U Washington Installs Eco Thermostats in Residence Halls
The university’s Division of Student Life has developed and installed an Eco Thermostat for new residence halls on campus, putting students directly in touch with their energy consumption. Total energy needs in buildings with Eco Thermostats are expected to be reduced by about five percent.
U Washington Students Develop 3-D Printer to Transform Waste
A student team has developed an inexpensive machine that can turn discarded plastic waste into useful objects. The group plans to work with Water for Humans, a nonprofit organization, to build three-dimensional printers that can make composting toilets and rain-catchment systems to be used in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Valdosta State U Recognized for Adult Learning Success
The university has been recognized by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning for its efforts to improve access and college completion for adults. The university has established the office of Adult and Military Programs to improve degree completion for adult learners with particular attention to members of the military and veterans.
Western Michigan U Opens New Sustainability Office
The university’s Office of Sustainability has been relocated to a building that formerly housed the University Bookstore. The renovated facility showcases existing campus sustainability initiatives and a new Sustainability Studio that will house a bicycle repair cooperative. A new electric car charging station has also been installed in the parking lot.
Appeals Court Overturns Michigan Ban on Affirmative Action
In an 8-7 decision, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has overturned Michigan's voter-approved ban on affirmative action in college admissions and public hiring. The court struck down the amendment to the state's constitution, known as Proposal 2, on the grounds that it creates unfair barriers to minority participation in the political process.
Arizona State U Launches Composting Program
In celebration of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge, the university has introduced composting at two dining halls on campus. Food-service workers have begun using “Green Bins” to compost all food and paper food-service items. The university will expand its composting efforts through its Green Bin program beginning in January 2013 to include students, faculty and staff.
Arizona State U Science Building Achieves LEED Gold
The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology building features a photovoltaic array that supplies over 16 percent of its energy use, optimal building orientation based on local climate conditions, and performance monitoring to ensure the building will continue to meet its energy use reduction goals over the life of the building.
Catholic U Installs Green Roof
The university has installed its third green roof on campus as part of the university’s efforts to foster sustainability and environmental stewardship. The 1,488-square-foot installation will reduce stormwater run-off and prevent UV radiation and extreme temperatures from degrading the underlying roof membrane.
Concordia College Hosts 100-Mile Thanksgiving
The college hosted the annual event in partnership with local farmers and several student groups in an effort to raise community awareness about the benefits of choosing local foods.
DePauw U to Constructs Student Farm
The university has announced plans to break ground for a new campus farm in 2013. The Sustainability Club will grow produce on the farm that will be used in the campus dining halls. Partial funding for the project came from a $20,000 donation from two university trustees.
Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaigns on the Rise
Fossil fuel divestment campaigns are active at about 50 U.S. campuses , and many more are expected to launch in coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Board of Trustees at Unity College voted to divest their endowment from fossil fuel industries. . (And last year Hampshire College (MA) passed a sustainable investment policy that effectively divested endowment funds from fossil fuels.) More recently, the Harvard College Undergraduate Council announced 72 percent of voting students want Harvard University to divest its $30.7 billion endowment from fossil fuels. The divestment movement has increasingly received national exposure due in part to Bill McKibben’s 21-city Do the Math tour. A recent Boston Globe op-ed by McKibben and Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute, calls on colleges to make no new investments in fossil fuels, “wind down” current investments in five years, and invest in increasing their own energy efficiency for a greater return.
Georgia Tech Creates Bike Sustainability Map
The Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee, in partnership with Capital Planning and Space Management, has released the campus' first Bike Suitability Map. The map highlights trails based on level of difficulty and displays campus multi-use paths.
Georgia Tech Students Oversee Community Garden
Members of the group, Students Organizing for Sustainability, have constructed and are maintaining six organic garden beds on campus. More than a dozen produce varieties will be harvested with the inaugural fall crop, and leftover produce will be donated to a local soup kitchen.
Humboldt State U Redesigns MBA to Focus on Sustainability
The university has restructured its Master of Business Administration program to focus on sustainability and career growth. The interdisciplinary program will mesh with undergraduate programs including the natural, environmental and social sciences. Students will analyze strategic sustainability issues of companies, non-profits and other organizations; with a focus on innovation and creation of new markets.
