Ohio State U Hires Energy, Environment, Sustainability Director
The university's Office of Energy and Environment has hired Paul Laurent as its director of student services and programs, a new position created to enhance connections between university sustainability efforts and students. Laurent, who previously developed and managed renewable energy and energy efficiency programs at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, will coordinate student groups interested in energy, environment and sustainability; develop student research and project initiatives; and connect students and industry.
Ohio State U Offers New Sustainability Major
The recently launched environment, economy, development and sustainability major is a multidisciplinary degree program that focuses on the human dimensions of sustainability. Coursework includes environmental economics, business management, environmental sociology, community and international development, ecological engineering and environmental sciences. Students will have the opportunity to specialize in one of four areas including sustainability and business, environmental economics and policy analysis, community development and international development.
Oregon Institute of Technology Installs Solar Array
The recent installation is expected to save the institute $3.3 million in energy costs over the next 25 years. With a large portion of its energy already supplied by an on-site geothermal plant, the addition of solar panels will set the institute up to receive the majority of its power from an alternative energy source.
Student Loan Debt Rises 8% as Tuitions Climb
Americans owed $904 billion in student loans at the end of March, nearly 8 percent more than a year ago, according to a quarterly report on consumer credit by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. A recent Wall Street Journal article says that this number is quickly rising because of higher tuitions and because alternative ways of paying for college—such as home-equity loans—have dried up. College enrollment has also surged in a weak job market.
Students Gear Up for EcoCar2 Competition
Fifteen teams of undergraduates recently gathered in Los Angeles for the first-year assessment of the U.S. Department of Energy's three-year world-wide competition to design environmentally friendly cars, known as EcoCar. All teams proposed some type of plug-in hybrid arrangement using rechargeable batteries, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. While about 75 percent of EcoCar alums have ended up with jobs in the automotive industry, the article looks at ways that the competition series could do more to advance new energy technologies in the marketplace.
U Albany Pilots Campus Community Garden
The university has created an on-campus community garden to provide students the opportunity to grow their own food. If successful, the 20-square-foot plot will expand in the fall.
U Arizona Launches Social Network for Ridesharing
The Zimride platform uses Facebook integration for the campus community to share commutes or one-time rides. The university aims to reduce campus traffic and parking difficulties, and provide a cost-saving transportation alternative.
U Chicago Climate Scientists Release Climate Change Music Video
"You might not see it in person, but climate's changing just the same," sings University of Chicago geophysical sciences assistant professor Dorian Abbot in a new music video that is a ZZ Top-influenced Chicago rendition of last year's "I'm a Climate Scientist." Abbot collaborated with two other climate scientists at the university to capture the importance of the issue with humor. "We are so concerned about issues on global climate change that we are willing to make absolute fools of ourselves," said professor David Archer, who also appears in the video.
U Chicago Students Create Green Event Certification Program
Students have partnered with the university’s Office of Sustainability, Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities staff to launch a Green Event Certification program. The aim of the program is to encourage student organizations to reduce the environmental impacts of on-campus events.
U Colorado Boulder Sports Facility Earns LEED Platinum
The 44,000-square-foot volleyball and basketball practice facility includes rooftop solar panels that are capable of providing 10 to 12 percent of the building’s electricity. The structure is cooled with an evaporative system and is outfitted with low-flow plumbing fixtures, efficient lighting and high-performance insulation and windows.
U Iowa Renovation Earns LEED Gold
The first LEED renovation on campus, clinical psychology hub Stuit Hall incorporates daylighting, a rain garden to capture stormwater, occupancy sensors, low-VOC and formaldehyde-free products, energy-efficient mechanicals, and recycling storage and collection centers on every floor.
U Louisville Installs First Green Roof
The new Sky Garden is expected to trim 25 percent from heating and cooling costs in the two-story building it covers. Draining to a rain garden below to help prevent campus flooding, the roof sits atop a new business school addition.
U Oregon Produces Campus Energy Conservation Outreach Video
The university Office of Sustainability has produced a three-minute animated video that summarizes recent efforts to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The video is part of an outreach campaign that will ask faculty, staff and students for suggestions regarding improvements to the university's Climate Action Plan.
