Victoria U Considering Fair Trade Proposal
Victoria University's (New Zealand) vice chancellor is considering a proposal to become the country's first fair trade campus. The university's students voted in favor of the Victoria International Development Society's proposal, voting for fair trade advocacy at a recent student representative council.
Duke U Announces Green Computer Purchasing Program
Duke University (NC) has unveiled a Computer Purchasing Program to take advantage of volume purchasing to negotiate better pricing and extended warranties through preferred vendors. The University, in partnership with its vendors, worked to reconfigure some of the standards to include products with a higher level of energy efficiency that will save Duke money in the long run, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy consumption over the life of the computer.
Washington U in St. Louis Serves Ethical Tomatoes
Washington University, St. Louis (MO) Dining Services’ provider, Bon Appétit, has decided to only serve Fair Trade tomatoes in campus dining halls. In the winter, the tomatoes at the University will come from farms in Florida that have signed an agreement, established by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, to fairly pay and ethically treat their workers. Currently only one farm will be providing the University with tomatoes.
Harvard U to Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates
Harvard University (MA) has announced plans to purchase renewable energy credits to supply more than 10 percent of the electricity consumed on its Cambridge and Allston campuses. Harvard will purchase half of the power generated by the planned Stetson Wind II facility near Danforth, Maine, as well as the associated renewable energy certificates. Electricity from Stetson Wind II will be generated by 17 1.5 MW turbines.
Saint Peter’s College Buys 100% Renewable Energy
St. Peter’s College (NJ) has committed to purchasing 100 percent of its energy from green sources for at least one year beginning January 1, 2010. The initiative will prevent an estimated 3,065 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. The energy will be generated by wind turbines and is being acquired through Green-e Certified Energy.
U Alaska Dining Provides Students with Fresh Produce
A greenhouse located on the University of Alaska campus that previously was used for growing cut flowers and houseplants has been converted into a garden for the campus’ dining services. The structure now grows salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, and other produce that is served in campus dining halls. Currently, the produce makes up a small portion of the total food served, and UA hopes to expand it in the future.
Arizona State U Football Goes Green
Arizona State University has announced plans to partner with Arizona Public Services Company to make the rest of its football season green. ASU will purchase enough renewable energy to power the rest of the season’s games and will also work with APS to promote sustainability at its home games by showing the fans the importance of sustainability and sharing tips to go green.
Stanford U Hospital Offers Local, Organic Food to Patients
The Stanford University (CA) Hospital is now bringing in local produce through its new Farm Fresh project. The program offers organic and locally grown food to patients. Doctors believe the initiative will also help with nutrition education, which is a focus of every meal served at the Hospital. Some doctors believe the program could even help speed up patient recovery.
U Missouri Brings Local Food to Students
The University of Missouri has begun purchasing produce from farmers in a 100 mile radius of campus. The University is buying from 12 farmers, including one beef farmer that sells Dining Services 400 to 500 pounds of beef per week.
Sodexo Commits to Sustainable Seafood
Sodexo, a major food and facilities services management company that serves several college campuses, has committed to sourcing 100 percent of its contracted wild-caught seafood purchases in North America from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries by 2015. Sodexo says this decision is a result of consumers desire to eat healthy and sustainably.
Santa Clara U Doubles Renewable Energy Purchases
Santa Clara University (CA) has committed to doubling its annual use of renewable energy to 22,512 MW. Seventy-five percent of the University’s electricity is now purchased through renewable energy certificates which guarantee clean energy is being used.
Georgian Court U Offsets 100% of its Energy w/ RECs
Georgian Court University (NJ) has purchased more than 5.6 kWh of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). The purchase, which offsets 100 percent of the University's energy usage, includes 5 million kWh of biomass energy and 665,280 kWh of wind energy from national wind farms.
Gonzaga U Campus Kitchen Begins Gleaning/Serving Local Foods
Gonzaga University (WA) has begun a project that involves gleaning local fruits and vegetables and serving them in campus dining facilities. The University has partnered with local farmers who are unable to eat or sell all of the fruits and vegetables they grow. The farmers donate or sell the produce at a reduced price.
U Wisconsin Madison Serves Produce from Campus Garden
The University of Wisconsin, Madison's Dining and Culinary Services has begun sourcing a portion of its produce from a garden on campus. The campus eateries that serve the hyper-local food have posted signs to inform their customers about the initiative.
