Harvard U Law Building Awarded LEED Gold
Harvard University (MA) has earned its 44th LEED certification with the recent LEED Gold certification through LEED for Commercial Interiors of a Harvard Law School building. Sustainable features include lighting upgrades expected reduce electrical demand by 40 percent, a 95 percent construction waste recycling rate and the salvage of more than 11 tons of furnishings and electronics for future campus projects.
Indiana U Receives NASA Funding to Study Climate Change
Researchers at Indiana University’s Department of Geography are receiving a $637,000 grant from NASA to study climate change. The research will be conducted at a mangrove forest in Bangladesh, the largest mangrove block in the world. The researchers are working in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service to study the forest's capacity to store carbon. NASA’s funding for this project is part of the federal Carbon Cycle Science Program, which aims to determine to what extent human actions affect climate change.
Messiah College Set to Install 112 Solar Panels
Messiah College (PA) has announced the installation of 112 solar panels on the rooftop of residence halls on its Grantham campus. The resulting energy produced by the panels will generate enough solar thermal heat for the hot water systems of all three buildings involved in the project. This system will save the equivalent carbon emissions of removing 130 cars from the road.
New York Times Features Rutgers U Solar Farm Clean Energy Credits
Rutgers University's (NJ) seven-acre solar farm was recently profiled in The New York Times for its use of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates. The article highlights the benefits of the clean energy credit, stating that to date, the university has offset $235,760 from its electrical usage and earned certificates that it can sell for nearly $1.5 million in a market popular with companies that want to avoid pollution penalties. The $10 million, 1.4-megawatt solar installation meets about 11 percent of the campus' electrical demand and reduces its carbon dioxide emissions by 1,300 tons a year.
Syracuse U Students Kick Off Campus Sustainability Campaign
The Students in Free Enterprise group at Syracuse University (NY) launched its DOT ("Do One Thing") for Sustainability campaign with a tabling event to introduce the campaign to the campus community. A DOT is one small commitment to better the world in the area of environmental, economic or social sustainability like shutting off the lights when leaving an empty room. The idea is that connecting a billion DOTs will bring about a movement of change. The group hopes to collect around 20,000 DOTs from the campus community and create a successful model program that can be rolled out at other institutions.
U California San Francisco Unveils 3 Green Laboratories
Featuring the integration of water-efficient devices and energy efficiency strategies, the University of California, San Francisco has recently opened three new green laboratories. The university received its first LEED Gold certification for a lab renovation with its School of Dentistry Mesenchymal and Craniofacial Research Laboratory, which involved renovating an entire floor of an existing high-rise research tower. The university will also seek LEED Gold certification for its Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building and Cardiovascular Research Building. More than 75 percent of the demolition materials were reused and diverted from the landfill in all three projects.
U Maryland Eastern Shore Completes 2.2 MW Solar Farm
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has completed the installation of its 2.2-megawatt solar farm. With more than 7,800 solar panels covering 17 acres, the farm is expected to remove about 121 million pounds of campus carbon dioxide emissions over the next 20 years. The university partnered with solar energy services provider SunEdison, who financed, built and will operate and maintain the system. During the next 20 years, the university will purchase the electricity produced by the farm from SunEdison.
U Minnesota Graduate Researchers Attempt Renewable Petroleum
Graduate students at the University of Minnesota are researching how to make renewable petroleum using only bacteria, sunlight and carbon dioxide. With a $2.2 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, the team is using Synechococcus, a bacterium that fixes carbon dioxide in sunlight and converts CO2 to sugars. Next, the sugar is fed to Shewanella, a bacterium that produces hydrocarbons. This turns CO2 into hydrocarbons. The research is published in the April issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
U Nevada Reno to Receive $500K for Renewable Energy Program
The University of Nevada, Reno's College of Engineering has received a $250,000 donation from NV Energy to help boost its renewable energy program. This gift is the first of a two-part donation that will total $500,000. The department will use part of the donation to create a new faculty position for researching renewable energy.
U New England Installs Solar Panels
The University of New England (ME) has completed its first renewable energy project with the installation of solar panels atop its Campus Center. The energy produced by the panels will be used to heat approximately 50 percent of the center’s hot water. To engage students and staff in the project, the university will also install a real-time digital monitor to track the building's energy production and savings.