U Saskatchewan Receives $4.4 M to Explore Sustainability Issues
Two university researchers have been awarded more than $4.4 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for two sustainability-related research projects. The first project explores the transition from traditional to industrial farming over the past two centuries and what lessons it might hold for present food producers. The Sustainability and Education Policy Network, the second initiative, will delve into new models that improve how environmental sustainability is taught and practiced. AASHE is among the many nonprofit and higher education partners in this grant. Graduate students will work with AASHE to examine STARS data to look at the relationship between sustainability policy and practice.
U Tennessee Chattanooga Named Tree Campus USA
The Arbor Day Foundation has designated the university as a Tree Campus USA. The designation was the result of a student-led effort by the university chapter of Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society.
U Texas Austin Debuts Water-Efficient Irrigation System
To address costly issues of water conservation, as well as breaks and inadequacies in the prior watering system, the university has completed a central irrigation system. The system has the ability to track gallon usage, detect breaks, keep track of rainfall and track water evaporation as it happens. It can be operated and monitored from a single computer, a smartphone or a remote control. Since its completion in April, the university has saved 3.8 million gallons of water.
Western Michigan U Student Spearheads Recycling Expansion
As part of a graduate student's thesis, new recycling bins with improved signage have replaced trash cans on campus. The results from the pilot waste project will be used in the development of a campus-wide waste reduction master plan.
William Peace U Launches Rainwater Harvesting Project
The university's Rainwater Harvesting System Clean Water Management Trust Fund Grant Project, a $710,000 campus-wide water conservation program, includes a cistern that will supply 90 percent of the irrigation water needed for on-campus use. The university will also install new showerheads and sink aerators.
Chandler-Gilbert CC Students Help Green Local Community
As part of a special projects course, "Eco-philosophy and the Environmental Technology Center," students researched and found solutions for a local housing community to operate more sustainably and reduce its carbon footprint. After phone calls, field research and visiting the community to talk with members, the students recommended waterless urinals and sensor-driven faucets, reducing artificial lighting by at least one third, and the creation of community gardens and riparian areas.
Columbia U Achieves LEED for Neighborhood Development-Platinum
The university’s upcoming 17-acre Manhattanville campus has received the first LEED for Neighborhood Development-Platinum certification for a university campus plan in the U.S. To be built on a former industrial site, the campus will be an energy-efficient, pedestrian-oriented community that combines local retail, culture and green space. The campus is designed to create connections between the university and local communities, and between West Harlem and the revitalized Hudson River waterfront in New York City.
Dalhousie U Launches Employee Sustainability Cert. Program
Employees who wish to increase their understanding of sustainability concepts, enhance sustainability related decision-making skills and identify potential projects can enroll in one or more of six, three-hour modules for free. The modules include Introduction to Sustainability, Sustainable Procurement, Transportation Demand Management, Being a Sustainability Leader, Green Building Management and Waste Management. Employees can earn the sustainability leadership certificate by completing all six modules. All courses are taught by Dalhousie Office of Sustainability staff and guest speakers.
Duke U Debuts 'Smart' Garden
As part of the university's Smart Home Program, the new campus garden is designed to make efficient use of natural resources with garden beds, compost bins and a greenhouse. The garden also includes a programmable irrigation system that reads soil and water data to enable students to make adjustments online to maximize efficiency.
Eastern Connecticut State U to Create Community Garden
With a grant from Northeast Utilities, university faculty, staff and students will develop educational events that will enable school groups and other community members to learn about developing urban gardens and green spaces. Events will include information on how to compost, develop a vertical garden, harvest seeds, market harvests, as well as seed-saving techniques.
George Washington U Graduates Wear Recycled Bottle Gowns
Graduates from George Washington University (D.C.) donned gowns made from recycled plastic bottles at the university's recent commencement ceremony. The environmentally friendly fashion statement is "part of a larger effort by colleges and universities to reduce the carbon footprint of commencement ceremonies," reports a recent Seattle Times story. The article also points to Unity College's (Maine) practice of sending online invitations; Pace University's (New York) programs that are printed on recycled paper with soy ink; Boston University's (Massachusetts) compostable tableware; and organic refreshments and seasonal flowers at Southwestern University (Texas) and New York's New School, respectively.
Indiana U-Purdue U Indianapolis Awards 2012 Green Grants
The university’s Office of Sustainability has awarded a total of $46,000 in Greening IUPUI grants. The nine projects, including native and urban gardens, increasing sustainability-related educational opportunities and developing sustainable best practices, will begin this spring.
