Dickinson College Hosts First Student Sustainability Conference

(U.S.): The statewide event was student-organized and student-focused with round table discussions about the Keystone XL pipeline, obstacles to achieving sustainability initiatives, fossil fuel divestiture, and interdisciplinary collaboration as a part of sustainability practices.

Manhattanville College Begins Community Focused Program

(U.S.): The college's first year program is involved in community volunteerism including farm work, beautification projects, tree planting, and on-campus gardening.

Portland State U Hosts Research Symposium on Health Equity

(U.S.): University researchers recently gathered for an event called Research to Action to discuss social structures and economic systems that are responsible for health inequities in society.

Portland State U Tackles Urban Environmental Issues

(U.S.): Now in partnership with The Intertwine Alliance, the university has a paid student internship and a seat at the table with other organizations working together to secure funding, leverage existing investments and engage residents with the outdoors and nature. The Intertwine Alliance is a coalition of more than 100 organizations working to protect and improve the Portland region’s network of outdoor places and trails.

Scotland Colleges and Universities Sign Carbon Commitment

(U.K.): All universities and colleges across Scotland have committed to addressing climate change and carbon challenges by signing the Universities and Colleges Climate Commitment for Scotland (UCCCfS), which offers a framework for institutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Three Universities Sign Billion Dollar Green Challenge

(U.S.): The University of Wyoming, the University of Saskatchewan, and Sewanee: The University of the South have recently committed to creating a self-managed revolving fund that finances energy efficiency improvements that achieve reductions in operating expenses and greenhouse gas emissions while creating regenerating funds for future projects.

U Birmingham Announces Living Wage Adjustment

(U.K.): Following months of protests and strikes on campus, including student sit-ins, university officials recently announced the wage increase for the university's lowest paid workers for the next two academic years beginning in August 2014.

U Edinburgh Joins Electronics Watch

(U.K.): The university will now encourage electronics suppliers to disclose factory locations so that labor conditions can be monitored by thematic research, factory surveys and investigative reports.

U Maryland Holds Diversity Open Mic Night

(U.S.): On behalf of a month dedicated to honoring diversity, the Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community organized the open mic night to give students a creative platform to share about their identity in hopes of transcending stereotypes.

Utah State U Hires Bicycle Education Coordinator

(U.S.): The university's new position, held by Wayne Elder, a member of the League of American Bicyclists, will encourage more bicycle use on and off campus and promote bicycle safety through education.

U Washington Lab Receives Green Lab Certification

(U.S.): The university-developed certification recently delivered a bronze achievement to an on-campus lab for its efforts to reduce energy consumption, divert waste from the landfill, and signage that educates technicians about lab sustainability.

Western Washington U Prohibits Sale of Bottled Water

(U.S.): In an effort to positively effect social justice and the environment, the university recently approved the move, which will begin in April, after a student-lead campaign was able to get an advisory note on the issue and a campus committee to implement the policy.

Berry College Attains Tree Campus USA Status

The college was honored by Arbor Day with the new recognition after following the guidelines set forth including the creation of a comprehensive tree management plan for its 27,000 trees.

Boston U Residential Building Receives LEED Gold

The new building features bus and bike options, indoor and outdoor bike storage, a green roof, low-flow water faucets, day-lighting and recycling options.

Colorado State U Selected for Renewable Power-Purchase Program

The city of Fort Collins has selected the university to be a part of a 20-year solar electricity system agreement, stemming from a state mandate requiring utilities to generate 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Lake Land College to Construct 200KW Photovoltaic Array

The college's Board of Trustees recently approved a contract for the construction of two solar arrays totaling 200-kilowatts. During the same meeting, they approved the bylaws for a new renewable energy student club.

Millersville U Receives $10K Grant for Disadvantaged Students

The recently awarded funding by the Campbell Soup Foundation to the university's Lancaster Partnership Program is designed to help socioeconomically disadvantaged students pursue a college career.

