Whitman College Appoints New Sustainability Coordinator
Beginning July 1, Tristan Sewell will coordinate projects including waste management, long-term planning in campus sustainability, climate action planning and student engagement. She is the first to hold this position at the college.
Fleming College Rolls Out Corporate Sustainability Plan
(Canada): The new plan details the college’s goals and strategies for implementing sustainability initiatives and metrics into the college’s operations, curriculum and administration. Also a first for the college, as part of the plan, it established an Office of Sustainability.
UK Schools Receive Green Flag Award
(U.K.): Judged each year in areas including cleanliness, sustainability and conservation. Winners include Nottingham Trent University; University of Nottingham; Edge Hill University; Lancaster University; Heriot Watt University; Oxford Brookes University; University of Reading; University of Exeter; and The University of York.
U Nottingham Receives BREEAM Outstanding Rating
(U.K.): The campus’ Energy Technologies Building has achieved the highest rating for environmental sustainability from the international Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. This science building features low carbon emissions and the UK’s first hydrogen refueling facility.
Sierra Magazine Ranks ‘Coolest Schools’
The seventh annual ranking of America’s greenest colleges and universities measures environmental achievements and goals based upon Sierra’s value of environmental priorities. This year’s top 10 includes the University of Connecticut; Dickinson College; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Davis; Cornell University; Green Mountain College; Stanford University; Georgia Institute of Technology; American University; and University of California, Santa Barbara.
U California, Santa Barbara Opens Ocean Conservation Center
Overfishing, climate change and ocean acidification are a few of the areas that will be researched at the university’s new Ocean Science Education Building. A collaboration between the university’s Marine Science Institute and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the new building will house researchers specializing in marine ecology and environmental management.
EPA Releases Quarterly List of Top 20 Green Power Partners
The latest quarterly report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlights the top 20 colleges and universities using power from renewable energy. They are University of Pennsylvania, University of Oklahoma, The Ohio State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Oklahoma State University, Northwestern University, University of Utah, Drexel University, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University at Buffalo, University of Wisconsin, University of Phoenix, The City University of New York, American University, Texas A&M University System, The Catholic University of America, Quinnipiac University, University of St. Thomas.
Pace U Launches EarthDesk Blog
Based on the belief that higher education has a duty to advance the global conversation about the relationship between human and nature, Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies has published a new blog that examines environmental issues with the objective of advancing creative thought and innovative solutions.
Princeton Review Releases Green Rating Honor Roll
Twenty-two colleges and universities received the highest possible score of 99 in this year's tallies including, in alphabetical order: American University; California State University, Chico; College of the Atlantic; Columbia University; Cornell University; Dickinson College; Georgia Institute of Technology; Green Mountain College; Lewis & Clark College; Middlebury College; Pomona College; Portland State University; Stanford University; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Santa Barbara; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Massachusetts Amherst; University of South Florida; University of Washington and University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Among 9,955 college applicants The Princeton Review surveyed in 2013 for its "College Hopes & Worries Survey," 62 percent said having information about a college's commitment to the environment would impact their decision to apply to or attend a school.
Virginia Tech Opens Center For Natural Resources Support
In response to local natural resource stakeholders calling for improved data, models, and analytical techniques in their field, the College of Natural Resources and Environment has created a new center to provide data sets of forest resource conditions and computer modeling designed for use by industry, government, and policymakers.
Georgia Piedmont Technical College Signs Sustainability Agreement
The college has partnered with nonprofit Emerald Cities to create and implement a comprehensive campus-wide sustainability program designed to transform institutional operations and create a demonstration center for green technologies-related skills training and environmental education.
Indian Institute Kansbahal Awarded Green Campus of the Year
(India): The institute recently received the honor at the 33rd World Environment Congress in New Delhi and its director, Niranjan Nayak, received the International Association of Educators for World Peace's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to educational planning and administration.
UC Santa Barbara Installs Natural Area Signage
Funded by Associated Students, Coastal Fund and the university's Housing and Residential Services, the eight new interpretive signs inform visitors and answer common questions about stormwater management and whale migration as they travel through designated natural areas on campus.
Wilfrid Laurier U Announces New Sustainable Food Systems Center
Led by Alison Blay-Palmer, associate professor of geography and environmental studies at Laurier and leader of the Nourishing Ontario research and community outreach project, the center will open opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration in local and sustainable community food initiatives with the goal of creating positive change through food.
