100% Renewable Energy for Oregon Institute of Technology
A new field of solar panels combined with existing geothermal facilities will enable the Oregon Institute of Technology to operate 100 percent by on-site renewable energy. Part of the Solar by Degrees program and a recently announced state-wide initiative for public institutions to increase renewable energy production, the institute’s solar panels will produce an estimated 3.3 million kilowatt hours per year.
AP Reports on Growth of Sustainable Agriculture Curriculum
Graduate students studying sustainable and organic agriculture shouldn't have trouble finding jobs as the agriculture industry replaces aging farmers and farmers increasingly look to diversify their operations, according to a recent article by the Associated Press. A growing number of universities are offering courses, certificates or degree programs focused on organic and sustainable agriculture including Washington State University's online organic agriculture certificate and the University of California, Davis' new agriculture and food systems program debuting this fall. The article also mentions that some schools have shifted their focus from organic to sustainable agriculture, which takes into account global issues that are becoming increasingly important as food and agriculture is central to issues revolving around the environment, hunger and treatment of workers.
Ball State U Launches Sustainability Guide for Students
Ball State University (IN) has released "Students + Sustainability," a guide that provides recommendations for ways that students can implement sustainable practices into their everyday lifestyles in areas including home, class, traveling, eating and shopping. The guide includes a brief narrative illustrating the importance of sustainability in the campus community and highlights several key initiatives toward the university's goal of becoming sustainable. The initiative also features a Facebook page with weekly "green challenges."
Connecticut College Installs $1 Mil Geothermal System
Connecticut College has installed a new geothermal system to heat and cool its new science center. The system will circulate water through pipes hundreds of feet below ground, where the temperature is a constant 55 degrees, into the building and then back to the building for cooling. At $1 million, the college expects the geothermal system to pay for itself through energy cost reductions within six years.
Ecotech Institute Receives LEED Gold
The Ecotech Institute (CO), which opened its doors early this year, has received LEED Gold certification. The institute has 12 rooftop solar panels and eight small wind turbines. Other environmentally conscious features include energy-efficient lighting, monitoring of campus energy consumption and low-flow fixtures. The campus also includes four electric car-charging stations.
Elon U Graduates to Sport Recycled Plastic Gowns
Commencement apparel for Elon University (NC) graduates this month will be made of recycled plastic bottles. Each cap and gown, spun from molten plastic pellets, will keep 23 used plastic bottles from winding up in landfills. Using recycled plastic instead of virgin polyester cuts carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 55 percent.
Ferris State U Student Housing Receives LEED Gold
Ferris State University's (MI) East Campus Suites has received LEED Gold certification. The student housing buildings feature green design and construction efforts including a 30 percent reduction in water use, 18 percent reduction in energy use and the diversion of more than 90 percent of construction waste from landfills.
Green Mountain College Opens Community Co-Op
After several years of students talking about the need for a co-op market at Green Mountain College (VT), the Stone Valley Community Market has become a reality thanks to $50,000 from the college's president, according to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Besides providing desired items that are lacking in local supermarkets like bulk dry legumes, probiotic soy yogurt, hemp milk, and vegetables and meat that come straight from the farmers near town, the university hopes that the market will bring value as a local hangout and provide real-world experience to students including store management. While the market may not have opened without the initial investment, it was a group effort among the community and students. For example, the college's student government gave the co-op $10,000 from student fees as collateral for a loan from the Cooperative Fund of New England for marketing and other business start-up efforts.
Guam CC Installs Solar Energy System
Guam Community College has installed 200 solar panels on campus. The solar generated energy is expected to save the college $31,000 annually. The photovoltaic panels were also designed to withstand typhoons and run for approximately 25 years. A second set of solar arrays are set to be installed that will double the energy production by the end of the year. The college received funding provided by the federal government.
Guam CC Resource Center Earns LEED Gold
Guam Community College’s Learning Resource Center has achieved LEED Gold certification. The 22,000-square-foot building features photovoltaic solar panels, digital temperature controls, energy-efficient windows, and lighting, asphalt and furniture made from recycled materials. The majority of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
Northern Arizona U Receives $1.5 Mil for Enviro Science Chair
Northern Arizona University has received a $1.5 million endowment gift to create a chair of environmental science and policy for the Southwest. Tom Sisk, professor of ecology and founder of the university's Lab of Landscape Ecology and Conservation Biology, is the first appointment to the position. The Charles Olajos and Ted Goslow Chair, a gift from alumna Marcey Olajos, supports interdisciplinary work linking scientific research and public policy.