Illinois State U Dining Services to Eliminate Promotional Fliers
Campus Dining Services has announced plans to eliminate the use of table tents in all dining centers beginning this spring. By switching to information screens for advertising and promotion, groups on campus could save a combined estimated total of $12,450 per semester.
Marquette U Launches Improved Composting Program
The university’s sustainability department is launching an improved composting program through a new partnership with Growing Power, a local urban-farming initiative. Five campus eateries will participate in the composting initiative.
New California State U Chancellor Requests 10 Percent Pay Cut
The university system’s incoming chancellor, Timothy P. White, requested a 10 percent pay cut, saying in a letter to trustees, that he hopes the move will send a signal that "public higher education matters to all of us, and that we each must play a part in the rebuilding."
Northern Alberta IT Launches Trades to Degrees Initiative
The institute has introduced the Trades to Degrees initiative that allows certified tradespeople to be admitted directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Business Administration program. The program provides an opportunity for tradespersons to expand their careers, acknowledging the value of work experience and post-secondary education leading to certification as a tradesperson.
Oak Hills Christian College to Offer Loan-Repayment Assistance
The college has announced plans to begin offering loan-repayment assistance next fall for incoming freshman. Through the Loan Repayment Assistant Program, graduates will be eligible to receive up to $34,000 per year to pay back student loans, and benefits will be prorated based on a graduate’s salary. The college is one of two U.S. colleges to sign up with the Loan Repayment Assistance Program Association.
Ohio State U Creates Organic Garden
In an effort to bring a food-to-fork concept to campus, the university’s Ecological Engineering Society, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and a local chef have collaborated to create an on-campus organic garden that will provide fresh ingredients to a university café. Project funding came from a Coca-Cola Student Sustainability Grant.
Purdue U Research Farm Receives Organic Certification
The university’s 10-acre research farm has been certified as organic by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. The farm will allow researchers to evaluate organic-farming management practices and assess how particular crop varieties perform under organic conditions.
St. Clair County CC Receives Greenforce Mini Grant
The college has used a $3,000 Greenforce Initiative Innovation Mini Grant to help produce three videos showcasing how it uses green technology to educate students. The videos include how students study bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, solar hot water, heat and electrical systems, wind turbine technology, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
SUNY Sullivan Opens Sustainability Lab
The 1,278-square-foot laboratory includes HVAC, wind, solar, and hydraulic simulators to be used as a teaching and demonstration tool. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority funded the lab through the SUNYGreensNY grant consortium.
U Maine Constructs Greenhouse
A newly constructed, 26x96-foot, hoop-style greenhouse will be used by UMaine Greens, a student-run organization, to localize the university’s food system and provide greens to dining services. A composting facility is also being installed nearby.
U Maryland to Require Construction Waste Recycling
The university has announced plans to require departments to recycle construction and demolition waste from campus projects starting in winter 2013. Construction and demolition waste materials will be collected and transported to different processors depending on the material type. Campus construction is estimated to generate about 300 to 800 tons of recyclable waste per year.
Urbana U Installs Solar Array
The university has installed a 500-kilowatt solar array that will provide one-fifth of its total electrical usage. The panels are owned and maintained by Melink Corporation under a 10-year purchase agreement.
U Washington Launches New Sustainability Awareness Tool
The Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability office has launched ‘Sustainability Snapshots,” its newest awareness tool. The new website aims to catalog the various sustainability projects and initiatives happening on campus in one location, including facts about the project’s impact.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Academic Center Earns LEED Gold
The academic center features roof-mounted thermal and parking lot photovoltaic solar panels, a green roof with low-maintenance plantings, and in-floor radiant heating and cooling systems. The sustainable features are estimated to save the university $182,000 annually.
Wellesley College Launches Composting Program
The college’s Office of Sustainability has partnered with Wellesley Fresh to launch a new compost project in the dining halls. The joint initiative will first address waste generated in food preparation, and will later tackle post-consumer food waste.
