U Kentucky Awards $100K for Food and Transportation
The inaugural Sustainability Challenge Grants were dispensed by the President's Sustainability Advisory Committee to seven projects that will attempt to build sustainable food systems and bus stops on campus, plant trees, and revive a community garden.
U Utah Hires Wellness Officer
Robin Marcus, now the university's first chief wellness officer, is tasked with coming up with a broad vision for health and wellness on campus. Some of Marcus' first goals include linking, promoting and supporting various wellness initiatives already under way. Marcus has been an associate professor of Physical Therapy at the university for over 30 years.
Wesleyan U Adopts New Energy Conservation Policy
The newly established policy aims to minimize the university’s energy consumption, and direct and indirect carbon dioxide emissions while defining standards for reasonably comfortable indoor environments within each building.
Black Hills State U Requires Projects for Scholarships
A recent $1 million gift will enable the university's Make a Difference Initiative, which requires scholarship recipients, in exchange for scholarship funding, to lead sustainable community projects designed to make a difference in the lives of others.
Cornell U Hosts Inaugural Energy Reduction Competition
The university's College of Human Ecology kicked off its first Energy Smackdown Competition in which buildings compete against each other in an effort to reduce their electrical consumption for a 45-day time period.
EPA Recognizes Oklahoma State U for Clean Power
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Leadership Award honored the university for leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market. The university's Stillwater campus uses wind energy, behavior-based energy conservation programs, geothermal technology, and its bus fleet runs on natural gas.
Massachusetts Awards $873K for Zero Net Energy Building
Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) recently awarded $873,000 in Pathways to Zero Grant Program grants to construct or complete zero net energy buildings, which are optimally efficient, and over the course of a year, generate energy on-site using clean renewable resources in a quantity equal to or greater than the total amount of energy consumed on-site. Awardees include Endicott College, Massasoit Community College, Bristol Community College, Holyoke Community College, Cape Cod Community College and Clark University.
NSF Awards $810K for Collaborative Energy & Agriculture Research
Agricultural students at the University of Massachusetts, Hampshire College and Holyoke Community College will benefit from an $810,000 National Science Foundation grant to create collaborative programs combining clean energy studies with sustainable agriculture. The grant will also purchase new clean energy and agriculture equipment, a solar-powered, moveable greenhouse and a small wind turbine.
Seattle U Earns Fair Trade University Status
After a campus announcement unveiling a new Nicaraguan Fair Trade coffee, the university announced its commitment to support and advance economic systems that help international farmers and artisans to lift themselves out of poverty while protecting the environment.
Southwestern College Installs 3.2MW Photovoltaic Array
Offsetting the cost of energy, the newly installed, $13 million 3.2-megawatt solar electric system was funded by a bond passed by voters in 2008 and is projected to offset 2,600 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
SUNY Oneonta Opens Thrift Shop
At the new secondhand store items include clothing, shoes, accessories and books, and has a pay what you will policy with $3 as the suggested price for most items.
SUNY Oswego Honors Diversity with Food Celebrations
The university's Diversity and Inclusion Committee now hosts monthly heritage events where foods from different cultures are presented to students to promote diversity and ethnic awareness across campus.
Swarthmore College Completes Green Building
The college's new 21,000-square foot fitness, wellness and theater space was finished and appointed with many of the old materials from the original structure and college-owned stone that had been piled in nearby woods. Other features include stormwater runoff remediation, green spaces, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting controls that work with the time of day and occupancy.
U California Santa Cruz Students Engage in Water Conservation
The City of Santa Cruz implemented a 25 percent water restriction to which the university's Sustainability Office responded with a creation of a student Drought Response Team that has audited water fixtures in 64 of 104 buildings resulting in 91 repaired leaks. The team has also created a signage campaign to educate the campus about the importance of water conservation.
U Cincinnati to Sell Green Bonds
In December 2014, the university will enter the market to sell approximately $29 million in green bonds to fund a portion of the estimated $35 million renovation of one of its campus buildings, which is expected to earn a LEED designation.
U Hawai'i Research Center Adds Renewable Energy Focus
A new contract modification between the U.S. Navy and the university allows for basic and applied research and engineering, modeling and simulation, and test and evaluation of technologies for the efficient and cost-effective development, use and integration of renewable energy resources to address National Security needs and issues.
U Maryland to Implement Composting in Residence Halls
After the Student Government Association and the Residence Hall Association passed resolutions in support, starting in the spring, students in some dorms will be able to use composting bins as part of an pilot initiative to decrease the university’s environmental impact.
U Pennsylvania Commits to LEED Construction
In keeping with the guidelines established under the university's Climate Action Plan 2.0, the university announced that all of the school’s new buildings will seek LEED Silver certification.
U South Carolina to Begin Greek Life Sustainability Program
A fourth-year international business student is spearheading an effort to educate the Greek community about sustainability and hopes integrate more environmentally friendly practices into every day life through the creation of an official Panhellenic Sustainability Committee.
U Winnipeg Offers Healthy Vending Options
The 23 new campus vending machines offer gluten-free and low sodium products, fair trade coffee, granola bars, fruit cups, trail mix, and hummus and crackers. The machines also display nutritional information, promotion of events, and are outfitted with LED lighting and motion sensors.