RIT Researcher Recognized for Sustainability Innovation
The research of an assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) to reduce the footprint of the information and communication technology industry was recently honored with the AT&T Technology and Environment Award. The $25,000 award will go toward developing a combined research and curriculum initiative that explores the sustainable design of information and communication technology products. Now in its 15th year, the AT&T award recognizes university and college research focused on how information and communications technology affects the environment. It is intended to stimulate research surrounding environmental issues, engineering, science and other disciplines.
Sierra Magazine Names 2011 'Coolest' Schools
Sierra, the official magazine of the Sierra Club, has released its fifth annual ranking of America's greenest campuses. Climbing up from number four last year, the University of Washington takes the top spot in 2011. The list was created out of 182 schools that responded to a Sierra survey that included questions in categories including energy supply, efficiency, food, academics, purchasing, transportation, waste management, administration and financial investments. The remaining top 10 schools, in order, are: Green Mountain College (VT); University of California, San Diego; Warren Wilson College (NC); Stanford University (CA); University of California, Irvine; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of California, Davis; Evergreen State College (WA); and Middlebury College (VT).
Southern Maine CC Debuts Sustainability Center, Curriculum
Southern Maine Community College is preparing to open the doors of its new Sustainability and Energy Alternatives Center. The center will be home to a new one-year building science and sustainability curriculum program for students and community members that includes energy auditing, building science, residential weatherization, renewable energy and introductory sustainability courses. The center, which received a $375,000 grant from Efficiency Maine and $100,000 from MaineHousing, will begin offering classes this fall.
U Buffalo Converts to Single-Stream Recycling
The University at Buffalo (NY) has implemented a single-stream recycling program that no longer requires that recyclables be sorted according to type. The new program is expected to make recycling easier and lead to the diversion of more campus materials from landfills. The list of items that can be recycled has also been expanded. The conversion of the containers has been gradual and more than 1,000 old recycling lids will be donated to Buffalo State College.
U California Davis to Offer Sustainable Ag, Food Systems Degree
The University of California, Davis has announced that it will offer a new interdisciplinary sustainable agriculture and food systems major. The major will be designed to help students acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to develop and work in more ecologically, economically and socially viable food and farming systems.
Unity College Holds Orientation Trip with Sustainability Focus
Unity College's (ME) Nova Wilderness Orientation Program recently held its Sustainable Living Tour for incoming students. With the aim of connecting students with the farm community, the trip consisted of tours and service projects at local farms.
U South Florida to Add 100 Solar Golf Carts
After a successful year-long pilot period, the University of South Florida's Office of Sustainability has announced plans to add about 100 solar golf carts to its campus fleet. Outfitted with a solar panel on top, the carts are also carbon emission free. At $750, each solar panel pays for itself in about two years. The university will use Student Green Energy Fee funds to pay for the additional carts.
U Tennessee Knoxville Creates Sustainable Living Guide
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has created a new sustainable living and working guide for students. The Big Orange Green Guide includes information on reducing waste and recycling, saving energy and water, eating healthy, commuting by bike and getting involved on campus and in the community. It also provides practical tips for “going green" on campus and at home. The university hopes the guide will inspire students to adopt sustainable practices into their everyday routine.
U Vermont Receives $30K for Renewable Energy Study
The University of Vermont has announced that it will receive a proposed $30,000 grant from Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) to fund a study to improve the energy production of manure-based methane. Methane is the energy source for the CVPS Cow Power initiative. The study will analyze microbes that produce methane in an effort to improve the cost-effectiveness of farm methane energy systems.
Weber State Completes Solar Installation
Weber State University (UT) has installed 84 photovoltaic solar panels atop its Davis building that are expected to offset 1.9 percent of its electricity consumption. An interactive kiosk has been installed to track the constant production of energy. The project is the first in a series of planned campus solar initiatives. Other projects include a 38-kilowatt rooftop solar energy system and the installation of 48 solar thermal panels to heat the gym pool. The Davis building panels were through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Program and the Utah’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The planned projects are part of the university’s Climate Action Plan to be carbon neutral by 2050.
