Call for Abstracts: Ball State U Geothermal Conclave
Ball State University is accepting abstracts for the first in a series of annual Geothermal Conclaves. These events are designed to bring together researchers, practitioners and students interested in the design, installation and operation of large-scale geothermal heating and cooling systems. The deadline to submit an abstract is Dec. 1, 2012. The dates for this event have been changed from Sept. 24-26, 2012 to Feb. 11-13, 2013.
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Posted Aug 14, 2012
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Other News
Chronicle of Higher Ed Announces 'Great Colleges to Work For'
With categories including "diversity," "work/life balance" and "facilities, workspace and security," the Chronicle of Higher Education has released its fifth annual review of the Great Colleges to Work For. Nearly 47,000 employees evaluated their colleges in 12 categories, revealing, among many things, how important respect and appreciation are to employees. The 103 "best colleges in the country" are grouped as four-year or two-year institutions, and by enrollment size.
Cornell U Commits to Sustainable Seafood
The university has become the first Ivy League school to earn the Marine Stewardship Council’s Chain of Custody certification. The certificate attests that the fish stock used on campus comes from sustainable fisheries that are concerned with the marine ecosystem; and is supplied by processors and distributors that also have been checked out for sustainable sourcing practices.
Hartwick College Receives Watershed Education Grant
The Pine Lake Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Studies has received a three-year, $201,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to engage faculty and students in efforts to increase knowledge, understanding and action in order to protect and maintain the Upper Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds.
Lafayette College Launches 2 Environmental Studies Programs
As a result of an $800,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance environmental curriculum, the college will debut environmental studies and environmental science degree programs this fall. The college has created 12 new environmental courses that will address the scientific as well as social and ethical aspects of human interactions with the environment.
RIT to Create Green Office Supplies Research Hub
The new lab at the institute’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability will act as a research hub for the manufacturing of green office products and services. The institute will collaborate with Staples to find innovative solutions for product design, manufacturing and packaging that reduce environmental impacts.
Second Nature Names New President
David Hales, former president of the College of the Atlantic, has been named as the new president of Second Nature. Hales succeeds founding president Dr. Anthony Cortese. Second Nature provides program support for the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). “Tony Cortese and I share a commitment to a constructive transition to sustainable and just societies,” said Hales.
Southern Oregon U Receives Grant to Explore Biomass Generation
The $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow the university to determine the feasibility of using wood pellets, slash and other byproducts from nearby forests to generate heat and electricity on its Ashland campus. The study will also determine whether the recommended 1.2 megawatt biomass co-generation system will meet Department of Environmental Quality and other regulatory agency requirements. If built, the power plant could generate 100 percent of the current campus electrical need.
U California Berkeley Researchers Develop Low-Cost Solar Cells
The new technology allows low-cost, high-efficiency solar cells to be created from almost any type of semiconductor material. Through a process of chemical doping, abundant inexpensive materials that otherwise would not work well can be used to create solar cells.
U Hawaii Manoa Enters Power Purchase Agreement
The agreement signed between the university and SolarCity will provide renewable energy to the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology for the next 20 years. As part of the agreement, SolarCity has begun to install, and will own and maintain, a series of photovoltaic systems with the capacity to provide an estimated 25 percent of the institute’s energy needs, with 260 kilowatts of generation capacity. The project received financial support from the Center for a Sustainable Future, and is expected to provide up to $2.3 million in cost savings to the university.
U Louisville, City Officials Plant Downtown Green Roof
The green roof is among the sustainable features of the first building at Nucleus Innovation Park-Market Street, a subsidiary of the U Louisville Foundation. The park is expected to attract more jobs, research and innovation in lifelong wellness and aging-care services.
U Minnesota Assists Community with Sustainability Master Plan
The Central Minnesota Sustainable Development Plan targets affordable housing, broadband access, demographic shifts, economic development, education and workforce improvement, energy and transportation options, health care access and natural resource management.