Villanova U Introduces Bike-Share Program
Created by the university's President's Environmental Sustainability Committee, the new 30-bike program is designed for students who need to travel off-campus and do not have an alternative transportation option. In addition to free bike use, students are provided with a lock, winter storage and free maintenance.
Appalachian State U Introduces Carbon Offsets
(U.S.): Called the Carbon Neutral Commuter Program, students, faculty and staff commuters can voluntarily pay an additional fee, tagged onto their annual campus parking pass cost, that is used to purchase carbon offsets through a third party broker. The funds are used to purchase offsets through methane capture and destruction, and intermodal transport, which uses shipping containers via rail instead of trucks.
Bridgewater College Incorporates Solar Powered Pedal Car
(U.S.): A cost of $6,000 and load capacity of 150 pounds, the ELF (Electric, Light, Fun) vehicle, gifted by alumni, is now used by students as part of the campus' student-operated recycling program. The vehicle requires solar, a corresponding range of 15 miles, and/or human power to operate.
California State U Fresno Holds Sustainability Summit
(U.S.): Attempting to educate the campus community about campus events and initiatives related to sustainability, the inaugural summit, spearheaded by the university's Sustainability Project, featured speakers and break-out sessions for participants to develop projects.
EAUC Announces 2014 Green Gown Award Winners
(U.K.): The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges recently recognized 15 campuses in aspects of institutional activities including their teaching and research, leadership, buildings, food, and how students can benefit from the quality of life in the communities around them. As a benefit of AASHE membership, members have access to the member-only resources the United Kingdom's Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges.
EPA Announces $207K for Pollution Prevention
(U.S.): The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded Rutgers University $117,000 to develop an online tool to help communities and government agencies identify industrial facilities that may be especially vulnerable to releases and discharges of hazardous materials due to climate change impacts, such as storm surges. With the help of a $90,000 EPA grant, Rowan University will assist the specialty chemical industry in reducing the toxic chemicals they use by using green engineering.
Georgia State U Hosts Bike Conference with City
(U.S.): The inaugural bike conference forged discussions, interactive roundtables and new partnerships between the city and the university that will amplify the university's efforts to create a new bicycle plan proposal.
Grand Valley State U Serves Up Campus Grown Food
(U.S.): The university announced a new partnership between the Office of Sustainability Practices and Campus Dining to bring produce from its two-acre Sustainable Agriculture Project to the tables of a restaurant in its dining facility.
Inside Higher Ed: Trashing Morale?
(U.S.): West Virginia University recently switched to single stream recycling. Along with this change, the institution recently announced that faculty members must begin taking out their own garbage and recyclables to central collection stations in order to encourage recycling. Custodial staff will no longer empty individual office trash and recycling bins, which creates higher efficiencies. Overall the change has been received well, but there are some faculty who object to the manner in which the university carried out the change.
Knox College Approves Funding for Additional Recycling Bins
(U.S.): With funding from the university's Sustainability Fund, five new bins, carrying a combined $6,800 price tag, will be permanently placed various sporting venues across campus after having been recently approved by the Student Senate.
Lakehead U Establishes New Research Center
(Canada): The newly created Research Center for Sustainable Communities is focused on interdisciplinary research in the areas of social justice, political economy and environmental sustainability.
Rice U to Add Solar Power System
(U.S.): The rooftop photovoltaic installation is part of the university's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent over the next ten years and achieve climate neutrality by 2038 as specified in its Integrated Climate and Energy Master Plan.
San Diego State U Pairs Trash and Recycling Bins
(U.S.): In an effort to make recycling easier on campus, the recycling department is co-locating trash and recycling bins around campus and re-labeling all the bins to create consistent messaging.
U Albany Recognizes Importance of Local Food
(U.S.): The university showcased its commitment to locally sourced foods through its participation in the inaugural Campus Crunch in which students, faculty and staff joined colleagues at 17 other schools and colleges across New York State to emphasize how universities can work with regional farms to promote sustainable food production.
U California Santa Cruz Converts to Staff Served Plates
(U.S.): Shifting from self-service, the new dining service was recently introduced in an attempt to minimize uneaten food scraps being sent to the university's compost facility. Preliminary measurements indicate a reduction of leftover food on plates.
U California Santa Cruz Educates with Virtual Dorm Room
(U.S.): The new interactive page on the university's Housing website is an easy-to-use tool for students to become more educated about living sustainably by identifying methods for using less energy and water, using more environmentally friendly products and bicycling more.
U Haifa Prohibits Food Containing Trans Fat
(Israel): The university, which hosts a school of public health, recently eliminated the sale of foods containing trans fats, a type of artificially created unsaturated fat that has been found to raise the risk of coronary heart disease. During the past year, the university has been checking nutritional values of food sold at campus restaurants and cafeterias and held seminars on health.
U Illinois Proposes Bike Fee
(U.S.): A recent referendum proposed a $1 student-initiated bike fee that would be slated for creating better bike infrastructure, safety courses and education.
