Saint John's U Commits to No Coal
Saint John's University (MN) has committed to stop burning coal on campus with the use of "cleaner natural gas," at least through 2013. The university, which currently has solar collectors that generate 20 percent of the campus' electrical needs during peak hours, is looking into geothermal, wind energy and energy-efficient building retrofits.
Syracuse U Switches to Paperless Bus Schedules
Syracuse University's (NY) Parking and Transit Services has significantly cut its paper use by mainly offering its bus schedule online, a switch from its previous mass printings. The recent change to paperless schedules will save at least 13,000 printed schedules from being produced each year.
Tennessee Tech Plans Sustainability Studies Degree
Tennessee Technical University has announced plans to offer an undergraduate degree in environmental and sustainability studies in fall 2012. The program will combine disciplines and courses already in existence including economics, engineering, sociology, biology and chemistry. Additional classes in environmental law are in development.
Texas State U San Marcos Named Tree Campus USA
The campus community at Texas State University-San Marcos recently celebrated the university's designation as a Tree Campus USA school by planting 71 trees on campus. The Arbor Day Foundation issues the Tree Campus USA designation to campuses that meet five requirements including convening a tree advisory committee, creating a tree care plan, implementing a tree program, holding an Arbor Day observance and offering a service learning project.
U Colorado Boulder Residence Hall Earns LEED Platinum
The University of Colorado Boulder's newest residence hall has received LEED Platinum certification. The $46.5 million Williams Village North building, with 131,246 gross square feet, is projected to be nearly 40 percent more energy- and water-efficient than modern buildings of the same size. Sustainable features include on-site solar panels, information kiosks, a water bottle filling station, low-flow plumbing, passive solar design and an advanced heat-recovery system.
Update: Obama Meets with College Leaders to Address Affordability
Reports from the private meeting with President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan last week with college and university leaders say that there was "good discussion" about driving down tuition and what the role of the federal government should be, reports The New York Times. As additional financing for education will be scarce in the coming years, higher education leaders were challenged to help improve affordability and graduation rates by questioning strongly held assumptions and encouraging faculty to think differently about teaching. The meeting also included a discussion about what the federal government can do to support innovation with incentive money and increase accountability in student aid.
U.S. Institutions Embark on $4 Billion Energy Efficiency Program
With the hope that it will be a major job generator in the construction sector, the White House has announced that a variety of college and university buildings will be part of a $4 billion program to improve energy efficiency over the next two years, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Institutions include Allegheny College (PA), which plans to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent in 1.3 million square feet of space by 2020, and the University of California, Irvine, which has committed to cutting energy consumption by nearly 9 percent in seven million square feet of space. Government agencies will contribute $2 billion to the initiative and institutions, cities, private companies and other entities will collectively contribute the other $2 billion.
U Tennessee Chattanooga to Sponsor Sustainability Garden Program
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Environmental Task Force has approved funding for a sustainability garden program starting in spring 2012. Twelve multidisciplinary students will be selected to sustain two raised bed vegetable gardens as well as attend workshops offered by local organic farmers. The university hopes to become part of the emerging local food movement in Chattanooga.
U Wyoming Debuts Online Green Building Resources
The University of Wyoming's Environment and Natural Resources website has posted "lessons learned" from the construction of the university's Bim Kendall House, designed to achieve LEED certification. The website serves as a resource for members of the campus and broader community who want more information on sustainable building products including the building's current LEED scorecard, building materials and furniture. Visitors can also use the site to track renewable energy production from the building's photovoltaic panels. An online green building tour will be available in the spring.
Vanderbilt U Debuts Car Sharing Program
Vanderbilt University (TN) has started offering a second car sharing program on campus. Enterprise's WeCar program will now be offered with the current Zipcar program. Students, faculty and staff will have the ability to enroll in both programs.
Western Kentucky U Earns First LEED Certification
Western Kentucky University's 120,000-square-foot Gary A. Ransdell Hall has received the first LEED certification for the campus. Sustainable features of the LEED Gold-certified building include energy-efficient lighting, highly insulated walls, an efficient heating and cooling system and a reflective roof. Recycled, local materials were used during construction.