Northland College Receives Grant for Environmental Education

The college will use the newly acquired funds for student engagement and research around its goal of carbon neutrality by 2025 and increasing procurement of local foods.

Penn State U Partners for Community Sustainability Projects

A recent partnership between the top local government official and the Sustainability Institute link community-based sustainability projects with existing courses across the university.

Portland State U Stages Climate Change Storytelling

In an attempt to reach people in a new way on the topic of climate change, the university, along with five community partners, put a human face on climate change by bringing average people to the stage to tell the story about how they became engaged on the topic.

Ten Schools Selected to Compete in Energy Dept Wind Competition

The Collegiate Wind Competition, which aims to cultivate wind-specific interests and skills, will feature 10 teams of students who will design and construct lightweight, portable wind turbines intended to power small electronic devices. During the competition event, teams will present on current market drivers and deployment opportunities for the wind industry, pitch their business plans, and put their turbines to the test in an on-site wind tunnel. The 10 selected schools are Boise State University, California Maritime Academy, Colorado School of Mines, James Madison University, Kansas State University, Northern Arizona University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Kansas and University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

U California Irvine Honored with EPA Climate Leadership Award

The university was recently honored with the Organizational Leadership Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including setting a goal of 40 percent reduction by 2020 from 2011 levels, and the Smart Lab Initiative, a program to safely reduce energy consumption in laboratories, which has dropped consumption by 60 percent.

U Central Florida Initiates Single-Stream Recycling

The recently signed contract allows students to place all recyclable material in a single bin, which is then sorted by the waste contractor.

Wesleyan U Links Tuition to Inflation

In an effort to keep tuition affordable for students and make strides to decrease or eliminate heavy debt burden, the university recently announced it will increase tuition in concert with inflation.

Western State Colorado U Offers New Masters Environmental Prog

The university's new Master in Environmental Management is set to begin in summer of 2014.

Auburn U Recognized by General Electric for Conservation

Awarded to the university on behalf of projects that improve operational performance, GE's Proof not Promises award spotlights the university's $20,000 savings in combined water and energy recovery.

California State U San Bernardino Installs 6 EV Charging Stations

Funded through a partnership with the California Energy Commission, each electric vehicle station costs $1 per hour, with a four-hour maximum per charge, however there is an incentive program for staff members to charge for free.

Central College to Develop Strategic Sustainability Vision

The college's soon to be developed plan for undergraduate sustainability education will include support for course development, student research opportunities, faculty workshops, and the integration of carbon reduction activities that stimulate citizenship skills.

George Washington U to Audit Recycle Bins

Attempting to bolsters its efforts to reduce waste by 50 percent over the next three years, the university's Sustainability Office will sift through select recycling bins across campus to identify commonly tossed items that cause contamination of the recyclables.

Hampshire College to Establish New Food and Agriculture Center

Part of the college's Sustainability Initiative, the upcoming Center for New England Food and Agriculture will establish relationships with community and academic partners while gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges of local sourcing, and will include a pilot apprenticeship program, an internship program with local and international opportunities, and a collaborative research program with multi-institutional teams.

Humboldt State U Produces Virtual Residential Room

The new website encourages healthy and sustainable living habits through its interactive website that allows users to get more information about green cleaning, ridesharing, buying reused items, indoor air quality, energy efficiency and waste reduction.

Lehigh U Hosts Regional Campus Sustainability Conference

Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC), a consortium of six private colleges and universities, recently offered a regional Campus Sustainability Conference with focused workshops on divestment, climate change, green theatre, strategies for sustaining sustainability and environmental leadership.

North Carolina State U Class to Assist in LEED Certification

Beginning fall of 2014, students from a design class will lead the documentation process required for LEED certification on Nelson Hall, in addition to gaining the documented experience required to take the LEED AP exam.

Pomona College Constructs Bioswales

In an effort to reduce rain run-off and replenish the underground aquifer, the specially designed catch areas contain water to allow for a slow release into the environment.

