Memorial U Educates Public on Local Food Options
(Canada): The event, Food for Thought, in partnership with the corner grocery store, explored connections between the community and university by focusing on educating shoppers toward sustainable and local food and the university-community connection.
Northwestern U Offers New Class on Diversity
(United States): As a result of on-campus racist incidents since 2012, Diversity and Inequality at Northwestern University focuses on how issues can impact the university's present state, it will compare these issues to other universities, and it will examine these issues historically. The university is currently contemplating a social inequality and diversity requirement for all students.
PepsiCo Spring Recycling Challenge Announces Results
(United States): PepsiCo's Dream Machine Recycling Initiative encourages participating colleges and universities to increase recycling rates by using its kiosk to collect plastic and aluminum beverage bottles and cans. The top five schools collecting the highest average amount of containers per kiosk are Mountwest College, Joliet Junior College, Rider University, University of Pittsburgh and Florida International University.
San Francisco State U Plants Drought-Tolerant Landscaping
(United States): Due to the state's current drought situation, members of the university's Sustainable SF State and student center's sustainability program are working to educate the campus community about drought-tolerant food, landscaping, and tips for reducing personal consumption.
Stella Maris College Installs 50KW Solar System
(India): Aligned with the state government's solar policy, mandating colleges to construct renewable energy, the college's new 50-kilowatt, 200 panel system will provide six percent of the school's current energy use.
SUNY Fredonia Launches Carpool Program
(United States): Designed to assist students, faculty, and staff to find partners to car pool with, the carpool program can be used for daily or one-time occurrences.
SUNY Institute of Technology Offers EV Charging Station
(United States): Part of a state-wide public-private partnership aimed at improving environmental sustainability, increasing access to cleaner modes of transportation, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the new electric vehicle charging station is free and open to the public.
Tompkins Cortland CC to Devise Farm to Restaurant Program
(United States): As part of the community college's new Sustainable Farming and Food Systems degree program, the farm-to-bistro curriculum will combine food from an on-campus farm with educational opportunities for students and engage community through a downtown restaurant.
U Alberta Introduces Green Lab Certification
(Canada): As part of the university's Green Spaces certification, the newly developed process specifically tailored toward lab classes recently accredited 22 biology teaching labs, which recognizes best practices in areas such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, chemical handling and water use.
UC Santa Cruz Procures Local Aquaponics Produce
(United States): Increasing the amount of local and sustainably-grown food, the university's Dining Halls are now serving lettuce that was grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, but instead fertilized by fish waste in a practice known as aquaponics.
U Florida Student Spearheads Composting
(United States): A student in the university's College of Design, Construction and Planning has started a 10-bin collection system in an effort to promote the activities of the Student Compost Cooperative whose long-term goal is to establish compost collection bins across campus.
U Maryland Distributes Indoor Plants for Air Quality
(United States): Representatives from the university's Green Office program recently received plants grown by students in the Institute of Applied Agriculture for their offices to help create a healthier workplace.
U Washington Students Present on Affordability to State House
(United States): In a recent presentation to the state's House Higher Education Committee, the university's Student Debt Reduction Working Group discussed findings of roughly 50 percent of students graduate with debt and the average amount is over $21,000. The presentation is part of an effort to increase the dialogue on college affordability between students and lawmakers.
Davidson College Unveils Sports-Centered Sustainability Programs
The college's The Next Play program will use the influence of sports to encourage sustainability through the creation of a Student-Athlete Sustainability Coalition, two zero waste athletic events and a speakers series. The initiative will also coordinate two national events: a sustainability-in-sports venture pitch tournament and a virtual discussion on sustainability and sports.
Arizona State U Building Achieves LEED Platinum
The university's Health Services Building renovation features solar electric panels, recycled materials and sustainable design and construction in both interior spaces and exterior landscaping.
Arizona State U Hosts Emirati Engineers for Solar Program
In an effort to help Dubai meet their 2030 energy strategy, the university will host 15 engineers for a 15-day workshop focused on enhancing their solar energy skills. Three engineers will be shortlisted to attend a six-month academic intensive.
Cornell U Strengthens Sustainable Purchasing Commitment
The university's Presidents' Sustainable Campus Committee Purchasing Team has introduced new resources and targeted campaigns resulting in an online list of sustainable products, a letter-writing campaign to departments purchasing paper from virgin sources encouraging procurement of recycled-content paper, and a new section in the Buying Manual that defines green certified, recycled, and Energy Star standards and promotes energy-efficient purchasing decisions.
Earlham College Opens Free Store
Attempting to divert waste throughout the year from the landfill, a permanent collection bin holds the unwanted items until they are taken to the store where the campus community can pick things up for free.
