California State U System Engages Local Business
With a new bill, California State University pledges to source 20 percent of its food purchases from local community based farms by 2020, while Sonoma State University supports local business and promotes sustainable practices within the university’s dining venues.
Frederick CC Increases Diversity
Minority students and faculty increased at the community college in the past year, which has spurred the need for a new Office of Diversity director to address this growing change at the campus.
Hastings College to Create Green Space
The college plans to create a pedestrian mall to replace a busy intersection located between residence halls and the student union by next summer to unite the campus and improve college experience while promoting an increase in green areas.
Joliet Junior College to Take on STARS
In order to promote a sustainable culture, economy and social environment, and to capture current sustainability efforts as a baseline for improvement, the college recently formed a committee to complete a STARS assessment as part of its strategic goals.
Lane CC Identifies Energy Efficient Projects
The Energy Carryover Fund, the college’s green revolving fund, was created in 2006 with an allocation of $165,585 from surplus funds in the utilities budget to help the college meet their sustainability goals and formalize a process to identify energy efficiency projects. The fund averages 22.9 percent and has achieved a total of $113,087 in savings to date.
Portland State U Studies Air Quality
Researchers recently found that an increase in urban forests led to a reduction in the amount of nitrogen dioxide, an air pollutant that can cause asthma, which can save approximately $6.5 million per year by avoiding missed school and work days, emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
Princeton U Starts Light Efficiency Upgrade
As part of its Facilities Organization project, the university started to convert over 100,000 light fixtures to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs across the campus this past July, and is expected to be completed by December 2016 to contribute as much as a 15 percent reduction in carbon emissions as outlined by the Princeton Sustainability Plan to 1990 levels by 2020.
Southern Oregon U Sells Carbon Credits
In an effort to reduce the university’s carbon footprint at a rate of 10 percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2050, carbon credits from a campus LEED building are being sold to Chevrolet in order to receive funding that will boost green building practices.
Triton College Installs Solar Panels
The college recently installed 54 panels to promote clean energy to supplement power to one of its buildings thanks to a grant from Illinois Green Economy Network and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
U Alaska Fairbanks Garden Installs Water System
A water system was installed this past spring to allow gardeners to water more efficiently with hoses, instead of hauling buckets and watering cans at the university garden which sells produce at a local market.
U Central Florida Patents Innovative Soil Media
A soil product recently created by the university to keep grass and plants firmly rooted and thriving while also providing significant filtration and reduction of storm water runoff is now on 50,000 square feet of roofs in Florida.
U.S. Department of Energy Boosts Clean Energy Research
In an effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and transition to a clean energy economy, the Energy Department recently announced an approximate investment of $55 million for 31 new projects to accelerate research and development of critical vehicle technologies that will improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. Approximately seven institutions will benefit from this.
U South Florida to Bring Local Food to Campus
This November the university plans to bring organic fruits and vegetables from a garden to the university for consumption and to increase convenience while reducing the need to travel for produce.
U Washington Educates Students on Diversity
Freshman orientation this fall was met with a new skit, “Our Names, Our Stories,” to educate university students about acceptance with a focus on race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic diversity and gender diversity.
Wells College Names Sustainability Director
The college recently welcomed Marian Brown as the director of the new Center for Sustainability and the Environment to address the increase in needs of an ecologically-conscious and sustainable approach to living.
Albright College Students Boost Garden Offerings
(U.S.): Students from the college’s garden project began growing herbs and and implemented a new rain barrel system this year, which bolstered ongoing efforts of the pesticide-free agriculture project.
Auburn U Bolsters Waste Diversion Efforts with Solar
(U.S.): Solar-powered trash cans and recycling bins have recently been installed on campus that will compact trash leading to a reduction in labor, fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions due to the reduced frequency with which the cans will need to be emptied.
California CC Boosts Clean Energy Projects through Tax Benefits
(U.S.): Clean energy tax benefits have spurred infrastructure upgrades, green job training efforts, and 313 additional projects that promote sustainability. Cumulatively, these efforts are estimated to save $4.6 million annually and reduce energy use by the equivalent of 2.9 million gallons of gasoline.
Concordia U Hosts Exchange Students
(Canada): An exchange student program between Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany and the university provided an opportunity for German students to explore sustainability through compost and edible garden site visits, conducting research and writing reports for three weeks this summer.
Concordia U St.Paul Implements Single Stream Recycling
(U.S.): In an effort to reduce waste, new recycling bins are currently being installed throughout campus to allow students, faculty and staff to recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, glass bottles and aluminum in a single container.
Everett CC Hires First Chief Diversity Officer
(U.S.): After 23 years at Peninsula College, Maria Peña has been hired to build a relationship with local tribes, collaborate with local partners and institutions, and bolster diversity initiatives listed in the strategic plan.