Green Purchasing Survey Reveals Growing Role of Sustainability Programs
The National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) and SciQuest, a procurement automation company, have announced the findings of "The Current State of Green Procurement Trends within Higher Education" survey. The survey, which garnered responses from procurement professionals at more than 100 colleges and universities in the U.S., found that: nearly half of respondents plan to institute a green purchasing policy in the next year; more than 62 percent of colleges and universities have a sustainability plan in place, but only 24 percent have green procurement policies in place to support them; more than 85 percent of respondents believe the call to "do the right thing" is the most important reason for implementing sustainability initiatives; only 30 percent of respondents have the ability to promote green certified suppliers; and more than 60 percent have no way to determine how much is spent on environmentally friendly products. The survey is intended to provide a benchmark from which the profession can gauge the growing role of procurement within sustainability efforts.
WA State Mandates State Colleges to Purchase 100% Recycled Paper
The State of Washington has approved the Paper Recycling and Conservation Act, which requires all state agencies and state colleges to purchase paper containing 100 percent post-consumer recycled content by the end of the year. In addition, the law requires all state buildings with 25 or more employees to reduce their printing and copying use by 30 percent by July 2010 and to recycle 100 percent of the copy and printing paper used in the office.
Luther College Increases Local Food Purchases
Luther College (IA) has increased the amount of local food purchases from 2 to 10 percent from the 2007-2008 to the 2008-2009 academic year. Luther uses locally grown ingredients in the salad bar items, main entrees, and desserts. The College defines local foods as items begin produced within a 100-mile radius of the College.
Anaheim U Announces Plans to Go Paperless
Anaheim University (CA) has committed to being paperless by 2010. As part of its goal, the University has begun asking publishers to produce e-books, has switched to e-catalogs, and has begun converting all administrative procedures into digital format. Students have been submitting assignments electronically and have had access to online library resources since 1998.
EPA Recognizes Colleges in Green Power Challenge
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the winners of its College and University Green Power Challenge, which ranks collegiate athletic conferences by the total amount of green power bought by their member schools. To be eligible, each conference has to collectively purchase at least 10 million kWh of green power. The Ivy League won the top prize for the third year in a row, lead by the University of Pennsylvania. The Ivy League's cumulative annual purchase totaled more than 225 million kWh. This year’s challenge included 44 competing institutions representing 22 different conferences nationwide. The challenge’s cumulative annual purchase totaled more than 1 billion kWh of green power. One winning school was announced from each conference.
U Minnesota Opens Green Cafe
The University of Minnesota has opened the CityKid Java Café. The Café serves fair trade coffee, and all profits from the Café fund athletic programming and learning labs for at-risk youth and their families.
U Kansas Purchases Wind to Power Library
A University of Kansas student organization has purchased enough wind power credits to power the campus' library for one year. The Student Environmental Advisory Board chose the library because of its central campus location and its familiarity to the university community. The purchase was funded by a mandatory $1.25 per semester student fee that was approved in 2007.
City College of New York Begins Sustainable Food Program
The City College of New York's dining services provider, Metropolitan Food Services Inc. has initiated a sustainable food program on campus. Metropolitan plans to purchase organic food from local farmers in Long Island and New Jersey whenever possible. In addition, the company has installed a purified drinking water filtration system in order to reduce the amount of bottled water purchased on campus. Customers can fill their own beverage travel cups or purchase reusable travel mugs from the cafeteria that can be filled with hot or cold beverages. In December, Metropolitan piloted a Corporate Social Responsibility program by teaming up with an environmental non-profit organization. It also contributes financially to Carbonfund.org; which uses the money to support carbon-reducing projects such as: renewable energy, energy efficiency improvements and reforestation.
Bethel College Opens Fair-Trade Coffee Shop
Bethel College (KS) has opened a coffee shop in the lounge of one of its residence halls. The shop features fair trade coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. The shop was initiated and is run by two Bethel students in an effort to increase a sense of student community within the building.
Connecticut College Offsets 100% of Energy Usage with Wind
Connecticut College has purchased wind renewable energy certificates to compensate for 100 percent of the College ´s annual electricity consumption. This marks the third year the College has offset energy consumption by nearly 100 percent.
U Western Ontario Switches to FSC-Certified Paper
The University of Western Ontario has switched to Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. The Purchasing Department tested the new paper last May within the Graphic Services Department and expanded the initiative to the entire campus this spring.