William Peace U Lowers Tuition
William Peace University (NC) trustees have voted to decrease tuition by 7.73 percent for the 2012-13 academic year. The university's president said that colleges have to become more cost-effective to continue to keep the doors open to families hurt by the economy. The lowered tuition is part of an overall strategy to increase enrollment.
Broome CC to Teach with Solar Panels
With the aim of providing students with hands-on alternative energy experience, Broome Community College (NY) has announced plans to install 16 solar panels on its Applied Technology building. The $20,000 project was funded through the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority.
Carnegie Mellon U Centers Achieve LEED Gold
Carnegie Mellon University (PA) has earned LEED Gold certification for both its Gates Center for Computer Science and Hillman Center for Future-Generation Technologies. Sustainable features of both buildings include green roofs, rainwater harvesting systems, and locally sourced and recycled construction materials.
Central Michigan U Earns National Green Cleaning Recognition
Central Michigan University has received the "Grand Award" in the higher education category of the 2011 Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities, sponsored by American School & University magazine, the Green Cleaning Network and Healthy Schools Campaign. The award recognizes educational institutions that have exemplary green cleaning programs and practices among custodial staff. Over a five-year period, the university has reduced its chemical inventories throughout campus buildings by more than half.
Danville Area CC Receives $416K for Hybrid Wind Training
Danville Area Community College (IL) has received a $416,404 grant to develop a hybrid wind energy technician program in partnership with Highland Community College (IL). The funding is part of a $19.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Initiative, distributed among 17 Illinois Green Energy Network hub colleges that will work cooperatively to develop certificate and degree programs for green economy workforce training.
Drexel U Introduces Car Sharing Program
Drexel University (PA) has partnered with Zipcar, Inc. to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty and staff. The university will initially offer eight Zipcars.
Education Secretary Urges Action to Contain College Costs
“As Occupy movement protests helped push spiraling college costs into the national spotlight,” reports a recent New York Times article, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has called for urgent action to contain costs and reduce student debt. Duncan outlined three department initiatives including plans to replace the expiring Perkins loan program with campus-based, low-cost student loans; incentive grants rewarding changes that increase completion rates and close achievement gaps; and a fund to support programs that use innovation to accelerate learning and hold down tuition. The article references the Occupy Student Debt Campaign, which spawned recently from Occupy Wall Street and asks for zero interest on student debt, federally financed public higher education, and the forgiveness of all existing debt.
Green Mountain College Appoints New Sustainability Coordinator
Green Mountain College (VT) has named Bethany Clarke as its new sustainability coordinator. Clarke has worked for the past four years in the sustainable energy industry. As an associate project manager for General Electric, she led a cross-functional team during the delivery, installation and commissioning of 336 wind turbines.
Harvard U Kennedy School Auditorium Awarded LEED Gold
The renovation of the auditorium at Harvard University's (MA) Kennedy School has earned LEED Gold certification. One hundred percent of the furniture was reused in the renovation and 88 percent of the construction waste recycled and reused. Additional sustainable features include a highly efficient HVAC system and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
Living Wage Campaign Succeeds at Vanderbilt U
A Living Wage campaign organized by unions and social justice groups has resulted in increased wages at Vanderbilt University (TN). The university has increased its starting wage to nearly $11 an hour.
Marshall U Hires First Environmental Specialist
Marshall University (WV) has appointed Travis Bailey as its first environmental specialist. Bailey will work to incorporate better construction practices and green infrastructure into the university's pre-planned $100 million projects including bio retention sites, rain gardens and green roofs.
Mid-South CC Debuts Renewable Energy Center
Mid-South Community College (AR) has opened a $9 million renewable energy facility for green jobs training. The 35,000-square-foot center also houses a biofuel production facility.
Protesters Rally Against CUNY Tuition Increase
About a thousand students, faculty members and sympathetic supporters recently marched in opposition to a tuition increase that the City University of New York's Board of Trustees has approved. A Chronicle of Higher Education article reports that some protestors came in order to address the university's response to confrontation between campus security officers and protesters, which ended in 15 arrests. Other protestors said they understood the financial complexities behind the increase, but believed the student movement deserved their support. The long-term tuition plan will increase costs by $300 annually for five years, with the first year's increase already in effect.