U Southern California Plans Institute for State and Global Policy
Prioritizing education, energy and environment, fiscal and economic policy, health and human wellness, and political reform, the new Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy will focus on local and regional solutions to solving global problems. The institute is named after former California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who will serve as a professor and chairman of the board of advisers at the institute.
Bellevue College Implements Ride Share Program
The college has received a grant of $21,000 from King County Metro and $26,500 from the Washington State Department of Transportation to offer rideshare incentives to students and employees, and provide fare subsidies for commuter vanpools. The grants will also fund the launch of BC RideMatch, a website that will allow students, faculty and staff to connect with carpoolers.
Berea College Recognized for Lowest Tuition, Fees in U.S.
The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center, a resource that helps parents and prospective students learn about and compare college costs, has declared Berea College (KY) as the nation’s least expensive private college. The average tuition and fees at Berea College amount to $910 per academic year. The national average for the cost of tuition and fees is $21,949.
Berklee College of Music Creates Bike Pavilion
Features include parking for 75 bikes and charging stations for five electric scooters, as well as a repair station with an air pump and various tools. The facility is an attempt to protect the bikes from theft and to encourage alternative forms of transportation.
Catawba College Creates Clean Energy Revolving Fund
Over the next four years, the college will set aside $400,000 to provide the principal for a new green revolving fund that will loan money to finance on-campus investments in clean energy and efficiency projects. The college has also joined the Sustainable Endowments Institute's (SEI) Billion Dollar Green Challenge, which promotes turning energy efficiency projects into long-term financial investments.
CSU East Bay to Offer Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Two new charging stations will be installed as part of California State University, East Bay’s master plan to transition to more sustainable technologies. The university will also replace outdated parking lot pole units with more energy-efficient plasma lighting systems. The projects will receive funding through renewable energy grants.
Desert Research Institute Installs Solar Array
The institute, in partnership with Black Rock Solar, has constructed a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array to offset the energy costs of its laboratory facilities. The cost was fully subsidized by NV Energy’s Solar Generations Program. The institute has also partnered with the State Works Division and Hamilton Solar to construct a 365-kilowatt solar array on its Las Vegas campus.
Framingham State U Dorm Achieves LEED Gold
The 410-bed residence hall features ultra-high efficiency boilers, a geothermal heat pump system and a 20,000-gallon underground cistern that captures and diverts rainwater to irrigate the surrounding landscapes. Additional sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, a bottle filter station and rooftop ventilators that recover energy by taking heat out of the exhaust air to reheat the air coming in during the winter. One hundred percent of electricity consumed by the building is purchased from renewable sources.
Georgia NW Tech Launches Green Building Technician Program
With courses including "Energy Measures and Efficiency" and "Green Building Construction Techniques," students in this new program will be introduced to green building methods, energy efficient mechanical systems, energy monitoring and green building construction techniques.
Pratt Institute Students to Develop Green Roof
Graduate students in the institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development have presented concept proposals for a soon-to-be-built green roof on campus. Realized through $475,167 from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Green Infrastructure Grant Program, the roof will be located on a building that houses the campus cafeteria as well as classrooms, and will be planted with native species and monitored to measure stormwater management and energy efficiency benefits.
U Alaska Fairbanks to Unveil Sustainable Research Village
Starting this fall, student residents in the new four-bedroom units in UAF Sustainable Village, a community of four homes on the southern edge of campus, will commit to a low-impact lifestyle that includes recycling, conservation and using alternative transportation whenever possible. Researchers will monitor the energy use of various systems including an integrated heating and ventilation system, a solar hydronic system and a biomass stove. They will also study how foundations interact with permafrost and the economics of sustainable building. The university self-financed the $1 million project and will pay off construction costs with student rents.
U California Irvine Honored for Sustainable Facilities Management
The university has received APPA's inaugural Sustainability Award for Public Institutions, which is based on seven criteria: maintenance and operations, planning and construction, energy and utilities, educational curriculum and research, leadership and administration, sustainability indicators, and sustainability innovations. The university was recognized for its energy management and Smart Labs programs.
