Dillard U & Partner to Receive $19M for Resiliency & Pollution Reduction
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced over $19M in community grant funding for the university and United Way of Southeast Louisiana to reduce pollution and strengthen community resilience to natural disasters. This funding will improve transportation access, expand bike sharing programs and increase EV chargers. Several buildings will be retrofit with energy-efficient HVAC systems, solar power and energy storage so they can serve as community resilience hubs during emergencies. The university will also launch new non-degree certificate programs in clean energy and climate resilience.
U North Carolina Greensboro Launches Carbon Offset Program
The university's new Spartan DRIVE Fund (Drivers Reducing Individual Vehicle Emissions) invites campus stakeholders to contribute $15 annually to offset their commuter emissions. Ninety percent of the funds raised will be invested in energy efficiency projects on campus. Ten percent of all funds raised will support a local non-profit that provides critical home repairs, including weatherization improvements to those who are at or under 80 percent of the poverty line.
U California Los Angeles Releases EV Transportation Plan
The university's new EV Readiness Plan provides a framework to increase the number of electric vehicles commuting to campus, complete the university fleet’s transition to primarily zero-emission vehicles, including a fully electrified bus system, and support these goals through expanded charging capacity.
Utrecht U Adopts Transport By Train Policy
(Netherlands) The university's executive board in mid-December announced that starting Jan. 1, 2023, journeys of less than 700 kilometers (435 miles), or that take less than eight hours, will have to be made by train rather than plane. Permission to travel by plane can can be granted in exceptional circumstances.
