Oakland U Celebrates LEED Platinum Building
Building features include water and energy efficiency, regionally-procured materials, site placement that works with the sun to conserve energy, outdoor areas to encourage community, charging stations for electric vehicles, and a ground-source heat pump system.
Penn State Students Aid in Stormwater Infrastructure Rebuilding
Students from the university's architecture program, staff and community volunteers worked with the Penn State Cooperative Extension and Public Media to rebuild one of the city's rain gardens and stormwater remediation areas. The project was part of an outreach effort for Penn State Public Media’s documentary "Water Blues, Green Solutions," which aims to encourage public education and awareness of green infrastructure.
Sullivan County CC to Install 2MW Photovoltaic Array
Made possible by a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, a power purchase agreement has been signed to construct a two-megawatt solar plant on nine acres of campus beginning in 2014. The array is projected to generate approximately 60 percent of the college's annual electricity consumption.
U Maine Farmington Receives $5,000 Grant for Curriculum
The university recently received the funding from Northern New England Campus Compact for integrating climate change and water quality community projects into students' regular coursework during the 2013-14 academic year.
U Maryland Partners for Sustainable Seafood
The university's Dining Services recently partnered with The Wide Net Project to contribute to restoration of the Chesapeake Bay's health and provide nutritious food to vulnerable communities.
U Maryland Uses Houseplants to Aid Indoor Air Quality
Helping staff and faculty members achieve silver status for its green office program, students from the university's Institute of Applied Agriculture assist in the production of potting and maintaining plants for distribution.
U Michigan Completes First-Year Sustainability Survey
The recently released, first-year results of the university's sustainability awareness and behaviors evaluation were recently released. The program is tracking the “sustainability culture” on the university’s Ann Arbor campus over a six-year period, with particular focus on four campus sustainability goal areas: climate action, waste prevention, healthy environments and community awareness. Results revealed, among other points, student transportation behavior is more sustainable than faculty and staff, faculty tend to conserve energy and prevent waste, and staff members are most aware of the range of sustainability initiatives.
U Wisconsin Green Bay Composts Pre-Consumer Food Scraps
Attempting to reduce the amount of organic material it sends to the landfill, the university now sends all pre-consumer food waste from its' dining halls 50 miles to the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh for composting.
Virginia Tech Installs Solar-Powered Bus Shelter
To address the difficulty of running power lines to the shelter, which sits atop a steam tunnel, the university and local transit authority identified battery-banked solar power as a good solution.
Western Washington U Students Pilot Rentable Mug Program
In an effort to reduce waste and money spent on handling that waste, students from a Campus Sustainability Planning Studio class initiated Project MUG this fall using grant funding from the university's green fee. Project MUG enables students to rent a reusable mug for beverages.
Clarkson U Adds Reusable To-Go Containers
After a recent student project proposal indicated the desire for reusable to-go containers, the university's Dining Services/ARAMARK has implemented the reusable containers system to decrease waste sent to landfills.
Creighton U Signs to Protect 'Creation and the Poor'
The university recently signed the St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor, an initiative of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. The pledge addresses the impact of climate change on the socio-economically depressed population and advocates for behavior change.
Excelencia in Education Observes Schools for Latino Successes
Excelencia in Education recently recognized Cañada College, University of Texas at Brownville, Pan American and Austin, Esparanza College of Eastern University, Rio Hondo College, Del Mar College, Bluegrass Community and Technical College and Grayson College for their efforts in helping Latino students to succeed academically.
MIT Appoints First Sustainability Director
Prior founding director of Yale University's sustainability office, Dr. Julie Newman will lead Massachusetts Institute of Technology's first Office of Sustainability. She achieved her doctorate in natural resources and environmental studies from University of New Hampshire while establishing its office of sustainability beginning in 1997.
Moravian College Inventories Campus Trees
In an effort to preserve and manage their tree population, ecology students continue to work with an outside tree company to identify tree types, record GPS coordinates, measure vital info and assess the health of each specimen.
Northern Illinois U Promotes Programs in Diversity
Birthed from a communications class, diversity education ambassadors promote the university's academic programs in diversity and importance of being culturally competent through in-class discussions.
