Swarthmore College Hires Sustainability Director
In her role as director of sustainability, Laura Cacho will help organize courses focused on sustainability, invite outside speakers to raise awareness about environmental issues, progress climate action goals, and help the various departments of the college become more sustainable.
Towson U Pilots Outdoor Solar Table
The newly installed solar charging stations are located in several areas around campus to create a convenient way for students to recharge their devices using clean, renewable energy.
Tufts U to Hold Student Solar Project Competition
The Tufts Energy Conference offers students the opportunity to submit a photovoltaic technology project that will operate without a connection to the university's electric grid. The winning proposal will be allocated $10,000 toward implementation on campus.
UC Berkeley Graduate Assembly Calls for Fossil Fuel Divestment
The Graduate Assembly of the University of California, Berkeley voted with a two-thirds majority in favor of a resolution that calls on the university and the UC system to divest their endowments from fossil fuel companies. The resolution also commits the Graduate Assembly to divest its own funds of $475,000 from the greenhouse gas-emitting fuels.
U Colorado Boulder Partners on Zero Waste Sports Practices
Sustainable Gamedays, sponsored by BASF, is a series of eight men and women's basketball games in which videos featuring facts about sustainability and organics recycling show on the arena screens, and demonstrates to game-goers how to use the many zero waste stations placed around the arena for recycling and composting.
UC Santa Cruz Pilots Water Conservation Campaign
Called the Cold Water Wash competition and using prizes as an incentive, residents in the university's College Eight dorm were asked to use cold water with the goal of reducing natural gas usage. Overall, the campaign ended up saving the equivalent energy of that used by over 10 homes for one year.
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.
U Maryland Certifies First Green Office
The university's Center for Young Children was certified Gold through the Green Office Program, which includes children charting lunch waste on certain days, composting, reusing art material, installation of power strips that eliminate phantom loads, and usage of indoor plants to improve air quality.
U Maryland Cultivates Campus Farm
In partnership with the university's Dining Services, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Office of Sustainability, the new sustainable farming operation will be located 15 miles from campus and it will supply the university and food-insecure campus and community members with fresh and sustainably-grown food.
U New Mexico Establishes Student Food Pantry
Attempting to help students do well in school, the university's Dean of Students Office and local food bank are teaming up to provide students with healthy food on a regular basis.
Wesleyan U Begins On Campus Food Cooperative
Recently began in concert by interested students, the local food co-op, which now has nearly 600 members, was started to meet the needs of those who wanted locally-grown and ethically-raised products, including meat and eggs, dairy, bread, jams and vinegars.
Auburn U Montgomery Becomes Tree Campus USA
(United States): The university recently met the five core standards for sustainable campus forestry required by Tree Campus USA, including establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.
Ball State U & Valencia College Partner with Chevrolet
(United States): As part of Chevrolet's new initiative to eliminate eight million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the air over the next five years, the two schools were selected to use Chevy's new carbon-reduction performance methodology, which measures the "beyond-business-as-usual" carbon reductions. Chevy intends to then purchase these reductions as carbon credits. A geothermal system at Ball State University and four LEED buildings at Valencia College are eligible for the agreement.
California State U Creates Pathways for Underserved Students
(United States): Answering President Obama’s call to increase college opportunity for disadvantaged students, the California State University is partnering with more than 100 African American churches to speak to youth and their families about the value of a college degree and access to financial aid.
City U London to Pay Living Wage
(U.K.): Soon all third-party university contractors, including those in cleaning and catering, will receive the London living wage in an effort to change the lives of those most in need.
Clarkson U Pilots Energy Usage Monitoring
(United States): In an effort to examine whether data-driven energy decisions can reduce expenses in living facilities across campus, real-time data monitoring and displays have been installed for electricity and water in select student apartments.
Cornell U Students Vote to Change Campus Printing System
(United States): Encouraging environmental benefits and saving students money, the new resolution calls for lowering the cost of printing on the back side of paper, procurement of 100 percent post-consumer waste paper, and changing the default settings on all printers to double-sided.
Five Universities Win $5,000 Sodexo Grant
(United States): The Sodexo Foundation's Campus Kitchen Project video competition awarded the five universities funding for a Campus Kitchen, a student-operated kitchen that recovers quality food going to waste to provide nutritious meals for those in the community that are struggling with food insecurity. The winning universities are Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, St. Peter's University, Georgia Tech and University of Wisconsin at Green Bay.
Georgetown U Distributes Recycling Bins in Dorms
(United States): As part of a marketing effort to increase student engagement, the Office of Sustainability has distributed recycling bins and educational fliers to all on-campus residents in dorms.
George Washington U Receives SITES Certification
(United States): A 0.77-acre tract of land located in the watershed of the Potomac River was recently designated by The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™) as a sustainable area for features including biofiltration planters, native plant material, pervious pavers, cisterns, rain barrel, and sculptural fountain designed to reuse captured water. The SITES program was created to promote sustainable land development and management practices that can apply to sites with and without buildings.
