation to join The Eco League, a consortium of six universities and colleges that focus on experiential education through semester exchange programs to allow students access to varying ecosystems.
San Francisco State U Offers New Sustainability Courses
After winning funding from the California State University's Campus as a Living Lab Grant Program, in spring 2014 the university will be offering courses in sustainable transportation, supply chain management, geography and environmental science. The winning proposals were developed with the aid of the university's Physical Planning & Development and were awarded $38,207.
U Albany Rolls Out Sustainability Minor, Bus Tracker
The university launched an undergraduate minor designed to provide students with a foundation in the environmental, geopolitical and social aspects of sustainability, and installed a new GPS bus system to provide real-time arrival data to riders.
The Ohio State U Offers Sustainability Minor
After the launch of a major by the same name, the new Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability minor is a multi-disciplinary program designed to provide a foundation in sustainability concepts and theory.
Erie CC Opens Green Building Training Center
(U.S.): The recently opened Green Building Technology Center will house training in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and workforce development in emerging green building technology. With funding assistance the building was constructed with renewable energy and energy efficiency techniques and equipment.
Iowa State U Offers Online Green Roof Course
The new eight-week class, lead by the university’s extension office, covers design, installation and management of high rise gardens. Iowa State University has nine green roof installations.
Wheelock College Introduces Environmental Studies Major
In response to the growing popularity of environmental studies and sustainability, the college’s new undergraduate academic track explores interdisciplinary topics around social, cultural and scientific issues, and natural sciences.
U Maryland, Ohio State U Develop Student Literacy Assessment
In an effort to understand what students know about sustainability when they enter college, the universities have developed an Assessment of Sustainability Knowledge (ASK) tool of 28 questions, available for any higher education institution to use.
Penn State Debuts Online Renewable Energy Masters
(U.S.): Due to growing interest in the renewable energy market, the university has developed a program to provide students with foundational knowledge in renewable energy and sustainability systems. Students of the new program, Intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems, study with faculty from multiple academic units.
Virginia Tech Launches 2 Sustainability Programs
(U.S.): The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences now offers a minor in diversity and community engagement. Housed within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, sustainable building performance and energy management is now a concentration in the building construction major.
Kennebec Valley CC Debuts Sustainable Ag Program
Debuting this fall, the new two-year program is part of a recent $150,000 grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation that will help the college revitalize a defunct dairy farm and train a new generation of farmers who want to be part of Maine's growing local food economy.
Quinsigamond CC to Offer Clean Energy Job Training
Part of $924,233 in clean energy job training grants awarded by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for low and moderate-income individuals, the year-long program will introduce out of school, unemployed or underemployed youth to clean energy concepts.
Linfield College Debuts Sustainable Food Systems Internship
(U.S.): Spearheaded by a recent graduate and the university's sustainability coordinator, the program exposes students to the history, business and politics of food through guest lectures and field trips, as well as hands-on experience with planting, tending and harvesting crops at local farms.
Virginia Tech Launches Environmental Informatics Major
(U.S.): Based in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, the new undergraduate major will bring together information technology, data analysis, natural resources, geospatial science and ecological modeling.
Chatham U, EARTH U Partner for One-year Grad Degree Programs
EARTH University graduates now have the opportunity to enroll in one-year master’s degree programs at Chatham’s School of Sustainability and the Environment. The one-year Master of Sustainability and Master of Arts in Food Studies programs are designed specifically to prepare EARTH graduates to address sustainability and food system challenges.
Cincinnati State Starts Sustainable Ag Mgmt Certificate
Starting in the fall, the certificate program will involve students in a new campus food cooperative. Students will train at a local farm, growing the produce for the cooperative that provides 26 weekly boxes of farm-fresh produce to the campus and surrounding community.
U Georgia Costa Rica Earns Sustainability Innovation Award
(Costa Rica): The university was recently honored by GoAbroad.com with the 2013 Innovation in Sustainability Award at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators annual conference. The award recognizes institutions, organizations and individuals who are creating initiatives to move the field of international education forward and to commend leaders in the community for their efforts to go beyond the conventional.