Bellevue College Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The college has installed a DC fast charger for electric vehicles on campus. The new charger utilizes direct current to provide an 80 percent charge in approximately 30 minutes. Four conventional chargers have also been installed at the college in recent months, and all five stations are available to the public for a fee.
Brazil Passes Affirmative-Action Law
(Brazil): The Brazilian Supreme Court has passed an affirmative-action law that requires its public universities to reserve half of their admission spots for low-income students and compels its institutions to diversify according to the racial makeup within each region. Officials expect the number of black students to increase significantly.
Davis & Elkins College Students Design, Build Micro-Farm
(U.S.): Students from an Introduction to Sustainability Studies class helped build the Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneur (SAGE) Initiative classroom garden. Participating students will use the garden to grow produce that will be sold to local food suppliers. The aim of the SAGE initiative is to encourage students to replicate the techniques learned in class to be implemented elsewhere.
EAUC Announces 2012 Green Gown Awards Winners
(U.K.): Winners and commendations were bestowed across 13 categories at the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges’ 2012 Green Gown Awards. Now in its eighth year, the awards program recognizes exceptional initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the U.K. to become more sustainable.
Georgetown U Receives $20M Environmental Studies Gift
(U.S.): The university received a $20 million donation to support environmental study initiatives. The gift will endow three faculty chairs in the sciences, fund research grant proposals, and support the creation of an environment initiative program center.
Green Campus Movement Launches at U Cape Town
(South Africa): The 49M Green Campus Movement has launched a “Youth & the Green Economy” series at the university. The online community will provide information on campus events and competitions, the appointment of campus ambassadors, entry for national awards, and social media initiatives.
Kean U Composting Project Reaches Milestone
(U.S.): In less than a year, the university’s composting operation has diverted 100 tons of food scraps away from landfills and incinerators. The compost has been used throughout the campus, including a university farm that supplies fresh produce to a campus cafeteria and restaurant.
Madurai Kamaraj U Seeks Funding for Energy Initiatives
(India): The university has submitted a proposal to the University Grants Commission and the state government to receive funding to implement energy-saving measures on its 700-acre campus. The university has proposed to install solar panels to generate power and to perform an energy audit.
Maharishi U Mgmt New Student Group to Focus on Sustainability
(U.S.): Students have organized a local chapter of Net Impact, a global nonprofit that supports a new generation of leaders intent on transforming the world. The chapter is currently working on several sustainability projects including a vermiculture project that will help improve the university's composting system.
Pomona Dining Services Installs Green Technology
(U.S.): Dining Services has installed eight eCubes as part of the college’s continuing efforts to increase its sustainable operations. The eCube fits over a cooler’s thermostat and mimics food temperature, increasing a cooler’s efficiency. The project is expected to produce a cost savings of approximately $3,000 per year
Southern Oregon U Opens Food Pantry for Students In Need
(U.S.): The university has opened an on-campus food bank to provide easier access to meals for students in need. The pantry offers fresh, organic produce grown from the community garden on campus as well as nonperishable items. The university's Commuter Resource Center donated $1,000 to get the pantry off the ground.
Swarthmore College Alumni Join Divestment Movement
(U.S.): About 100 alumni have signed the college’s Alumni Petition for Fossil Fuel Divestment. Started by the Swarthmore Mountain Justice student organization, the petition aims to demonstrate to the administration that a range of Swarthmore community members, not just students, support fossil fuel divestment.
Tamil Nadu Colleges to Harness Solar Power
(India): The state government has created a solar purchase obligation that requires colleges to meet six percent of their power usage from solar energy. Vellore Institute of Technology will surpass this quota by using solar power for 30 percent of its energy needs. Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering will expand upon a pilot project to use solar energy for street lighting on campus.
U California Berkeley Completes Energy Biosciences Building
(U.S.): The science facility was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features include fume hoods designed to reduce energy use by nearly 40 percent in laboratories, a glass curtainwall, and automated window shades and lighting controls.
UC Davis Community Inspires Plan for Dubai Sustainable City
(United Arab Emirates): Inspired by a visit to the university’s energy-efficient West Village community, a UAE housing developer has begun planning a sustainable city on the outskirts of Dubai. The city developers will collaborate with the University of California Board of Regents on applied research and training related to the sustainable communities.