Antioch College Creates College Farm
Antioch College (OH) has announced the creation of a college farm as part of its first major sustainability project. The farm will provide opportunities for students to grow produce and learn sustainability practices. The college hopes to integrate the farm into campus facilities, curriculum and the community.
Binghamton U Announces Water Harvesting Project
Binghamton University (NY) has announced the installation of four tanks for a green water harvesting project. Two hundred thousand gallons of water will be retained for toilet flushing and to provide water for the campus cooling towers. Once the tanks are installed, the university will put in a rainwater retention system collected from parking lots and roofs. The accumulation and storing of water is planned for 2013 with the opening of its Center for Excellence.
Boise State U Partners for Geothermal Expansion
Boise State University has announced plans to further expand renewable and natural geothermal heat in Boise, Idaho by bringing geothermal heat across the Boise River and completing a loop through the Boise State University campus. Phase one of the project, announced in the spring of 2009, will connect six existing campus buildings through a geothermal pipeline. The recently announced phase two, funded by matching grant money from the Department of Energy and Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with the university and the City of Boise, will complete the geothermal loop and provide geothermal energy to a total of about one million square feet of campus building space. The project is currently undergoing environmental review with construction expected to occur this summer.
Boston U Seeks LEED Certification with Remodeled Campus Residence
Boston University is expecting its first LEED certification for a residence with its remodeled St. Mary's faculty and staff apartment complex. The 13,700-square-foot building, which was stripped down to its rafters, studs and floorboards, will seek LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features of the $3.5 million renovation include a tankless water heater, bamboo flooring, energy-efficient lighting, individually metered units and countertops made with at least 80 percent recycled materials like glass and metal.
Cal Poly Pomona to Save 30K with Smart Power Strips
About 1,700 faculty and staff campus workstations at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona are being equipped with smart power strips that will save the university $30,000 in energy costs annually. The strips feature an infrared sensor that detects when someone is at a workstation. Thirty minutes after the person leaves, the smart strip powers down. Electricity is restored when it senses the person has returned. Southern California Edison will cover the cost of the smart power strips (about $48 each) and installation through its Energy Efficiency Partnership program. In a few months, the company will perform follow-up checks and audit the program’s effectiveness. California State University, Fullerton and California State University, Long Beach are also participating in the partnership.
Duke U Students Create Guide to Green Living on Campus
Students at Duke University (NC) have created a new Green Book, an online guide to living in an eco-friendly way at Duke University (NC) for first-year students. Many incoming students will also receive a hard copy of the book, printed on recycled paper, as they are distributed during Orientation Welcome Week. The book was created in collaboration with campus offices including Sustainable Duke, Duke Recycles, and Duke Parking and Transportation to develop a comprehensive guide to sustainability resources on campus. Students will find information about dining, recycling, alternative transportation and other aspects of green campus life. The book also provides information that is useful to students before they arrive on campus.
Ecotech Institute Launches Student Mentorship Program
The Ecotech Institute (CO), a trade school focused entirely on renewable energy, sustainable design and green technology that opened its doors at the start of this year, has announced a new student mentorship program for incoming students. The program pairs the new students with a continuing student to help with the course material and often unfamiliar surroundings.
Environmental Champion Ray Anderson Dies at 77
Ray Anderson, founder and chairman of Interface, passed away last week of cancer at age 77. "He was and continues to be the icon of what a successful business must look like to survive indefinitely and lead society on a more healthy, fair and sustainable path," says Second Nature President Anthony Cortese in a tribute. The keynote speaker at the first AASHE national conference and several Second Nature regional workshops, Anderson was known as the "darling of college campuses," giving several commencement speeches and about 500 lectures and presentations at colleges and universities. As founder and chairman of modular carpet manufacturer Interface, Anderson focused his time and energy on the business case for sustainability, delivering more than 1,000 speeches and authoring two books on the topic. "Whenever I wanted someone from the private sector to make the case for education for sustainability, Ray was always at the top of the list and always the best," says Cortese.