Kennesaw State U Launches Culinary Sustainability Degree
With this new bachelor's degree, students will examine food waste reduction, waste stream redesign and energy reduction through lighting and cooking equipment choices. The goal is to begin the new culinary program with 150 students this fall and grow to 400 students in four years.
Black Hills State U Debuts New Sustainability Master's Degree
Offered entirely online, the Master of Science in Sustainability is designed to provide students with an understanding of environmental (natural) systems, economic and social systems, legal frameworks, and policy making to help organizations meet sustainability related challenges.
Kalamazoo Valley CC Announces Wellness, Sustainable Food Focus
In partnership with Bronson Healthcare Group and the Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the college has announced plans for a new culinary and wellness campus focused on community wellness and sustainable food production.
Elon U to Offer Minor in Poverty and Social Justice
Tying into the university's recent partnership with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, the new fall 2013 program offers a foundation for understanding the multi-factorial causes and realities of poverty, the opportunity to study the root causes and structural patterns that contribute to poverty, and focuses on processes and strategies of poverty alleviation from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
U Mass Amherst Students Help Pilot Online Carbon Conscious Tool
While beta-testing Earth Deeds, a new online service to enable groups to measure and manage their environmental impacts, four students in this semester's "Sustainable Living" class estimated their class' carbon footprint, raised $876 as part of a teamfunding campaign to acknowledge this impact, and spearheaded class participants to commit to actions and lifestyle changes that would prevent about 55.9 metric tons of carbon emissions.
Chatham U Creates Executive Master in Sustainability Leadership
(U.S.): The university’s School of Sustainability and the Environment has launched a new 16-month Executive Master in Sustainability Leadership program for professionals looking to strengthen their ability to advance sustainability in a range of professional settings. This 30-credit program can be completed in under two years, is designed for those who want to advance their careers or transition to careers in sustainability, and combines online coursework with period visits to the university’s zero net energy Eden Hall Campus.
SUNY Cortland to Offer M.S. in Sustainable Energy Systems
(U.S.): The university has announced plans to offer a new Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Systems beginning in fall 2013. The program will offer advanced training in the physics of renewable energy, courses geared to build professional skills in areas such as economics and communication, and a culminating internship. Two grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation totaling more than $15,000 helped fund curricular development and a market needs assessment.
California State U Fresno to Offer Water Mgmt Masters Program
The university has created a professional science masters degree in water resource management. Some of the courses to be offered include geospatial technologies, climatology, water economics, hydrological systems and natural and agriculture uses of water. The new degree requires students to have a Geographic Information Systems certificate or the equivalent work experience.
RISD Pilots Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies
The Rhode Island School of Design has created a pilot program in Nature-Culture-Sustainability Studies (NCSS). This two-year program aims to ascertain levels of student interest in NCSS and create a pathway of study which would allow students to compliment and add focus to work explored in their major areas of study.
Ecotech Institute Announces New Facility Management Program
This associate degree program will prepare students for careers in the field of facility management, focusing on the operation, maintenance, analysis, auditing and cost of energy management systems. The program was developed in coordination with the International Facilities Management Association and is designed to train students for facility management jobs that emphasize sustainability.
San Diego State U Students Partner with Solar Company for Project
Electrical engineering students have partnered with Sullivan Solar Power to create a senior design project. The renewable energy company is providing a group of students, called “Growing in Solar,” guidance and counsel on a weekly basis to analyze the design and implementation of solar technology. The company has also provided students two sets of solar panels for research.
U Houston to Offer Sustainability Minor
(U.S.): The university has created an interdisciplinary minor in energy and sustainability as part of a strategic plan to enhance and expand its energy-related educational and research initiatives. Courses to be offered include sustainable development, the environmental biology of Texas, the economics of energy, introduction to air pollution, international energy politics and an energy-related writing class.