U Pennsylvania Music Building Receives LEED Gold
Along with its new green cafe, the University of Pennsylvania has earned LEED Gold for the renovation of its School of Arts and Sciences Music Building. Sustainable features include efficient lighting, controls and mechanical and plumbing systems, passive stormwater management techniques, reduced site water use with selection of drought resistant plant species and "smart" controls that adjust irrigation based on rainfall levels. The project also recycled or salvaged 95 percent of construction waste.
Western Kentucky U Declares A Fair Trade Campus
Western Kentucky University's president announced at the recent United Students for Fair Trade Convergence that the university has declared itself a fair trade university. The declaration, which started in the Student Senate and was later passed by the University Senate, will impact decisions made by dining facilities, catered events, offices and stores, ensuring that products for sale on campus uphold the values of living wages, humane working conditions, no child labor and environmental sustainability.
Yale U Hosts Student Cook-Off to Promote Sustainable Food Sources
Yale University's (CT) dining services department recently partnered with the Yale College Council to organize and host the third annual "Final Cut" student cooking competition. Based on the "Iron Chef" television program, the competition featured wild-caught Alaskan King crab as its sustainable theme ingredient, since U.S. crab fisheries are more rigorously monitored than many other fishing industries. Yale Dining uses the annual event both to communicate about sustainability to the student community, and to get the students actively involved. The winning dish, crab zeppole with spicy lemon whip and pancetta sage crab risotto, will become a regular feature on next year's campus menus.
American U Announces New Sustainability Mgmt Program, Director
American University (DC) has announced that it will enroll the first class of its new sustainability management graduate program in fall 2012. Dan Jacobs, a faculty member in the university's Kogod School of Business, has been appointed to serve as director of the new program. The interdisciplinary business degree will combine coursework from multiple academic units at American University and students may choose to specialize in one of three tracks including business, science and policy.
College of the Desert Training Academy Awarded LEED Silver
The Public Safety Academy at the College of the Desert (CA), which is used to train firefighters and police officers, has earned LEED Silver certification. Sustainable design features include the use of skylights for day lighting, PVC cool roofing to reduce a heat island effect and the use of recycled denim jeans as insulation.
Cornell U Plans $46 Mil Investment in Energy Conservation
Cornell University (NY) has announced the recent approval of a plan to invest up to $46 million in campus energy conservation projects. Most projects involve lighting retrofits and upgrades for controls of heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Funding for the plan includes university funds and short-term debt, $9 million from the State University of New York Construction Fund, and conservation incentives from the New York State Research and Development Authority. By 2015, that investment will save the university about $5 million per year in variable fuel and electricity costs and reduce campus energy use by up to 20 percent. The investment will also be a significant step toward the university's Climate Action Plan commitment to a zero carbon footprint by 2050.
Entrepreneur Magazine Names Best 'Green Business' Schools
Entrepreneur Magazine has recommended 16 graduate business schools as the best institutions for MBA students to get a sustainable business degree. The publication based its rankings on The Princeton Review's survey of administrators at 325 graduate schools of business in 2009-2010 and of students attending the schools. Administrators were surveyed on their school's academics, curricula, campus policies and student services related to sustainability, social responsibility and the environment. Students were polled on how well they felt their MBA programs were educating them for careers in "green business" fields. The institutions, in alphabetical order, are: Babson College (MA), Bentley University (MA), Brandeis University (MA), Claremont Graduate University (CA), Clark University (MA), Columbia University (NY), Duke University (NC), McGill University (QC), New York University, Portland State University (OR), Stanford University (CA), University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame (IN), University of Virginia and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fort Lewis College Biology Wing Earns LEED Gold
Fort Lewis College (CO) has earned its second LEED Gold certification for the new biology wing of Berndt Hall. Environmentally friendly features of the building, which was designed to maximize open space, include water-efficient landscaping, renewable energy sources and regional and recycled building materials.
Long Beach City College Opens Power-Producing Parking Garage
Long Beach City College (CA) is opening a solar-powered parking garage capable of producing 450,000 watts of electricity per hour of sunlight. The structure will feature 2,100 solar panels, which the college plans to use as training tools for students seeking electrical training certification. The college also plans to display the panels' functionality by wiring the array to a real-time power monitor for students, staff and the public to view.