Hampshire College Students Check Out Vegetable Seeds
(United States): Called a seed-lending library, students interested in learning more about sustainable gardening and seed saving can now check out seeds from the on-campus library. Once the plants produce fruit or flowers, students harvest and dry the seeds, and then return them to the library's catalog.
Lehigh U Greeks Adopt Diversity Policy
(United States): The new policy, which was developed in support of the university’s Principles of an Equitable Community, prohibits any Greek organization from sponsoring or endorsing an event or program that discriminates against anyone “based on color, disability, gender identification, genetic information, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economics, veteran status, or any differences that have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred.”
Memorial U Educates Public on Local Food Options
(Canada): The event, Food for Thought, in partnership with the corner grocery store, explored connections between the community and university by focusing on educating shoppers toward sustainable and local food and the university-community connection.
Northwestern U Offers New Class on Diversity
(United States): As a result of on-campus racist incidents since 2012, Diversity and Inequality at Northwestern University focuses on how issues can impact the university's present state, it will compare these issues to other universities, and it will examine these issues historically. The university is currently contemplating a social inequality and diversity requirement for all students.
PepsiCo Spring Recycling Challenge Announces Results
(United States): PepsiCo's Dream Machine Recycling Initiative encourages participating colleges and universities to increase recycling rates by using its kiosk to collect plastic and aluminum beverage bottles and cans. The top five schools collecting the highest average amount of containers per kiosk are Mountwest College, Joliet Junior College, Rider University, University of Pittsburgh and Florida International University.
San Francisco State U Plants Drought-Tolerant Landscaping
(United States): Due to the state's current drought situation, members of the university's Sustainable SF State and student center's sustainability program are working to educate the campus community about drought-tolerant food, landscaping, and tips for reducing personal consumption.
Stella Maris College Installs 50KW Solar System
(India): Aligned with the state government's solar policy, mandating colleges to construct renewable energy, the college's new 50-kilowatt, 200 panel system will provide six percent of the school's current energy use.
SUNY Fredonia Launches Carpool Program
(United States): Designed to assist students, faculty, and staff to find partners to car pool with, the carpool program can be used for daily or one-time occurrences.
SUNY Institute of Technology Offers EV Charging Station
(United States): Part of a state-wide public-private partnership aimed at improving environmental sustainability, increasing access to cleaner modes of transportation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the new electric vehicle charging station is free and open to the public.
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 Alberta Introduces Green Lab Certification
(Canada): As part of the university's Green Spaces certification, the newly developed process specifically tailored toward lab classes recently accredited 22 biology teaching labs, which recognizes best practices in areas such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, chemical handling and water use.
UC Santa Cruz Procures Local Aquaponics Produce
(United States): Increasing the amount of local and sustainably-grown food, the university's Dining Halls are now serving lettuce that was grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, but instead fertilized by fish waste in a practice known as aquaponics.
U Florida Student Spearheads Composting
(United States): A student in the university's College of Design, Construction and Planning has started a 10-bin collection system in an effort to promote the activities of the Student Compost Cooperative whose long-term goal is to establish compost collection bins across campus.
U Maryland Distributes Indoor Plants for Air Quality
(United States): Representatives from the university's Green Office program recently received plants grown by students in the Institute of Applied Agriculture for their offices to help create a healthier workplace.
U Washington Students Present on Affordability to State House
(United States): In a recent presentation to the state's House Higher Education Committee, the university's Student Debt Reduction Working Group discussed findings of roughly 50 percent of students graduate with debt and the average amount is over $21,000. The presentation is part of an effort to increase the dialogue on college affordability between students and lawmakers.
Davidson College Unveils Sports-Centered Sustainability Programs
The college's The Next Play program will use the influence of sports to encourage sustainability through the creation of a Student-Athlete Sustainability Coalition, two zero waste athletic events and a speakers series. The initiative will also coordinate two national events: a sustainability-in-sports venture pitch tournament and a virtual discussion on sustainability and sports.
Arizona State U Building Achieves LEED Platinum
The university's Health Services Building renovation features solar electric panels, recycled materials and sustainable design and construction in both interior spaces and exterior landscaping.
Arizona State U Hosts Emirati Engineers for Solar Program
In an effort to help Dubai meet their 2030 energy strategy, the university will host 15 engineers for a 15-day workshop focused on enhancing their solar energy skills. Three engineers will be shortlisted to attend a six-month academic intensive.
Cornell U Strengthens Sustainable Purchasing Commitment
The university's Presidents' Sustainable Campus Committee Purchasing Team has introduced new resources and targeted campaigns resulting in an online list of sustainable products, a letter-writing campaign to departments purchasing paper from virgin sources encouraging procurement of recycled-content paper, and a new section in the Buying Manual that defines green certified, recycled, and Energy Star standards and promotes energy-efficient purchasing decisions.
Earlham College Opens Free Store
Attempting to divert waste throughout the year from the landfill, a permanent collection bin holds the unwanted items until they are taken to the store where the campus community can pick things up for free.