George Washington U Building Earns LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The building incorporates natural lighting with floor to ceiling windows, lighting controls, a green roof, recycled and renewable building materials, yoga and meditation rooms, desks that can be converted into standing workstations, and bike racks inside and outside the building.
Georgia State U Sparks Food Movement
(U.S.): University students have set out to close the gap between the food on the plate and where the food is grown in a new “Know Your Grower Atlanta” campaign sparking conversations and connections related to the local food process.
Government Model Engineering College Promotes Organic
(India): The college recently started a month-long campaign to spread awareness about the harmful effects of the use of pesticides and additives and to promote the use of purely organic farming methods by having students pass out organic kits and provide student access to an organic farm on campus.
Johnson County CC Receives Recycling Bins
(U.S.): Thanks to a grant from Keep America Beautiful and The Coca-Cola Foundation, 50 new recycling bins are being installed at the community college in advance of the upcoming semester to increase waste diversion efforts.
London U Freezes Fossil Fuel Investments
(U.K.): Following a recent campaign from more than 600 students, the university’s School of Oriental and African Studies has announced the hold on all future investments and is considering divesting all of its current holdings valued at 2 million pounds ($3.3 million).
North Carolina U Pembroke to Install Two EV Charging Stations
(U.S.): After the recent signing of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge, the university prepares to unveil two new electric vehicle charging stations alongside a solar photovoltaic system to offset energy consumption, which will put the university closer to its 2050 carbon neutrality commitment.
Northern Arizona U Building Achieves LEED Gold
(U.S.): Recent renovations of the Liberal Arts building at the university included a 75 percent diversion of construction waste from landfills, a reduction of water usage by 30 percent, and lighting controls for more responsible use of energy.
Northern Illinois U Encourages Use of Reusable Water Bottles
(U.S.): In an effort to increase sustainability the university is continuing a campaign to pass out reusable water bottles to students, install water bottle refill stations, and reduce the reliance on disposable plastic water bottles. It is anticipated that 4,500 water bottles will be distributed by the end of fall 2014.
U Chicago Welcomes Underserved Groups
(U.S.): Nearly two years after the university amended its admissions policies, its Class of 2018 welcomed seven students who have received the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status and are legally recognized U.S. residents. DACA status means that these students came to the U.S. as children and meet several other guidelines.
U Leicester Introduces Electric Vehicles
(U.K.): In an effort to promote electric vehicle use and boost research, EV charging stations are being installed across campus and university scientists are modifying EVs with sensors to capture air pollution related to urban air quality.
U Queensland to Open Solar Research Facility
(Australia): In order to diversify its fuel source and become more environmentally friendly, the university plans to operate a 3.275-megawatt solar research facility on nearly 25-acres.
West Carolina U Recognized for Sustainability
(U.S.): University students received top placement for the presentation of their capstone projects at a state conference. One concept involved finding sustainable solutions for commuter students while the other was a computer science undertaking to develop apps to track the local mass transit shuttles in order to increase ridership.
Bryant U Student Studies Campus Solar Lighting
A student recently accepted into National Wildlife Federation’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program conducted research and analysis about implementation of solar-powered street lights and is finishing the feasibility analysis and presenting it to the university.
Clark Atlanta U Releases HBCU Green Report
The Building Green Initiative at the university and the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development recently released the HBCU Green Report, a scan of campus sustainability initiatives underway at Historically Black Colleges and Universities that reveal innovations and growing determination among students, faculty and administrators. The survey used for the report included five categories: administration, green building, student involvement, food and recycling, and climate change and energy.
Colorado State U Adds Solar Panels to Buildings
Through a partnership with the City of Fort Collins and Namaste Solar, the university will see new solar panels installed this fall through early 2015 to increase clean energy supply and provide power to local homes and businesses, including buildings on the university’s campus.
Dickinson College Building Earns LEED Gold
The college opened their fifth LEED Gold building this month that features storm-water management, innovative light structure and natural ventilation with reversible fans.
EPA Releases Quarterly List of Top 30 Green Power Partners
The top 30 list represents the largest green power users among higher education institutions within the Green Power Partnership. The combined green power use of these organizations amounts to more than two billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of more than 192,000 average American homes annually.
Everglades U Expands Solar Energy Program [Video]
The university recently completed construction on its new solar energy teaching lab to teach students in construction, management and policy about renewable energy technologies’ potential impact on the future.
Gonzaga U Hires First Director of Sustainability
The university furthers its commitment toward sustainability through the recent hire of Jim Simon acting as the first director of sustainability. Prior to this position, he served as the sustainability engagement coordinator at University at Buffalo. His work will support the university’s commitments to the Real Food Challenge, St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge.
Hilbert College Launches Diversity Committee
Launched in the summer of 2014, the committee's focus, comprised of faculty, staff and students, is to gradually change the culture of campus to be a more inclusive one and provide a diverse and engaging campus experience through education resources, professional development, and a study on the campus culture.