McGill U Students Win Canadian Campus Sustainability Competition
A student team from McGill University (QC) has received $20,000 by taking first place in TD Friends of the Environment Foundation's Go Green Challenge. Along with the prize money, the winning students will receive a paid internship with the foundation this summer. This year's fourth annual competition focused on sustainability and environmental stewardship on campus. The winning team’s proposal, "Integrated Energy and Food Greenhouse," plans to redirect the waste heat from McGill’s Ferrier powerhouse, which is the greatest greenhouse gas producer on campus, to power a greenhouse that will produce local food and carbon neutral biodiesel. The foundation will also award $100,000 to the university for campus greening efforts.
Montclair State U Wins $2.65 Mil Grant for Solar Farm
Montclair State University’s environmental education and field research campus, the New Jersey School of Conservation, has been awarded a $2.65 million grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. This grant will be used to install a 300,000-watt solar farm that will generate enough power for the entire campus and additional electricity that will be available for sale to local utility companies. The half-acre solar field will be fully operational in the later half of 2011.
New U Texas Austin Student Center Seeks LEED Gold
The University of Texas at Austin has unveiled a new student center, designed to meet LEED Gold certification. Student input and design workshops informed the building design, which includes ample daylighting, an accessible rooftop courtyard with an adjacent green roof and a cistern that collects and recycles rainwater for landscape irrigation.
Rice U Expands Campus Bike Initiatives
With funding from the Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy and Technology, the Office of Sustainability and a student initiative grant program, Rice University (TX) has expanded its campus bicycle program to include bike sharing, bike reps and a repair shop. Students worked with the Rice Police Department to refurbish abandoned bikes for the bike sharing initiative. The new bike reps will function like campus eco-reps with a focus on bikes. Their duties will include identifying and reporting abandoned bikes, sharing information about campus bike rules and policies with the campus community, and providing minor bicycle repairs and maintenance.
Rochester Inst to Develop Natural Gas Engines for Hybrid Vehicles
Faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology (NY) have received a $100,000 grant from the California Energy Commission to develop a natural gas-fueled engine for hybrid electric vehicles. The new engine, which is estimated to save five million tons of carbon dioxide from the air per year if 5 percent of California drivers converted to it, can also be used for electric generators and agricultural uses like power for irrigation pumps.
Seattle Pacific U Solar Power Offsets Electric Vehicle Energy Use
The 18 solar panels at Seattle Pacific University (WA) are producing enough energy to power the university’s fleet of electric vehicles. They began producing electricity in the spring quarter of 2010. At their best, with perfect sunshine, they generate four kilowatts per hour. Their daily average energy production is the equivalent to the daily energy consumed by the campus’ electric vehicles.
Seattle U Campus Recycling Rate Jumps 11%
Seattle University (WA) has announced that its overall campus recycling and composting rate is 60 percent, an 11 percent increase in the past year. The university received the Recycler of the Year award last year from Washington State Recycling Association. The university maintains compost collection in residence halls, which is hauled to Cedar Grove, a company that produces natural, local compost for farmers and gardeners across the Northwest.
The Chronicle of Higher Ed: 6 Views on the Future of Pell Grants
"The Pell Grant program recognizes that to remain competitive, America must educate the rapidly growing population of low-income students struggling to ready themselves for the work force," says Jorge Klor de Alva, president of Nexus Research and Policy Center and former president of the University of Phoenix, in a recent commentary piece by The Chronicle of Higher Education that asked figures in higher education and public policy to share their thoughts of what the Pell Grant should look like in the future. "However, the program must become something better than what it is today if it is to meaningfully improve its record of successful support of financially strapped students." Other views include Sandy Baum, an independent higher education policy analyst and professor emerita of economics at Skidmore College and Michelle Asha Cooper, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
U Alaska Fairbanks Hosts Climate Science Center
The Department of the Interior has dedicated a new Alaska Climate Science Center, hosted by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. This is the first of eight regional climate science centers that the department plans to establish throughout the country. The centers will use existing capacities to provide scientific data, tools and techniques to manage the nation's land, water, fish, wildlife and cultural heritage in a changing climate. Each center will be a partnership between federal and state agencies, and an academic institution or consortium of universities.
U Alaska Fairbanks Installs Smart Cold Weather Vehicle Cords
The University of Alaska, Fairbanks is installing 100 new energy-efficient power cords that are used to plug into cars to keep engine fluids from freezing during the winter months. Typical cords draw energy constantly while plugged in, while the new cords draw electricity only when the engine coolant temperature drops near freezing temperatures. The power-saving cords have been installed on 31 campus vehicles and remaining cords are being installed on vehicles owned by students, faculty and staff members who volunteered.