Int'l Sustainable Campus Network Announces Excellence Awards
Recognizing institutions for exceptional sustainability efforts in campus planning, integration with academics, student leadership, and exemplary building projects, this year's program honored the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland), Anglia Ruskin University (U.K.), Zhejiang University (China) and Chatham University (U.S.).
U Michigan Athletics Establishes Sustainability Strategy
In partnership with the university's Office of Campus Sustainability and Michigan Student-Athletes for Sustainability, the Athletic Department will focus on waste reduction and recycling; energy efficiency and sustainable building infrastructure; water conservation, chemical usage and sustainable cleaning practices; and education and awareness.
Teens Turning Green Launches Freshman Awareness Campaign
The youth-led nonprofit's newest initiative, Freshman Green 15 (FG15), will launch on campuses nationwide in the fall for implementation during their orientation weeks. Student leaders at campuses including Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, University of Delaware, University of Southern Mississippi and the University of North Texas will help pilot the campaign, which is focused on raising awareness about conscious living, mindful consumption and the collective impact of individual actions.
AASHE Names Wendy W. Scott, CAE as Interim Executive Director
With more than 30 years combined experience as an executive director and advisor to international, North American, and state-level associations, Wendy will be instrumental in moving AASHE forward to reaching goals related to member and partner services, leadership and governance, financial sustainability and organizational development.
Appalachian State U Kicks Off Sustainability Awards Program
With nine recipients in the inaugural year, the university's new awards program recognizes individuals and groups that have made outstanding efforts to initiate or support sustainability efforts on campus or in the community. Recipients were noted for leadership, waste reduction and recycling, water quality work, research advancements, and activism.
Cornell U Sustainability Center Appoints First Dev Director
Katy Noonan has joined the university's David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future as its first development director. Noonan is overseeing fundraising and major gifts programs in collaboration with Cornell’s Division of Alumni Affairs and Development, building the center’s relationships with donors who support the university's sustainability activities and contributions.
York U Named Among Canada’s Greenest Employers
The distinction recognizes the university's creation of a President’s Sustainability Council, Green Office and Sustainability Ambassador programs, and student residence energy consumption reduction competition.
Auburn U Announces First Spirit of Sustainability Award Winners
(U.S.): This campus-wide awards program recognizes students, faculty, staff, and alumni that demonstrate accomplishments promoting sustainability on campus or in the community at large. The awards program was created in part to generate awareness of sustainability initiatives and to acknowledge those who are making significant contributions toward economic, social, and environmental well-being.
Georgetown U to Open Office of Sustainability
(U.S.): The university has announced plans to debut its Office of Sustainability this summer in an effort to centralize student and administration sustainability initiatives. The creation of the office was first recommended in 2012 by the Visions for a Sustainable Georgetown Initiative, a project led by small focus groups of undergraduate students and administrators that brainstormed ways the university could become more sustainable in both the immediate and long-term future.
Trinity College Dublin Achieves Environmental Award
(Ireland): The college has been awarded a green flag for the quality of its environment as part of An Taisce’s Green Campus program. Water consumption has been reduced by 25 percent due to the elimination of leaks, behavior changes and rainwater harvesting; while energy use has been stabilized despite a large building program and an increase in students. The Green Campus award is overseen internationally by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education.
U Alabama Creates Sustainable Investment Fund
(U.S.): The university has created a new fund that will provide $1 million over five years to develop environmentally friendly projects. The fund was created through collaborative efforts of the Coalition of Alabama Students for the Environment, the UA Environmental Council, and the UA Student Government Association. Project funding will be approved by a panel of mostly students.
U Massachusetts Amherst Libraries Win Award for Sustainability
(U.S.): The university’s Libraries have won the Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development award for their new Library Sustainability Fund. The fund has increased access to sustainability-related resources; provides opportunities to host presentations, exhibits and film screenings; and provides faculty development through a series of workshops.
North Central College Earns Earth Flag for Campuses Award
The college has earned an Earth Flag for its sustainability efforts. A green audit was performed to identify energy efficiency opportunities and potential environmental hazards. Following the audit, the college adopted several recommendations, including establishing a recycling program and other initiatives to reduce waste and energy consumption.
UC San Diego Receives Alternative Transportation Award
The university has received a SANDAG iCommute Diamond Award in recognition of the university’s contributions to alleviating the region’s traffic congestion and greenhouse gases with alternative transportation options.