Institutions Participate in 'Low Carbon Diet Day'
The University of Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), American University (D.C.) and Roger Williams University (Rhode Island) are among the colleges and universities that recently celebrated Bon Appétit Management's Low Carbon Diet Day. The event is part of the catering company's Low Carbon Diet program, designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions among its 400 locations in 31 states by considering the impact of fertilizers, livestock, transportation and packaging. Higher education cafés showcased Low Carbon Diet principles with creative, nutritious and low carbon meals like mushroom burgers and sushi made with frozen-at-sea fish.
National Outdoor School Completes Solar Array, Geothermal System
The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has unveiled an 11-kilowatt solar array addition on its Rocky Mountain operations building, the final part of a larger renovation that includes a new geothermal system and additional energy efficient renovations. The array, the final phase of a 25-kilowatt array at the facility, was funded by Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky renewable energy program.
NY Times Covers Rise of Hybrid Vehicle Curriculum Programs
"As automakers increase their efforts to design vehicles that are more fuel-efficient and friendlier to the environment, engineering programs are likewise adapting their curriculums, preparing students to build vehicles increasingly powered by batteries and managed by computers," reports a recent New York Times article. Because of the growing complexity of hybrid vehicles, automakers are "eager to work closely with universities" by expanding internships and other partnerships to find students capable of creating vehicles that use alternative powertrains. The article profiles curriculums at Ohio State University, Purdue University (Indiana) and the University of Michigan, which has added new courses on energy systems and modified automotive engineering courses to include the electrification of the vehicle.
Oregon State U Igloo Encourages Use of Reusable Bottles
An eight-foot-tall igloo was constructed out of disposable plastic bottles to encourage the campus community to use reusable bottles. Campus Recycling staff and volunteers asked students to include a message on the back of a drink bottle label about how they plan to reduce waste and attach it by string to the igloo.
Palo Alto College Starts Bike Sharing Program
Designed to boost athleticism and environmentally friendly travel by encouraging students to ditch their cars, the recently launched program includes 12 refurbished bikes stationed at green bike racks across campus. Additional bikes are currently being repaired for the program.
Slippery Rock U Receives $15K for Energy Dashboards
The West Penn Power Sustainability Fund grant will enable the university to purchase six energy dashboard touch screens to track energy consumption in residence halls and act as an energy conservation education and awareness tool. If successful in meeting a 3 percent energy usage savings projection, the university could save an estimated $1.5 million over 10 years.
Southern Alberta Institute of Tech to Debut Green Design Lab
With an $800,000 grant from the federal College-Industry Innovation Fund, the institute will construct a new lab from reclaimed shipping containers for environmentally friendly construction research. The lab will include solar thermal and photovoltaic systems, a green roof and rainwater collection basin.
Texas A&M U Addresses State Water Conservation Needs
The university has announced the formation of a new Water Conservation and Technology Center that will work to address Texas’ long-term water development needs. The center will focus on water conservation, water reuse, groundwater desalination and energy development.
U California Santa Barbara Launches Hydration Station Project
The university has received over $15,000 from the Green Initiative Fund and the Coastal Fund to install hydration stations across campus in an effort to reduce the use of disposable water bottles. The new fountains offer filtered and reverse osmosis water to students for free, and reduce the cost of energy in water fountains by not requiring the chillers needed in standard fountains.
U Illinois Chicago Boosts Diversity Research Efforts
Six projects have been selected for a new chancellor’s initiative to increase diversity and interdisciplinary research. The Chancellor’s Cluster Initiative to Increase Diversity and the Interdisciplinary Culture at UIC provides funding for recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority faculty members who will conduct research on topics related to diversity.
U Iowa Donation Drive Diverts 2 Tons of Waste from Landfill
The two-day event netted 3,733 pounds of reusable unwanted items from students moving off campus including small appliances like microwaves and mini-fridges. Initiated last year by a graduate student, this year's drive expanded to include representatives from Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, the Crisis Center of Johnson County and the university's Housing, Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management.
U Rhode Island Researchers to Study Impacts of Climate Change
Research of climate-driven impacts is a major focus of the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council's 2012 Research Alliance Collaborative Research Grants. The grants are designed to encourage entrepreneurship and new company creation. University of Rhode Island scientists are collaborators in seven of the eight funded projects, totaling $1.4 million. Studies include "Revealing Active Responses of the Ocean State's Marshes to Climate Change with Biogeochemistry & Environmental Genomics" and "Climate-Driven Impacts on the Formation and Persistence of Macroalgal Blooms."