U Alaska Fairbanks Offers New Bicycle Sharing Program
The University of Alaska, Fairbanks’ Office of Sustainability has recently approved a new bicycle rental program on campus. It will be funded by $10,000 from a sustainability fee that students pay each semester. Long-term and short-term rentals will be available beginning in April. They will begin the program with a stable of 20 new Kona bicycles and nearly 100 used and donated bicycles.
U Chicago Leads New Climate and Energy Policy Center
The Computation Institute at the University of Chicago (IL) is leading a new multi–institutional, interdisciplinary center to build tools to help governments, the private sector and individuals make better–informed decisions relating to both climate and energy policies and the long–term consequences of climate change. The effort will bring together collaborators at nine institutions under the auspices of a new Center for Robust Decision Making on Climate and Energy Policy, supported by a five–year, $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the Decision–Making Under Uncertainty program. The center will consist of experts in economics, physical sciences, energy technologies, law, computational mathematics, statistics and computer science. The group will undertake a series of research programs aimed at improving the computational models needed to evaluate energy and climate policies and guide decisions based on outcomes.
U Chicago Switches to Virtual Servers
The Facilities Services IT management team at the University of Chicago (IL) is working to switch its server platform from physical servers to virtual servers, also known as virtual machines (VMs). A typical VM at the university uses 13 watts of power on average, while a physical server uses 281 watts.
U Delaware Receives $4.4 Mil for Solar Array Project
The University of Delaware will receive $4.4 million from The Churchill Companies to construct a new solar array on the roof of seven campus buildings. The system is expected to reduce the university's carbon footprint by 1.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
U Georgia Debuts Local Food Systems Certificate Program
The University of Georgia was recently awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop an interdisciplinary Local Food Systems certificate program. Students will complete 18 hours of coursework with foundation, capstone and internship project-based experiences for a strong foundation for a career in local food issues. A significant component of the grant proposal for the certificate is to develop more academic service-learning opportunities focused on local food issues.
U Illinois Entomologist Wins $200K Environmental Science Award
An entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the 2011 recipient of the $200,000 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education. Professor May R. Berenbaum is being honored for her pioneering work in chemical ecology that has led to an understanding of the relationships between insects and plants on a genetic level. Her research has also helped further understanding of the decline of bee populations known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
U Louisville Adds Food Composting to Campus Community Garden
The University of Louisville (KY) has added food composting to its campus community gardening initiative. With a $13,5000 grant from a private company, the university plans to place six to eight 90-gallon compost drums for food waste at the Garden Commons site and equip student residence halls with five-gallon buckets for students to throw food waste into. The compost produced will fertilize the garden.
U Maryland Approves 3 Green Fund Sustainability Projects
The University of Maryland's Sustainability Council has approved three new projects to receive almost $82,000 collected from its mandatory student green fee. Projects include the construction of a campus garden, the implementation of environmentally friendly water treatments for indoor pools and the expansion of recycled materials used in theater productions. The sustainability fee collects $6 from each student per academic year and will eventually cap off at $12 in 2013.
U Maryland Undertakes Campus-Wide Lighting Retrofit
The University of Maryland has worked with the lighting technology company Hubbell Lighting to retrofit 12,000 light fixtures on campus with 6,600 of the latest energy-efficient lighting fixtures. The new fixtures are estimated to save the university $153,054 in annual energy costs.
U Missouri-Kansas City Launches Student Bus Pass Program
Students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City have approved a student fee that will provide every student with an annual pass for city bus services. The university partnered with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to provide the all-access transit pass, beginning in fall 2011. Students will be assessed a $14 fee per semester to fund the universal pass.
U New Mexico to Create Sustainable Enviro Food Systems Program
The University of New Mexico Sustainability Studies Program has received a $1.5 million grant for an endowed chair in sustainable and environmental food systems and $150,000 in start-up funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The project is intended to provide a professional career path for students interested in pursuing sustainable agriculture and food security issues. Students will work with community groups using media arts, ecology and community engagement. Outreach and research will focus on local foodsheds as integrated systems of land, skill, regional plant varieties, infrastructure and markets.
U Northern British Columbia Completes Biomass Gasification Plant
Almost a year after its announcement of the project, the University of Northern British Columbia has opened a biomass gasification system that will replace 85 percent of the university’s use of natural gas as its primary heating source. The plant will burn sawdust, bark and branches and is expected to reduce the university’s carbon emissions by up to 4,000 tons a year. The federal and provincial government of British Columbia invested $20.7 million into the project, which is expected to save the university $500,000 per year.