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Posted Aug 16, 2011
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Other News
Inside Higher Ed Covers Rise in Student Farms
The efforts of the University of Montana and Prescott College (AZ), among others, are profiled in a recent Inside Higher Ed article that looks at the current growth of student-run farms on college campuses. The article highlights the new book, "Fields of Learning: The Student Farm Movement in America," in which Iowa State University Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Frederick L. Kirschenmann says that student farms play a critical role in training the next generation of farmers.
Kennebec Valley CC Opens Solar Tech Training Lab
Kennebec Valley Community College (ME) has opened a new solar heating and cooling lab on campus. The lab will be home to a solar technology training program to prepare participants from other community colleges, career and technical education centers, apprenticeship programs and private companies to be solar technology trainers. After the 40-hour course, the trainers will return to their respective areas and prepare their students for careers as solar energy installers. The U.S. Department of Energy chose the college as one of nine regional resource and training sites across the nation.
Linfield College Library Renovation to Reduce Energy Use by 30%
With the recent renovation of its historic library building, Linfield College (OR) expects to decrease the building's energy use by 30 percent. Built in 1936, the library offered inadequate space to install a modern heating and cooling system. The college selected radiant ceiling panels for both heating and cooling.
Monmouth College Installs Rain Garden to Curb Water Pollution
Monmouth College (IL) has installed a rain garden at the front of its educational garden to help minimize water pollution. The garden features low maintenance perennial plants and is expected to help reduce stormwater runoff, recharge ground supplies, increase wildlife habitat and reduce the need to mow. To help cover the costs, the college received a $740 Illinois Rain Garden Initiative grant from the Illinois Conservation Foundation and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Education, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
New Report Reveals Continued Gender Gap in STEM Fields
A new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce highlights the gender gap in science and technology fields. Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, they represent less than 25 percent of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs. The report also notes that women with a STEM degree are less likely than their male counterparts to work in a STEM occupation.
Oregon Public Universities Plan to Go Solar
Oregon public universities have announced plans to launch a new solar project. A 5-megawatt solar system is planned for Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University and Eastern Oregon University. Officials expect to start construction by the end of August once the contracts are finalized. Students will have the opportunity to learn about renewable energy and also benefit from the energy cost savings. Four other Oregon public universities will build solar projects next year as part of the second phase. Much of the total costs, estimated at more than $26 million, will be covered by state and federal tax credits.
Salisbury U Receives First LEED Gold with Renovation
The renovation of Salisbury University’s (MD) Pocomoke Hall has achieved the university’s first LEED Gold certification. More than 15.8 percent of building materials were sourced and manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site and 22 percent were made from recycled materials. Approximately 75 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills and 67 percent of the wood used in the building was from Forest Stewardship Council-certified products.
Taylor U Installs 2 Wind Turbines
Taylor University (IN) has installed two wind turbines on campus. The twin turbines are part of a plan to power the new science complex with a combination of wind, geothermal and solar energy. The two 50-kilowatt turbines are expected to be operational by the end of August. The 137,000-square-foot science complex, scheduled to open for the fall 2012 semester, will use 42 10-kilowatt solar cells.
Temple U Creates Community Medicinal Garden
Temple University (PA) has unveiled a community medicinal garden on campus with the intent to engage students and the community in the natural origins of medicine. In addition to allowing first-hand experience with plants with medicinal purposes for health sciences students, the garden contains planters with edibles like tomatoes, basil and cucumbers that community members are free to take as they pass by.
U Alaska Anchorage Debuts First Student Campus Garden
Student members of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Sustainability Club have constructed a raised-bed garden and whiskey barrel planters for the first student garden on campus. Students planted swiss chard, radishes, spicy salad mix and lettuce. The whiskey barrels are being used to grow potatoes, zucchinis, herbs and berry shrubs. The Sustainability Club plans to harvest the produce and hold a community feast.