U Georgia Installs Pilot Solar Photovoltaic Modules
If the pilot installation atop the College of Environment and Design is successful in terms of clean energy efficiency, the university will consider further solar installations. Grants, student fees and a utility award from the university’s Facilities Management Division funded the project.
U Utah Debuts Sustainability Certificate Program
Due to increased student demand, the university is now offering an integrated certificate in sustainability for students in all majors starting this fall. Introductory courses include "Introduction to Environment and Sustainability" and "Foundations of Urban Ecology."
Central Connecticut State U Installs 1.4 MW Fuel Cell Power Plant
The university's new power plant is expected to reduce energy costs by $100,000 per year. The $9 million project was funded in part by $3.4 million provided by the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority. Greenwood Energy developed and financed the project, and will own the plant and sell power and steam to the university as part of a long-term energy purchase agreement.
Duke U Partners with ClimeCo to Offset Carbon Footprint
The university has purchased carbon credits from ClimeCo America Corporation. The credits are part of a fertilizer manufacturing nitrous oxide abatement project. This is the first purchase of offsets from a third party developer for the university. ClimeCo plans to invest proceeds from the university’s participation to fund its long-term goal of developing carbon-offset opportunities within the agricultural sector.
Florida Gulf Coast U Brings Car Sharing Program to Campus
The university has partnered with WeCar by Enterprise to offer an on-campus car sharing program for faculty, staff and students. The initiative will kick off with two vehicles and, if successful, the university plans to add additional cars to the program.
Harford CC Approves Power Purchase Agreement
The college has entered into a power purchase agreement with Tecta Solar that is expected to save the college more than $1 million in energy costs over 20 years. The company will install a solar energy system on campus and sell the panels to a third party, which would then sell the energy generated from the panels back to the college at a discounted rate. The project will provide a website that will allow faculty and students to monitor the energy generated.
Higher Ed Endowments Lagging in Sustainable Investments
Once a leader in adopting environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria in their investments, higher education endowments in the U.S. are now lagging behind mainstream institutional investors, reports a recent GreenBiz.com article. Informed by a new, joint report from the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute and Tellus Institute, the article says one indicator of the failure of college and university endowments to keep up is the absence of these institutions as signatories to key institutional networks like the United Nations' Principles for Responsible Investment and the Council of Institutional Investors. U.S. college and university endowments control more than $400 billion in combined assets.
McMaster U Wins Clean Air Commute
The university avoided the emission of 6.89 tons of pollutants during the week-long Clean Air Commute, taking the top spot for its size category among 180 workplaces in the challenge. Taking place across Ontario, the challenge encouraged the use of sustainable modes of transportation to work or school.
New Aspen Institute Data Addresses Low-Income Student Success
The Aspen Institute has published a data set tracking the performance of 120 community colleges it picked as finalists for the 2013 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. These finalists demonstrate strong performance and improvement in first-year retention rates; three-year graduation and transfer rates; and credentials awarded per 100 "full-time equivalent" students including underrepresented minority and low income students. The institute hopes the data can be used to learn what works best toward minority and low-income student success.
Oregon IT Students to Install Solar Systems in Tanzanian Villages
Ten students will travel to Tanzania to install solar energy systems for schools and hospitals as part of the Oregon Institute of Technology’s renewable energy engineering degree program. The project was launched in 2010 to provide energy to power lights that allow students to study after dark and medical professionals to perform surgery with adequate illumination.
Portland State U Students Build Prison Garden with Inmates
Students at the university recently worked side-by-side with the inmate gardeners to expand and plant a garden at Oregon’s only women’s prison. The project was part of a "Women’s Prison Gardens" capstone course, which focuses primarily on social justice, corrections and the impact of incarceration on families and communities.