South Dakota Universities Use Wind Power
The University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University have begun receiving a portion of their electrical energy use from a nearby wind farm. This is the result of an agreement between the Heartland Consumers Power District, which is purchasing the power from the wind project, and the State of South Dakota stating that wind power would be used for additional power needs at the state’s two largest universities.
Drew U Switches to 100% Recycled Paper
Drew University (NJ) has switched from 30 percent post-consumer content paper to 100 percent post-consumer content and 100 percent processed chlorine-free recycled paper. The new paper will be used campus-wide in all copiers and office printers. Efforts to switch Drew’s copy paper to a greener source come from the Drew University Purchasing Department.
U Kentucky Dining Halls Offer More Local Foods
The University of Kentucky has announced plans to expand its partnership with Kentucky food producers in 2009. UK aims to expand the amount of locally grown produce purchased from $60,000 in 2007-2008 to $500,000 in 2009. Additionally, UK has partnered with a local diary provider to purchase fresh milk from pasture grazing cows that are not supplemented with hormones to increase milk production to be used in campus dining facilities.
U Missouri Bookstore Sells Eco-Friendly Clothing
The University of Missouri Bookstore has begun selling T-shirts and zip-up hooded sweatshirts made by an eco-friendly clothing company. The company’s T-shirts and sweatshirts are made of low-impact organic cotton and produced in facilities in India run solely on wind and solar energy by fair trade workers.
U Phoenix Offsets Energy for Monday Night Football Game
The University of Phoenix (AZ) has purchased 95,000 kWh of renewable energy certificates to offset 100 percent of the electricity used in the Monday Night Football game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers held at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 10, 2008. The University purchased the electricity through the Salt River Project's EarthWise program.
Goucher College, U Phoenix Purchase RECs
Goucher College (MD) has announced that it will purchase renewable energy to offset a portion of its electricity usage. Constellation NewEnergy will supply Goucher with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to match 25 percent of the college's projected electricity consumption for the next three years. Goucher's RECs will come from wind energy sources certified by Green-e Energy, an independent verification program for renewable energy. Similarly, the University of Phoenix (AZ) has announced plans to purchase 46.5 million kWh of RECs, an amount equal to the electricity used by its 26 buildings in the Phoenix area annually. The University is purchasing the RECs from a wind farm in Washington through Salt River Project's EarthWise program, which will also be certified by Green-e Energy.
Dalhousie U Receives Green Purchasing Award
Dalhousie University (NS) has received the EcoLogo Environmental Stewardship Award, an award that recognizes organizations for their commitment to environmental protection through green purchasing. Dalhousie is the first university in North America to receive this award from the EcoLogo program.
UC Santa Barbara, Colorado College Win Green Cleaning Awards
Custodians at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Colorado College have received the Grand Award for their green cleaning practices as part of a contest sponsored by American School & University magazine, The Green Cleaning Network, and the Healthy Schools Campaign. The campuses will be featured in AS&U magazine's December edition.
U Georgia Receives Green Cleaning Certification
The University of Georgia has become one of only two universities in the country to earn ISSA's Cleaning Industry Management Standard Certification with Honors. The University received the award for the Physical Plant Building Services Department's work in the 28 buildings on North Campus which comprise UGA's new "green corridor." The University of Michigan is the other school which has obtained this distinction.
U New Hampshire Dining Halls Serve Local Squash
University of New Hampshire dining halls have begun serving butternut squash grown and developed by UNH researchers. A UNH farm manager and a UNH professor worked with UNH Dining to plant a large plot of butternut squash this summer. UNH sells the squash to a distributor that peels, chops and processes them into an easily-used format then sells them back to UNH Dining to steam, mash, and serve to its diners. The squash may go to other customers if quantity allows. The squash is labeled in the serving area so diners can learn about its local pedigree and scientific service.
Saint Xavier U Purchases Renewable Energy Credits
Saint Xavier University (IL) has signed an agreement to purchase 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of “Clean Source” alternative energy over the next two years to power its new eco-friendly student residence hall. The energy used to power Mother Agatha O'Brien Hall will prevent the emission of more than 817,000 pounds of CO2. SXU’s clean energy producers include: The New Hope Power Partnership, a biomass cogeneration facility; Belleville Hydroelectric, a run of river operation that does not obstruct fish migration; Elk River Wind Farm; and the Mass Hill Wind Farm.