Penn State Commences Sustainability Grant Program
Supporting collaborative projects that improve and expand campus sustainability at the university, the new Reinvention Fund will invest approximately $600,000 in projects proposed by teams from across all of the University's colleges, campuses and administrative units. Faculty can submit proposals under one of three different areas while student proposals will fall under the grant category student sustainability innovation.
Sullivan County CC Breaks Ground on New Compost Facility
Food waste from two food service areas and campus offices will be composted at the college's new open bay composting facility. An anonymous donation to the college affords four stipends of $500 for students to operate the facility during the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014.
The Ohio State U Offers Sustainability Minor
After the launch of a major by the same name, the new Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability minor is a multi-disciplinary program designed to provide a foundation in sustainability concepts and theory.
U Arkansas Places Bike Repair Stations
Students working with the director for sustainability created the momentum for the new bike fix-it stations that were installed to improve bicycle infrastructure on campus.
U Georgia Introduces Solar-Powered Waste Compactors
The university is co-locating its outside trash and recycling receptacles by installing 30 BigBelly Solar compactors across campus to make it easier to recycle. The recycling bins are set up for single-stream recycling.
U Maryland Initiates Post-Consumer Waste Audit
In an effort to focus their outreach efforts, facilitators of the ongoing audit aim to reduce the amount of trash bags used and increase the amount of composted and recycled material.
U Toronto Launches 'Faces of Sustainability'
The university's sustainability office's new the bi-monthly feature recognizes the individuals who are contributing to campus sustainability, bridging dialogue across campus with varying stakeholders.
Vancouver Island U Appoints First Elder-in-Residence
The first full-time elder, Geraldine Manson, will provide support and guidance to aboriginal and non-aboriginal students and share traditional practices and knowledge within the curriculum of the Faculty of Health and Human Services.
Alfred State College Introduces Waste Reduction Initiatives
In an effort to continue to reduce waste on campus, the college now works with compostable packaging and service items in its new Ever Green coffeehouse. Also, The Terrace, the college's main all-you-can-eat dining venue, now offers reusable takeout containers.
Case Western Reserve U Receives $6M Gift
The Weatherhead School of Management received the gift from Fairmount Minerals for the newly formed Fowler Family Fellowships, a fellow program that supports MBA students who focus on application of the principles of sustainability in business.
Castleton State College Erects Wind Turbines
The four newly installed one-kilowatt micro-wind turbines on the college's Hoff Hall are installed with a 29-kilowatt solar array. The system is designed to be a hybrid system with solar generation happening during the day and wind energy generation occurring at night.
Coastal Carolina U Receives $5M Donation
Along with supporting the university's athletic program and endowed scholarships, a portion of the donation from TD Bank Group will support the continued sustainability initiatives of the university.
Colgate U to Install Solar Thermal System
In an attempt to lessen the university's use of number 2 heating oil, which is dirty and costly, one of 16 residence halls will soon have 12 solar panels that heat water from the sun for domestic uses in bathrooms and kitchens.
Four U Utah Buildings Earn LEED Gold
Three newly constructed buildings and one remodel exceeded state and university sustainable building mandates. The Marriott Residential Scholars Community is recognized for its location, which is close to train and bus stations, and for its ability to monitor energy use by floor. The Natural History Museum of Utah features photovoltaic panels contributing nearly 9 percent of the buildings' energy, water efficient landscaping and pervious pavement in the parking lot. The Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building includes attention to energy use efficiency and local materials. The University Data Center features high-efficiency server equipment with outside air recirculation to aid cooling efficiency.
New Mexico State U Maps Outdoor Recycling Bins
Attempting to understand how far campus members have to walk to recycle, student researchers in the Spatial Applications and Research Center discovered only 22 percent were located within 25 feet of building, whereas 70 percent of the trashcans were within 25 feet.
Northern Illinois U Hosts First Diversity Festival
After faculty members attended a diversity conference, the university's Latino Student Alliance group hosted the inaugural Unity Conference and Celebration that focused on celebrating the differences within its diverse student body.
Portland State U Joins 'Healthy Purchasing Coalition'
After a recent report indicating a high level of concern about better purchasing practices the university joined the coalition, which fosters the goal to create demand for non-toxic products and better disclosure of product information. The group also provides a forum for sharing best practices in purchasing and procurement.