Portland State U Unveils Public Research Garden
The university's new Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza, formerly an old metal security shed, will be used as a testing ground for designing and researching sustainable building materials and methods. The space will transform with each research project. Currently, the plaza features an experimental sloped green roof system and green walls equipped with solar-powered tools to monitor their potential for stormwater mitigation.
Southern Polytechnic State U Installs Solar Panels, Greenhouse
Two sets of solar panels have been installed to provide power to a new greenhouse that is expected to be complete by August. The project will provide the Alternative Energy Center and students with opportunities to collaborate. The solar panels were funded by a grant from the 2009 American Recovery and Investment Act on behalf of Marietta Power and Water, the local municipal utility.
Southwestern Illinois College Starts Green Transportation Program
In partnership with St. Clair County Transit District, the college will work to better incorporate the College MetroLink Station into the campus and surrounding community for improved alternative transportation options. A MetroBikeLink, a trail adjacent to the light rail tracks, will also be expanded and include a pedestrian bridge. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
U Buffalo Conducts Renewable Energy Education Outreach
Children in the university’s Child Care Center recently learned about renewable energy, art and sustainability with the campus' 3,200-panel photovoltaic solar array. The children participated in several activities including baking cookies in a solar oven. The university plans to hold more classes in the future.
U Kentucky Students Help Produce Biodiesel in Cameroon
Seven chemical and mechanical engineering students recently participated in a project to develop low-cost, environmentally friendly technologies to produce biodiesel for rural villagers in Cameroon, Africa. The students worked with the African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology to design a process using resources and materials readily available in the area. A 10-day trip to work with the local villagers in implementing and refining the design was the culmination of the year-long project.
U Louisville Launches Earn-A-Bike Program
Students, faculty and staff who agree to forfeit a parking pass as part of the university's new Earn-A-Bike program will receive a $400 voucher toward a new bike, helmet, U-lock or other bike-related products and services.
U Penn Faculty Receive Alternative Energy Research Grants
Five alternative energy research projects have received a total of $500,000 from the Energy Commercialization Institute. Projects include exploring thin-film ferroelectric semiconductors as a way to make solar cells more efficient, as well as easier and cheaper to produce; new ways to keep solar panels clean; and a prototype for energy storage technology.
U Texas El Paso to Develop Green Energy Manufacturing Courses
A $2.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant will fund a five-year collaboration between the university's Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering and Drexel University that will integrate green energy manufacturing courses into the curriculum at both universities. The courses will incorporate technology-based and real-world problem solving.
Western Carolina U Meets State Energy Reduction Goal
Working from a 2002-03 baseline, the university has reduced its energy consumption by 30 percent. The university credits its success to student involvement and energy-saving measures including taking older buildings offline and ensuring new construction employs high building standards and energy efficiency. These conservation efforts have resulted in $13.8 million in energy savings since 2002-03. As mandated by the state, all universities in the University of North Carolina system are required to meet this goal by 2015.
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Installs Solar Array
The college, in partnership with New Richmond Utilities and WPPI Energy, has installed a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system. The project is expected to save approximately $650 annually and will provide educational opportunities for students in the Industrial Automation and Controls Networking program.
8 Institutions Pilot UN Global Compact Reporting Process
(Worldwide): In addition to signing the Rio + 20 sustainability declaration, the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo is one of eight universities from seven countries piloting the use of the Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions. The Global Compact is a call for institutions and corporations to voluntarily align their operations and strategies with 10 universally- accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Also using the guide and recommended reporting process are Bentley University (Massachusetts), Educatis University (Switzerland), Euromed Management (France), Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), La Trobe University (Australia), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and Université Laval (Canada).
Auburn U Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles
(U.S.): Facilities Management, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, has funded a pilot project for the installation of 24 solar panels atop the stadium parking deck. The solar system is designed to offset the energy used for 10 electric charging stations that have been installed on the lower level of the parking deck. The system is also expected to offset the energy to power lighting when the charging stations are not in use.
