U Hawai'i Regents Adopt Sustainability Policy
In the wake of the inaugural Hawai‘i Sustainability in Higher Education conference last spring, the new policy was added to the system's mission and purpose and incorporates seven goals in the areas of social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainability in operations; education, research and service; planning, administration and engagement; and cultural and community connections.
U Idaho Awards Nearly $14K Toward Engagement
The university's Sustainability Center and the Office of Community Partnerships have awarded $13,900 to initiatives that facilitate student and community engagement in building sustainability through areas including on-campus transportation and climate, and community outreach and native landscaping.
U Kentucky to Open New Residential Learning College
Available to students in fall 2014, the university's Greenhouse Residential College is a living and learning community for those interested in learning different aspects of their local environment through the lens of sustainability.
Energy Dept Hosts Geothermal Case Study Challenge
Over the course of the spring 2014 semester, student groups at participating universities will produce a series of well-researched case studies detailing the exploration, development, and geologic history of selected U.S. geothermal resource areas. Case studies produced by each student group will be added to the existing collection of data currently available on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Open Energy Information (OpenEI) platform. The top 5 highest quality case studies will be awarded paid travel to present their work in a poster session at the 2014 Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting in Portland Oregon, Sept. 28 – Oct. 1.
EPA Awards $5M for Clean Water Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the five universities to evaluate innovative green infrastructure practices in urban areas, using Philadelphia, Pa. as the pilot area. These grants stem from a cooperative partnership between EPA and Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters program that represents a broad, long-term investment in implementing green infrastructure stormwater management practices. The awardees include universities are Villanova University, Swarthmore College, Temple University, University of New Hampshire and University of Pennsylvania.
Four Virginia Colleges Announce 100% Renewable Electricity
Coordinated by the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia, Hollins University, Emory & Henry College, Lynchburg College, Randolph College and Sweet Briar College have entered into agreements to provide the schools with electricity produced from landfill gas.
U Albany Awarded Two Grants for Campus Sustainability
One grant in the amount of $607,000 will go to support the environmental initiatives of a planned expansion of the university's Campus Center, while the other grant is intended to initiate a campus-wide composting project.
U Georgia Students Receive $28K to Promote Sustainability
The university's Office of Sustainability recently announced $28,000 to be used by nine student groups' projects that aim to promote a culture of campus sustainability. While biking was the most popularly submitted proposal, others included an on-campus garden and water quality testing.
U North Carolina Charlotte Receives BBI Green Globes
The university's Belk Hall recently achieved the two-globe rating from the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes for New Construction program, a program used to certify a building's environmental performance. The building's features include a reflective roof, energy efficient windows, occupancy sensors, and regionally-appropriate landscaping to reduce water use.
U Washington Awards $279K to Campus Sustainability Projects
The university's Green Seed Fund has selected five winning proposals submitted by faculty, students and staff that advance sustainable research, contribute to campus sustainability goals, and will contribute to greenhouse gas reductions.
U Washington Creates Waste Display
The new visual display aims to simplify waste disposal on campus and encourage greater composting and recycling by showing the items for compost, recycling and landfill.
HKUST Announces Grant Recipients
(Hong Kong): After recently receiving external funding that was matched, the university awarded 23 masters students with funding for research around environmental sustainability and conservation engineering, with a focus on green motoring and transportation.
U Reading Wins Engage Award from Public Sector Travel
(U.K.): Winning the accolade of Sustainability Program of the Year, the honor is on behalf of its car sharing initiative, giving the campus community round-the-clock access to low emission vehicles at a cost-effective price, which helps to reduce the university's carbon footprint.
Emory U Buildings Receive LEED Certification
(U.S.): One university research center received Gold certification and two other buildings received Silver certification, one of which is a historic building constructed in 1874.
Lehigh U Transitions to 100% Recycled Paper
(U.S.): An initiative by the university's Purchasing Sustainability group, the transition to 100 percent recycled paper at all public computing sites comes after a request by the student community.
Oxford College Acquires Land for Organic Farm
(U.S.): After an alumni recently donated land, the college will now offer an organic farm to model sustainable farming techniques and for integration into the school's curriculum.