Saint Xavier U Purchases 1,200,000 kWh of Clean Energy
Saint Xavier University (IL) has purchased 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of “Clean Source” renewable energy over the next two years to compensate for electricity to be used in a new student residence hall. The “Clean Source” energy used in the soon-to-be-dedicated Mother Agatha O’Brien Hall is expected to prevent the emission of more than 817,000 pounds of CO2. SXU's purchase helped to fund a biomass cogeneration facility, a hydroelectric operation that does not obstruct fish migration; and 128 wind turbines.
U Vermont Purchases Green Certified Toilet Paper
The University of Vermont has signed a contract to purchase "green certified" toilet paper and paper towels made from 100 percent recycled paper and bleached without chlorine. The paper is certified by Green Seal, an independent green certification organization. The new initiative is the result of Forest Crimes Unit, a student group on campus that drew attention to UVM's use of Kimberly-Clark toilet paper. The group raised concerns about allegations that Kimberly-Clark harvests wood from old-growth fores
Chronicle of Higher Ed Covers Sustainable Food Movement
The Chronicle of Higher Education has published an article on the sustainable food movement currently taking place on campuses in the U.S. The article highlights Emory University's (GA) community gardens, farmers' markets, and goal to have 75 percent of the 25,000 meals served each day feature regional or sustainable sources of food by 2015, and Cornell University's (NY) 30 percent to 50 percent local food initiative.
George Mason U Opens Green Dining Facility
George Mason University (VA) has opened a new 35,000-square-foot Southside Dining Facility. The vendors for the new facility will be local suppliers and farmers who will be providing fresh produce. Other green features of the dining hall will include tray-free dining, biodegradable products, bulk napkin and condiment dispensers, and a dishwasher that will save 100,000 gallons of water per year.
Lawrence U Serves Local Food on Campus
Lawrence University (WI) has started a program to serve food grown in the Sustainable Lawrence University Garden in dining halls on campus. The University also has signed an agreement with a local family-owned dairy company to serve milk in both campus dining halls.
Santa Clara U Purchases Renewable Energy
Santa Clara University (CA) has purchased 11,256 MWh of Green-e certified renewable energy certificates from newly constructed wind farms located within the western United States. The purchase represents 1/3 of the campus's annual electricity use and makes the University a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Leadership Club.
UW Madison Book Store Sells Fair Trade Apparel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison University Book Store has begun selling eco-friendly and fair trade UW hooded sweatshirts. The University is purchasing the 100 percent organic certified cotton sweatshirts from a local firm that specializes in fair trade apparel. If the new item sells successfully, the line will be expanded to include sweatpants, t-shirts, and zip-up jackets.
Michigan State U Dining Hall Offers Local, Organic Foods
The Michigan State University Yakeley Dining Hall has started a pilot program to offer local and organic foods. The program, which offers local and organic foods whenever possible, aims to address concerns about environmental sustainability and to teach students where their food is grown. Additionally, the University has invested in a new hoop house to grow salad greens and cooking greens for the dining halls.
Saint Mary's College of California Establishes Campus Garden
Saint Mary's College of California has established a half-acre student-run garden plot to grow pesticide-free food for the student dining hall. The goals of the project are to increase students' understanding of the food production process and the nutritional and environmental benefits of local, pesticide-free food.
U New Hampshire Opens Green Dairy Bar
The University of New Hampshire has opened a green Dairy Bar on campus. The Dairy Bar uses locally produced ingredients, 100 percent organic cotton employee uniforms, and compostable plastic cups and menus. All of the biodegradable material from the Dairy Bar is taken to the campus' Kingman Farm for composting.
U Oklahoma Commits to Power 100% of its Campus with Wind
The University of Oklahoma, Norman has signed a wind power agreement with Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company to purchase 100 percent of its electricity from wind power by 2013. OU is currently supporting the development of a new commercial-scale wind farm to be constructed by OG&E in Oklahoma. It will be named the “OU Spirit” wind farm. To further support OU’s commitment, OG&E will establish internships and scholarships for OU students whose studies are focused on renewable energy as well as support campus events focusing on renewable energy. OU also plans to expand its use of vehicles powered by compressed natural gas and will open a new CNG refueling station at the new campus motor pool. The Transportation Operations Center is set to open in November. It will also make the fueling station available to the city of Norman for its vehicles.
U Vermont Bans Kimberly-Clark Products
The University of Vermont has banned all Kimberly-Clark products from its campus due to concerns about the sourcing of paper fiber from the North American Boreal forest. UVM has stopped purchasing all products made by K-C, the parent company of Kleenex and Scott brands. 11 other universities and colleges have taken similar actions due to concerns about K-C's environmental practices.