San Diego Miramar College Police Station to Seek LEED Platinum
San Diego Miramar College (CA) has opened its new Police Station and parking structure. The station will pursue LEED Platinum certification with sustainability elements that include a green roof and green screen, reclaimed water for flushing toilets and all irrigation needs, and a tower that serves as a solar chimney and creates a flow of natural ventilation.
San Diego State U Launches Sustainability Degree Program
San Diego State University's (CA) College of Arts and Letters has announced a new bachelor's degree in sustainability that will launch in fall 2012. The new major will prepare students for careers in sustainable business, public policy, sustainability education and other fields.
U California Board of Regents Urged to Lower Tuition
Students and faculty members recently addressed the University of California's Board of Regents to discuss the state's budget problems and gradual retreat from supporting higher education, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Held by teleconference to hear public comment, people urged board members and administrators to support the "ReFund California Pledge," which calls for raising taxes on the wealthiest Californians, closing tax loopholes and lowering tuition.
U California Irvine Humanities Bldg Earns LEED Platinum
The University of California, Irvine has earned its first LEED Platinum building certification with its Humanities Gateway building. Sustainable features include high-efficiency elevators and a California Cool Room that has a system of reflective coatings to minimize heat reflection.
U Florida Office Building Earns LEED Gold
The University of Florida's East Campus Office Building has achieved LEED Gold certification. Thirty percent of the building's materials feature recycled content and nearly 97 percent of on-site construction waste was diverted from landfill.
U Florida Removes Plastic Foam from Dining Halls
The University of Florida has eliminated plastic foam products in its Gator Dining locations. By replacing plastic foam cups and to-go containers with paper-based products that are compostable or recyclable, the university expects to save 24,000 pounds of waste from the landfill per year.
U Maryland Launches Environmental Council
The University of Maryland has created the Council on the Environment, which will draw on researchers and faculty from different departments to seek out new transdisciplinary research opportunities involving multiple campus units, and promote economic development related to environmental initiatives. Internationally, the council will interface with a new 10-year initiative on Earth System Sustainability, which aims to deliver knowledge to enable societies to meet their sustainable development goals in the next decades.
U Maryland Launches Green Office Program
The University of Maryland has started rewarding offices on campus for sustainability efforts through its new Green Office Program. The voluntary initiative is designed to generate campus-wide results by increasing sustainability consciousness on a personal level. After completing a checklist of five items including a green office pledge, an environmental audit, and the appointment of a green office representative to oversee sustainability efforts, participants can choose to pursue a gold, silver or bronze level of certification.
U North Dakota Pilots Project to Reduce its Use of Coal
The University of North Dakota has announced a pilot project to reduce the use of coal at its campus power plant by 10 to 20 percent using glycerin, a product originally derived from canola oil. The university has partnered with Benchmark Energy Corp., which is planning to build a local plant that can refine up to nine million gallons of glycerin a year. The university will purchase 45,000 gallons of glycerin a month during the pilot phase.
Utah State U Debuts 33.5 kW Solar Array
Funded in part through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Utah State University has installed a 33.5-kilowatt photovoltaic solar array. The system includes 108 modules integrated into the architecture of the building and will be monitored through an online interface.
U Tennessee Knoxville Incentivizes Reusable Mugs
With the goal of keeping 100,000 single-use cups out of the landfill this year, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville has launched the campus-wide Mug Project. Dining locations across campus are offering a discount on any beverage for those that bring their own reusable container in place of the standard single-use cups.
U Texas San Antonio Installs 170 kW Solar Research Grid
The University of Texas at San Antonio has installed a 170-kilowatt solar grid, split between two roofs on campus. In addition to generating power for 10 electric vehicle charging stations, data collected from wireless monitoring of the grid will be used to provide insight on how cities might use solar power to meet a larger portion of electricity demand. The university expects to save $86,000 a year in electricity costs.
U Texas San Antonio Solicits Student Campus Sustainability Ideas
The University of Texas at San Antonio, with support from the United Negro College Fund's Institute for Capacity Building, has launched a contest that invites students to submit implementable and sustainable ideas toward campus sustainability efforts. Winners of the "Campus Greening Idea Contest" will receive prizes including $1,500 for first place.