EPA Releases Quarterly List of Top 30 Green Power Partners
The latest quarterly report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlights the top 20 colleges and universities using power from renewable energy. They are University of Pennsylvania, University of Oklahoma, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University, Oklahoma State University, Drexel University, Northwestern University, University of Utah, University of Phoenix, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, University at Buffalo, University of Wisconsin, The City University of New York, American University, University of Missouri, Texas A&M System, The Catholic University of America, Western Washington University, Quinnipiac University, University of St. Thomas, Santa Clara University, University of Central Oklahoma, Bentley University, Syracuse University, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Adelphi University, Union College and Columbia College at Chicago.
Humboldt State U to Eliminate Plastic Bags
Beginning this spring, the university will not use any single-use plastic bags, and the bookstore, eateries and marketplaces will begin charging ten cents per paper bag.
New Mexico State U Approves Performance Contract
Legislation that phases out T12 fluorescent lamps was the impetus for the newly signed contract, which allows the university to improve 46 buildings through interior and exterior lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Stanford U to Install Multi-Megawatt Solar Energy Project
Spearheaded by the university's Office of Sustainability, the recently approved project calls for solar panels on a parking structure and 12 other campus buildings, which will increase the percentage of photovoltaic-derived energy from one to 10 percent and enable student participation and experiential learning and research.
U Buffalo Announces Launch of New Institute
Emerging from the university's UB 2020 strategic plan, the new Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water (RENEW) is a university-wide interdisciplinary research center focused on the intersection of environmental, societal and economic issues.
U California Berkeley to Offer Food Systems Minor
In an effort to bring more attention to sustainability issues and experiential learning in food systems education, the Berkeley Food Institute has begun to form a committee to develop plans for a minor in food systems and sustainability.
U Maryland Boosts Safety for Cyclists
The university's Department of Transportation Services recently finished painting white chevron-shaped signs on roadways around campus to signal to motorists aware of cyclists on the road, provide a safer commute, and indicate the smoothest roads for cyclists.
U Michigan Students Pass Diversity Resolution
The university's Central Student Government listened to and adopted a recent resolution that addresses minority student enrollment, the creation of a scholarship for undocumented students, and official student government support of student activism directed toward increased diversity on campus.
U New Hampshire to House Clean Air-Cool Planet Programs
In 2014 Clean Air-Cool Planet will dissolve and the organization's two programs, Climate Fellows Program and the Campus Carbon Calculator (CCC), will be housed at the university's Sustainability Institute, where the CCC was developed in 2000.
U South Sewanee Launches Green Revolving Fund
Now accepting applications from the campus community, which includes the surrounding community, the revolving fund will finance energy and water efficiency and renewable energy projects that cut operating costs and reduce environmental impact.
U Utah Exhibits Environmental Art Installation
The soon-to-begin living art gallery about air pollution will feature three artists from Beijing, China who will install the pieces over a three week period encouraging visitors to engage in dialogue and contribute to the art stations.
Western Illinois U Creates Sustainability Fund Grant
The university's Campus Sustainability Committee has newly formed the Student Sustainability Fund Award designed to support student research, campus projects and professional presentations in the area of sustainability up to $500.
Ball State U to Shut Down Coal-Fired Boilers
The university is preparing for a March closure for four boilers to prevent costly upgrades mandated by the Clean Air Act. The university is in process of installing a large geothermal system, what the U.S. Department of Energy is calling the "nation's largest geothermal heating and cooling system, and continues to operate three natural-gas-fired boilers.
Davidson College Diverts Waste from Athletic Games
After noticing how much waste from athletic events is compostable or recyclable, students launched two athletic recycling and composting campaigns: one at a football game and one at a basketball game.
Dickinson College Joins The Eco League
The college recently accepted an invitation to join The Eco League, a consortium of six universities and colleges that focus on experiential education through semester exchange programs to allow students access to varying ecosystems.
Gonzaga U Releases First Climate Action Plan
The university's first plan calls for at least a 20 percent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2020 and 50 percent by 2035 from 2009 levels with the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
Harvard U Debuts Thermal Biomass System
Using sustainably-harvested wood from its 3,700-acre Harvard Forest, the new, high-efficiency boilers provide heat to five nearby buildings. University researchers are studying the greenhouse gas emission impacts of using the sustainably-harvested wood from their managed forest, expecting carbon emissions to go down.
Harvard U Earns Green Restaurant Rating
All 13 undergraduate dining halls have earned either two or three-star recognition from the Green Restaurant Association. Sustainable features of the university's Dining Services include energy-efficient HVAC, lighting, refrigeration, and exhaust; organic, sustainable, cage-free, and vegetarian or vegan menu options; low-flow water management devices; recycling, composting and reusables for waste management; and compostable or recycled material disposables.