U South Carolina Yard Sale Raises $3K for Habitat for Humanity
The university's first Give It Up For Good yard sale recently raised $3,414 to help construct a Habitat for Humanity house on campus next spring. The environmentally friendly house will be built by students and then moved to another location for a family in need. The program also collected 2,258 pounds of food and 138 pounds of plastic grocery bags that were donated to a local food bank.
U Wisconsin Eau Claire Student Center to Go Carbon Neutral
The university’s Student Senate has approved a partnership with Xcel Energy’s Windsource program to purchase renewable energy credits to offset 100 percent of the energy consumed by its new student center. The Student Office of Sustainability’s green fund will cover the purchase of offsets at a cost of approximately $13,500.
York U Collects 40% More Move-Out Waste with 'FreeStuff' Pilot
The joint initiative between Housing Services, Residence Life, Waste Management and the President’s Sustainability Council provided FreeStuff tables in each undergraduate residence hall for students to discard unwanted items. By targeting residence halls, the FreeStuff pilot collected 40 percent more items than the same period last year. While the university has collected unwanted clothing for donation to a local clothing bank for the past few years, this year the initiative expanded to household items, books, printers and other electronic items. Used batteries were also gathered to ensure proper disposal.
Beuth U Debuts Renewable Energy MBA
(Germany): The new online MBA in renewable energies, launched by the Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin and Renewables Academy, will prepare participants to deal with renewable energy technologies including their economics, policy and legal frameworks.
Boston U Donates 1.5 M Pounds of Surplus Property to Charity
(U.S.): The university recently hit a milestone of more than 1.5 million pounds of surplus furniture and equipment provided to charities since 2002. Through its partnerships, the university recovered more than 525,000 pounds of surplus in 2011, which was distributed among relief projects in more than a dozen countries across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean Basin.
Central U Jharkhand Plans Eco-Friendly Campus
(India): The university has applied for a four-star rating with the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, India's national ratings system for green buildings. The university is designing a campus that uses minimum energy to power itself; uses efficient equipment to meet its lighting and air-conditioning needs and maximize the use of renewable sources of energy; uses efficient waste and water management practices; and provides comfortable and hygienic indoor working conditions.
CEPT U Joins Clean Energy Indo-U.S. Consortia
(India): The Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University has joined the U.S. Department of Energy's Indo-U.S. consortia on clean energy. The university’s research will focus on the energy saving potential of buildings, industry and local bodies.
City College of New York Opens Center with Focus on Urban Equity
(U.S.): The new J. Max Bond Center on Design for the Just City will pursue ways that design can make U.S. cities more just and inclusive places to live through faculty and collaborative research, and urban projects that engage with policy reform as possible models for other cities. An active conference, publication and events program is also on the agenda.
CSU Channel Islands Hosts Sustainability Workshop for Businesses
(U.S.): The university's California Institute for Social Business has partnered with CAUSE (Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) Triple Bottom Line Business Network to educate the business community about the benefits of social business, emphasizing the importance of social and environmental sustainability in achieving profit and financial goals. The university's upcoming symposium will feature speakers from B Corporation, Patagonia and Women’s Economic Ventures.
Deferred Maintenance of Campus Buildings On the Rise
(U.S.): Deferred maintenance of aging campus buildings remains a nagging burden and recent trends suggest that the situation could be getting worse, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. The need for repairs and modernization has risen since the start of the 2008 recession, particularly at public institutions, and many major universities can tally their maintenance needs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. With state money receding and philanthropy an unreliable source of relief, notes the article, colleges increasingly face two options: charge students higher fees or borrow more money.
Egypt University Pilots Solar/Biomass Hybrid Power Project
(Egypt): A consortium of European governments, universities and research institutions are funding a solar/biomass hybrid power plant pilot project in Egypt that uses molten salts as the heat transfer fluid. An experimental demonstration plant will be built at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) near Alexandria, Egypt that will co-generate one megawatt of electricity and four megawatts of thermal energy to power air conditioning equipment for buildings.
Kent State U Installing First Renewable Energy Project
(U.S.): More than 1,000 solar panels will be installed at the Kent State Field House by July as the university's first renewable project on campus. The university does not initially own the solar panel system, but will purchase the electricity produced with the option to purchase the system after seven years.