U Winnipeg Achieves LEED Silver with 2 Buildings
The University of Winnipeg (MB) has earned LEED Silver certification from the Canadian Green Building Council for both its McFeetors Hall: Great-West Life Student Residence building and Students' Association Daycare Centre. Both buildings feature aerator faucets, dual flush toilets, energy recovery ventilators, occupancy sensors and energy-efficient light fixtures. Eighty percent of the construction waste was recycled or salvaged.
White House Gathers College Leaders to Address Affordability
Inside Higher Ed reports that President Obama has called the leaders of 10 colleges and state university systems to a "highly unusual" meeting at the White House to discuss affordability and productivity in higher education. "Amid an increasing focus on student debt and college prices, the event seems to signal that the Obama administration will make those issues a focus going into the 2012 campaign," says the article. The guest list is drawn largely from public institutions and includes leaders of large state systems, public universities, a statewide community college system and two private institutions.
Yale U Names New Sustainable Food Project Director
Yale University's (CT) Sustainable Food Project has appointed Mark Bomford as its new director. Bomford, who previously led sustainable food efforts at the University of British Columbia, will lead the Sustainable Food Project's campus organic farm and educational programs.
Appalachian State U Unveils New Compost Facility
Appalachian State University (NC) has opened a new compost facility to create landscaping mulch and divert food-prep waste from the area’s landfill. The facility can handle up to 275 tons of materials, including meat scraps, compared to the 100-ton capacity of the university’s former system. The system also has the potential to take post-consumer waste in the future.
Aquinas College Expands Composting, Recycling Efforts
Aquinas College (MI) has announced expanded campus composting and recycling programs. With bins now at every collection location on campus, all food waste can be composted including meat, bones and dairy products. The college has also streamlined its recycling efforts with one bin (single-stream recycling) at each location.
College of William & Mary Selects Green Fee Projects
The College of William & Mary’s (VA) Committee on Sustainability has announced the recipients of the fall 2011 Green Fee awards. Including water bottle refill stations and a community garden, the 12 winning proposals were awarded a total of $64,380. The committee also invested $40,000 of this year’s Green Fee revenue to the college's green endowment.
DOE Awards Funding to St. Joseph’s U for Green Roof Installation
Saint Joseph’s University (PA) has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to install a green roof and host homeowners' workshops for the public. Through a series of mini-workshops, participants will have the opportunity to tour the university’s green roof system and learn about stormwater management techniques including rain gardens, rain barrels and meadows.
Georgia Tech Launches Bike Share Program
Georgia Institute of Technology has partnered with ViaCycle to launch a new bike sharing program. The program will allow students, faculty and staff to purchase short-term bike rentals using their cell phones. Five drop-off locations have been installed across campus.
Jamestown CC Debuts Green Science Center
Jamestown Community College’s (NY) new science center has achieved LEED certification. The 26,762-square-foot facility features a rainwater harvesting system that provides water for flushing toilets, greenhouse plants and a drip irrigation system for the vegetative roof garden. Additional sustainable features include passive solar design, permeable pathways and a wetland habitat restoration space.
Mission College Dedicates 1.1 MW Solar Power System
Mission College (CA) has installed a 2,640 solar panel array totaling 1.1 megawatts. The 1.5-acre parking lot canopy structure will generate approximately one-third of the college’s electricity demand and reduce electricity costs by $8.5 million over 25 years.
Norwalk CC Opens Green Science, Health and Wellness Center
Norwalk Community College (CT) has debuted a new Science, Health and Wellness Center with green features including double-pane windows glazed to reduce emissions, compact fluorescent lighting, and controls that sense occupants. The building has saved the college $79,300 in utility costs since its August opening.
Point Loma Nazarene U Installs Solar with Student Green Fees
Financed by its Student Green Fund, Point Loma Nazarene University (CA) has installed two new solar systems. The two projects - a 620-kilowatt photovoltaic system and a 54-kilowatt solar thermal hot water system - are expected to save the university up to $1.6 million over the next two decades.