Portland State U Institutionalizes Composting

After a 2013 campus waste audit revealed that 36 percent of the material sent to the landfill could be composted, the university recently signed a new custodial contract that allows the campus community access to food scrap collection bins in departmental common areas.

Prescott College Commits to Fossil Fuel Divestment

The resolution establishes an investment filter to remove the largest 200 fossil fuel corporations listed by the Carbon Tracker Initiative, over the next 3 years, with a goal of reducing risk while increasing financial and social return on investment. The college also included a clause to engage in advocacy encouraging current investment managers to develop fossil free investment fund products that would also serve their other clients.

Princeton U to Adopt Single-Stream Recycling

After a single-stream pilot study revealed a significant increase in recycling rates, the university recently made the decision to convert campus to the new method by the end of 2014.

Solano CC Introduces 2.8MW of Solar Energy

The Solano Community College District recently commissioned three systems totaling 2.8 mega-watts, which is estimated to contribute approximately half of the energy that the three-school district currently uses.

St. Petersburg College Installs 100KW Photovoltaic System

Made possible by a $516,000 Duke Energy Florida SunSense Schools program, the 100-kilowatts are divided between two university campuses, and the campus community can monitor hourly performance of the systems.

UC Riverside Renovation Receives LEED Silver

Meeting the new University of California policy that all new construction or major renovations earn a LEED Silver certification or higher, the building features light-colored roof to reflect heat, low-wattage fluorescent lighting, drought-resistant landscaping, low volatile organic compounds in paints, adhesives and cleaning supplies, and during construction, a waste diversion rate of 95 percent.

UC Santa Cruz Students Study On Campus Water Use Impact

As a result of the Marine Conservation class' recent research of on-campus water usage and the local watershed, a behavior change experiment was implemented to test the hypothesis that direct approaches to behavior change would have a more positive result on reducing water consumption.

UC Santa Cruz Sustainability Organizations Retreat Together

In an effort to strengthen ties amongst campus sustainability groups, 120 students met over two days to discuss the theme Beyond the Campus and Ourselves: Creating Impact Through Collaboration.

U Hawai'i Manoa to Implement Bike Sharing

Five or six bike-sharing stations will be brought to campus by the end of 2015 due to a Honolulu-commissioned transportation study.

U Kentucky to Launch Car-Free Residential Campaign

During the 2014-2015 academic year, the bicycle library, providing free bicycle sharing and repair, will nearly double its capacity by launching a program aimed at encouraging students who live in residence halls to leave their motor vehicles behind.

U Maryland Intern Begins Campaign to Grow Female Bike Ridership

After data from a recent survey revealed 23 percent of riders were female predominately due to safety concerns, an outreach intern for bikeUMD is organizing women-specific events including a bike trip and yoga lesson called BikeYo.

U Rhode Island Launches Climate Change Website

Called the Climate Change Collaborative, the goal of the site is to educate the public about the effects of climate change, and personal and professional steps to manage the impacts.

U Toronto Begins Campaign to Eliminate Styrofoam

The university's Sustainability commission has recently been handing out free reusable containers, along with posting fliers, that attempt to reduce the amount of styrofoam containers coming from on-campus food trucks.

Washington State U Vancouver Uses Wind Turbines in Curriculum

A curriculum component in the university's School of Engineering and Computer Science, the five residential wind turbines allow students hands-on opportunities to design, build and test more efficient blades.

California State U Stanislaus to Install Photovoltaic Panels

With a desire to increase clean energy sources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and comply with state legislation, the new solar electric panels will produce approximately 34,800 kilowatt-hours to augment energy for the university's irrigation and storm pumps.

Cornell U Stops Sale of Apparel Linked to Labor Abuse

After an incident killing 1,120 Bangladeshi workers, the university now requires its apparel licensees to abide by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a five year agreement between apparel companies and Bangladeshi unions that legally binds its signatories to create safe working environments.