Sabah U Malaysia Opens Recycling Center
(Malaysia): In a strategic effort to make its campus more sustainable, the university's Environmental Management System will be trained to implement the recycling initiative, conduct an environmental audit, and organize the first regional conference on sustainability.
Second Nature Announces Climate Leader Finalists
(U.S.): Second Nature and the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) have announced the finalists of the Fifth Annual Climate Leadership Awards, presented to ACUPCC signatory schools that demonstrate "unparalleled campus innovation and climate leadership that helps transition society to a clean, just and sustainable future." Second Nature is partnering with Planet Forward in a public voting competition featuring the finalists' climate leadership and campus innovations during Earth Month.
U Massachusetts Amherst Receives $485K to Bolster Food System
(U.S.): Seeking to transform the food landscape to a more sustainable one, the Kendall Foundation has recently awarded the university $485,000 over two years with an initial focus of cultivating new suppliers of environmentally sound produce and offering more free-range poultry and animal products in its newly remodeled dining hall.
U Southern Queensland to Construct Green Building
(Australia): When completed the new building will contain electric car charging stations, a 40-bicycle facility with covered and secure storage, showers and lockers, rainwater collection and grey water system, and a management system for the lighting and electrical systems.
Antioch U New England Launches Terracycle Partnership
Beginning in January 2014, the university's Social Justice and Sustainability team is collecting a variety of packaging materials that are currently not recycled, such as chip bags and toothpaste tubes, in an effort to increase its waste diversion.
U Alabama Birmingham Reuses Water for Savings
A network of pipes and tanks now collect and reuse condensate from the university's central cooling system saving it millions of gallons of water and thousands of dollars per month.
AASCU Proposal to Maintain College Affordability
The newly released proposition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities proposes using existing federal resources to create a new federal matching grant program that leverages federal funds to incentivize states to boost operating support for public higher education, in turn mitigating tuition price increases and improving college affordability.
North Carolina State U Students Opt to Live in EcoVillage
The new sustainability-focused living and learning community drew 63 students whose focus is on service programs and a first-year student course on sustainability, which encourages students to lead, serve, problem solve and engage in complex issues.
San Diego State U Achieves LEED Platinum, Smoke-Free, LGBT Center
The university's recently completed LEED student union is designed with retail space, community areas, an outdoor courtyard and recreation areas. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource service center recently opened its doors to offer student support and a sense of community.
U Kansas Researchers Devise Diversity Assessment Tool
In an effort to measure diversity in higher education, the recently published paper discusses the researchers method to create the final instrument, ACES, which quantifies Attitude towards diversity, Career activities and professional norms, Environment conducive to diversity, and Social interactions with diverse groups.
U Michigan Attains Marine Stewardship Council Certification
The university recently achieved the MSC Chain of Custody third party certification, which supports sustainably-managed fisheries also certified by MSC standards. Five residential dining halls will offer seafood designated as MSC-certified.
San Francisco State U Offers New Sustainability Courses
After winning funding from the California State University's Campus as a Living Lab Grant Program, in spring 2014 the university will be offering courses in sustainable transportation, supply chain management, geography and environmental science. The winning proposals were developed with the aid of the university's Physical Planning & Development and were awarded $38,207.
Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge Announces Fall Results
A national contest to empower college students to take positive social and environmental actions, such as donating blood or recycling, released the top scoring schools for fall semester as Oklahoma State University, University of California at Berkeley, Southern Illinois University, Penn State University and Washington University.
Green Mountain College Announces Results of Alumni Survey
As a baseline for measuring future progress, preliminary data from 12 questions on a 2012 class survey indicate that 43 percent of graduates spend more than 10 hours per week deliberately enhancing the social fabric of their communities and 72 percent report that their lives reflect the college's environmental mission.
North Carolina Launches the LGBTQ College Consortium
The North Carolina LGBTQ College Consortium aims to foster communication and build community among the state’s various lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer college student organizations with annual meetings and a conference, periodic conference calls, webinars and leadership development events.
Oklahoma State U Creates Healthy Food Labeling System
After receiving grant funds, the university's Dining Services program recently implemented the labeling system to indicate more healthful foods per U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. The system also labels more than 800 grab-and-go items with nutrition and allergen information.