Tufts U Campus Sustainability Council Releases Draft Report
The Campus Sustainability Council has released a drat report that outlines recommendations for the university to improve sustainability on campus. The Office of Sustainability will gather feedback from the campus community to determine if additional changes will need to be considered.
Harvard U Energy Plant Receives EPA Award
(U.S.): The Longwood Medical Center’s energy plant has received a 2013 Energy Star “Combined Heat and Power” award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The system produces steam, chilled water, and electricity for the five hospitals, biomedical and pharmaceutical research centers, and Harvard-affiliated teaching locations.
DOE Announces Better Buildings Case Competition Winners
The Energy Department has announced the winners the 2013 Better Building Case Competition, an annual U.S. Department of Energy contest that challenges collegiate students to develop and present real-world solutions to boost the energy efficiency of buildings across the country. The winners included Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Chicago, and Yale University.
Feeding McGill Project Wins National Award
The university’s Feeding McGill project has been awarded a silver medal for leadership in education given by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) and Deloitte at the 2012 IPAC Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Awards Gala. Since the project’s creation, Feeding McGill has supplied over 80,000 pounds of produce to university’s Food and Dining Services.
Lamar U Creates Office of Sustainability
As part of the university’s strategic plan to promote sustainability in all aspects of university life, a new office of sustainability has been established. Assistant professor of biology, Jim Armacost, has been named the first director of sustainability.
Linfield College Hires First Sustainability Assistant
(U.S.): The college has hired a sustainability assistant as an outgrowth of its new Strategic Plan. The new position will help incorporate sustainability more fully into the culture, engage students in sustainability projects, and enhance sustainable practices for campus operations and infrastructure, with a goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Cornell U Water Filtration System Wins Katerva Award
Designed by university researchers, the AguaClara water filtration system has won the Katerva Award in the Urban Design category. The system uses gravity to purify water without the use of electricity, and is currently providing clean drinking water to over 30,000 people in Honduras. AguaClara prides itself on being an open source technology, meaning all of its designs are scaleable and available online.
Franklin & Marshall College Approves Sustainability Master Plan
The Board of Trustees has approved a Sustainability Master Plan created by a task force consisting of students, faculty and staff. In addition to sustainability efforts directly affecting the campus, there are also plans to reach out to the community that will include workshops for elementary and middle school students to learn about biodiversity and composting, as well as offering seasonal cooking workshops to encourage healthy eating and use of locally-grown foods.
Duke U Development Office Earns Green Workplace Certification
(U.S.): University Development has achieved the Duke Green Workplace Certification, bringing the total to 37 certified workplaces and over 800 staff working in certified workplaces. University Development has taken numerous steps to green their events and meetings. They have also implemented energy saving practices in the workplace and encourage alternative transportation options for staff.
U Dayton Commits to Regional Green Business Certification Program
The university has committed to become part of the Dayton Regional Green 3’s Green Business Certification program The program emphasizes solid waste reduction and recycling, environmentally conscious purchasing, energy conservation, water conservation and pollution prevention. Organizations receive points for each benchmark they reach.
U Mass Amherst Debuts Interactive Campus Sustainability Map
The university has unveiled the Campus Sustainability Explorer, an online mapping tool that geographically represents all areas of sustainability on the campus. The Green Building Committee in collaboration with Campus Planning and the Sustainability Initiative developed the tool. The Explorer also acts as a decision support tool for various groups and stakeholder around campus, providing information on existing conditions for a number of academic, facility, and operational aspects.
Humboldt State U Introduces 2 Green Certification Programs
The Sustainability Office has launched the Green Room Certification and the Green Events Certification programs. In partnership with Residence Life, the Green Room Certification program awards a certificate to students who minimize their environmental impact through green living practices. The Green Event Certification program awards a certificate to campus groups and departments that implement zero waste measures at events.
U Guelph Releases Sustainability Progress Report
The Sustainability Office has published a 2011-2012-progress report summarizing current sustainability initiatives on campus and gains made since the Presidential Task Force on Sustainability released its recommendations in 2010.
Harvard U Releases Sustainability Impact Report
The university has released its first sustainability impact report that provides a campus-wide snapshot of the progress that has been made to reduce the campus’ environmental footprint and increase its operational efficiency. Available online, the report includes data on greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and transportation, as well as infographics, multi-media stories, and progress timelines.