U California Los Angeles Offers Green Commuting Incentives
The University of California, Los Angeles' Transportation department has launched a web-based program that offers incentives for students to commute to campus in an environmentally friendly manner. Members of the Bruin Commuter Club can access services ranging from discounted parking to an emergency ride service. The program is designed for students, faculty and staff who carpool, use public transportation or bike and walk to campus. Since the club’s induction on July 11, more than 1,000 members of the university community have registered. The incentives, including an annual gift card for restaurants and online carpool matching program Zimride, will continue to be added to the program in 2012 to encourage ongoing sign-ups.
U Kentucky Earns First LEED Certification
The University of Kentucky has earned its first LEED certification with the recent LEED Gold certification of its Davis Marksbury building. Part of its College of Engineering's Digital Village, the three-story, 45,014-square-foot building includes photovoltaic collectors on the roof to convert sunlight into electrical power to help serve the building and provide research opportunities.
U New Hampshire, Climate Counts Partner to Address Climate Crisis
The University of New Hampshire has partnered with independent nonprofit Climate Counts to expand the effort to bring consumers and companies together in addressing the climate crisis. Climate Counts will operate its main office on campus to take advantage of the university’s climate research, engaged scholarship and campus-wide Sustainability Academy. The partnership will provide new research opportunities for students and will advance the work of Carbon Solutions New England, which conducts independent analysis and research on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and growing economic opportunities.
U Notre Dame Installs Thin-Film Solar Array
The University of Notre Dame has completed the installation of a 10-kilowatt flexible thin-film solar array and monitoring system on the roof of its Fitzpatrick Hall of Engineering. The lightweight flexible panels lie flat and are attached directly to the surface of the roof with an adhesive. Connected directly to the university's power grid, the array will help meet the building's electricity demand. The array will also offer research opportunities for faculty and students with a real-time monitoring system that will allow for an analysis of the array's productivity under different conditions.
U Notre Dame to Save 45K with Fume Hood Set-back Modes
The University of Notre Dame (IN) is installing a set-back mode on its teaching lab fume hoods. The set-back mode will be activated by the last faculty member to use the lab each day by pressing a button near the door, which will reduce the minimum flow in the hoods from 240 to 90 cubic feet per minute. The set-back mode is being installed on 158 hoods in Jordan Hall and is expected to reduce the university's carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 711 tons per year and save $45,000 in annual energy costs. The savings is expected to repay the cost of the retrofit in about six and a half years.
U Texas Arlington to Add Free Electric Vehicle Charging Station
In anticipation of an expanding electric car market, the University of Texas at Arlington has announced plans to add a free public electric vehicle charging station on campus. Donated by City Electric Supply's Arlington office, the charger is being installed in a new campus garage that is slated to open in 2012. Room for six additional chargers are included in the plans for the final phase of the garage.
U Victoria to Pilot Green Ship Technology
With $1.19 million in federal funding, the University of Victoria (BC) has announced plans to retrofit the former Tsekoa II into a plug-in hybrid "green ship," powered by electricity, hydrogen fuel cells and low-emission diesel fuel. The hybrid system will provide energy for low-speed maneuvering and power for ship systems, communications and instrumentation. The new green ship technology was created by the university's green transportation research team and the Province of British Columbia's marine engineering and alternative power system sectors.
U Wisconsin Madison Fights Invasive Species with Goats
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has enlisted a herd of goats to clear an overgrown slope behind its School of Human Ecology building, which is undergoing a renovation and expansion. The goats are clearing invasive species like black locust, honeysuckle and buckthorn, which will be replaced with terraces of native canopy trees and a mix of native wildflowers and grasses.
Vanderbilt U Launches Sustainability Project
Vanderbilt University (TN) has launched the Sustainability Project for the 2011-2012 academic year with the goal of creating a dialogue across all parts of the campus about environmental, social and economic sustainability. More than 30 classes will incorporate sustainability themes, and the initiative will infuse sustainability into many other phases of the coming academic year including a speaker series, documentary film series and field trips. The initiative is supported by the College of Arts and Science Fant fund.
Washington and Lee U to Install 450 kW Solar Energy System
Washington and Lee University (VA) has signed an agreement with solar energy developer Secure Futures L.L.C. to install two solar photovoltaic arrays totaling 450 kilowatts on campus. As part of the 20-year power-purchase agreement, the university will buy solar-generated electricity from Secure Futures and will have the option to purchase the solar arrays in the future.