U South Carolina Students Perform Trash Inventory
Twenty undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina are sorting through the contents of campus dumpsters to determine how many recyclables are being thrown away. The waste audit is part of an effort to make an informed investment toward the improvement of campus recycling. The audit, which looks at purchasing, custodial services, collections and recycling practices at all levels of the university's operations, will wrap up in December.
U South Sewanee Researches Campus Wind Power Potential
Sewanee: The University of the South (TN) is researching the potential for installing wind turbines on its campus. As a part of its research, the university erected two wind measuring devices known as anemometers. The two anemometers have been installed on 100-foot towers. The university is borrowing the equipment free of charge from the Anemometer Loan Program at the Tennessee Valley and Eastern Kentucky Wind Working Group. The year-long project will measure and record wind speed and direction every 10 minutes. After analyzing the data, the university will make a decision as to whether wind power is a viable alternative to reducing its carbon emissions.
Western Michigan U Opens Electric Car Charging Stations
Western Michigan University has unveiled four electric car charging stations on its main campus that it received at no cost from manufacturer Coulomb Technologies through an equipment grant from the company's ChargePoint America program. The program is part of a federal government demonstration project to encourage the adoption of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. The university, which has two electric and 50 hybrid-electric vehicles in its campus fleet, will offer the chargers for free initially, as much of the expected energy use will be offset by its existing campus wind turbine and solar array. The university will consider charging in the future if usage is more than expected.
Appalachian State U Plans Stadium Solar Project
Appalachian State University's (NC) Renewable Energy Initiative, a student-funded organization that generates about $150,000 from a $5 student fee every year, has proposed to place an "A-shaped" solar panel in the university's stadium for next football season. After a preliminary assessment to see roughly the amount of sun the solar panel would take in to be used as renewable energy, the organization determined that that panels would generate about 5,500 kilowatts of energy per year. The organization hopes to build the "A" for about $40,000.
Arizona State U Surveys Campus for Sustainable Transport Ideas
The Parking and Transit Services department at Arizona State University is conducting an extensive transportation survey among its students and staff to find sustainable solutions for reducing overall carbon emissions. The survey is mandated by Maricopa County, but it has led to significant student conceptualized ideas in previous years, including intercampus shuttles, the U-Pass program that provides reduced fares for light rail and bus tickets, and reserved carpool parking spots.
Cornell U Launches New Sustainability Focus Initiative, Website
Cornell University (NY) has upped its sustainability collaboration efforts with the launch of a new sustainability focus team initiative and website. The initiative includes 10 teams that together represent a comprehensive look at sustainability from buildings to people, and are based on best practices identified by STARS. Over the next few months, teams will set goals, recruit members and collect benchmark data for STARS reporting. The new website features pages for each focus group.
EPA Proposes First National Standard for Coal Plant Emissions
Following recent canceled plans for coal plants by institutions who cited potentially strict environmental regulations surrounding coal emissions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first national standard for emissions of mercury and other pollutants from coal-burning power plants on Wednesday. Lisa P. Jackson, the agency's administrator, estimated the total cost of compliance at about $10 billion and said that roughly half of the nation's more than 400 coal-burning plants have some form of control technology installed. Installing and maintaining smokestack scrubbers and other control technology would create 31,000 short-term construction jobs and 9,000 permanent public utility sector jobs. The EPA will take public comment on the proposed regulations for the next several months and anticipates publishing a final rule at the end of this year or early next year. The rule would take effect fully three or four years later. In related news, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee recently voted a bill through to block EPA climate rules. The bill would permanently eliminate EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources like power plants and refineries, amending the Clean Air Act to forbid consideration of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. The bill is expected to come up on the House floor in the coming weeks.
Hartwick College Switches to Zero Sort Recycling
Hartwick College (NY) has implemented a Zero Sort Recycling program on campus, doubling the amount of recyclable materials collected during the month of February. All manner of recyclable material may now be placed, without sorting, on the recycling side of the new dumpsters on the college's campus.
Kent State U Expands Bike Share Program
After a successful launch in the fall, Kent State University (OH) is expanding its bike share program. Flashfleet, which registered 1,081 users for a total of 4,467 checkouts in the fall, now includes a new checkout location, an expanded bike selection, and additional hours of operation and student staff members to assist with maintenance repairs.
