La Trobe, Melbourne U Students Help Farmers with Sustainability
Australian students from La Trobe University and Melbourne University have traveled to Indonesia to work with farmers. The program links institutions and growers to help improve the sustainability of agricultural practices. The students held meetings with area farmers to talk about sustainable practices including storage, use of chemicals and diversifying crops.
London Metropolitan U Students Build Solar Decathlon Home
London Metropolitan University (United Kingdom) students have created an energy-efficient home for the 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe competition. Using techniques in digital design and manufacturing, the team of students designed a home to demonstrate the technology available in today’s market that offers a new way of sustainable living. The curved design has been specifically configured to work with its surrounding environment to reduce its energy consumption. Photovoltaic panels to power the home are being placed using precise solar data and parametric techniques to optimize energy generation.
Monash U Produces Video: 5 Green Actions for Students
Monash University (Australia) has released a video to encourage students to foster sustainability on campus with five green actions. The video encourages students to turn off lights - which account for 25 percent of the university's total electricity - when not in use; eat green through its Health Smart Earth Smart program; take the university's environmental pledge, signed by nearly 6,000 students and staff since its debut in 2010; use sustainable transport; and recycle to further increase the campus recycling rate, which jumped from 15 percent to 30 percent in the past year.
Nanyang Technical U to Create New Solar and Clean Energy Center
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) has announced plans to invest close to $3 million over three years in a new research center that will pioneer the development of solar cells that are expected to be highly efficient, cheaper and easier to manufacture. The center will also develop new systems to harvest solar energy. The center will operate jointly with the university’s School of Materials Science and Engineering and School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
New Australian National U Website Promotes Urban Biodiversity
Australian National University has developed a new website, Life in the Suburbs, to teach local residents how to maintain urban biodiversity and improve species habitat for local birds and animals. Stemming from a recent comprehensive ecological survey of Sullivans Creek, which revealed the role that urban landscapes have in providing living spaces for local species, the website shows residents how to best share their suburban spaces with the species that can be found there. The site includes guidelines for managing urban habitat, steps to reduce human-induced threats to urban biodiversity and practical guidelines for developing habitat gardens and landscapes.
Newman U College Earns Sustainable Campus Award
Newman University College (United Kingdom) has received a silver award from EcoCampus, praising its commitment to achieving an environmentally sustainable campus. The award follows the university’s redevelopment of its campus, which is designed to improve the environment and facilities for students, staff and the local community. The award recognizes universities that address key issues of environmental sustainability and provides tools to help them move further towards environmental sustainability through operational and management practices.
Otago Polytechnic Offers Graduate Degree in Sustainable Practice
Otago Polytechnic's (New Zealand) Centre for Sustainable Practices has begun offering a new graduate diploma in sustainable practice. The program offers students hands-on learning experience with the chance to participate in the development of projects with local businesses. The university also offers a certificate in sustainable practice.
Otago Polytechnic Releases New Sustainability Report
Otago Polytechnic (New Zealand) has released its 2010 sustainability report. While the previous report gave an overview of the financial situation on campus, the university reports on its environmental, social, political and economic sustainability progress in the latest version.
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne Students Plan to Green Campus
Students at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) have announced plans to help make the campus become more sustainable. Doctorate students will focus on transportation, water, alternative energy and urban planning. The students will also work alongside local businesses to improve infrastructure and environmental practices in the community.
RIT Dubai Studies Residential Energy Efficiency
A Rochester Institute of Technology researcher at RIT Dubai (United Arab Emirates) is exploring ways to make residential homes in Dubai and other hot climates more energy efficient. The project, which was recently awarded $27,000 from the Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy, will include local field studies of residential villas and explore energy-saving alternatives in both the design and post-occupancy stages. Researchers will measure the effects of factors such as shading options, insulation, roof treatments, windows and ventilation. The findings will be reported publicly online. The United Arab Emirates has one of the highest per capita energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission rates, according to the lead professor on the project, adding to the urgency for renewable energy sources and energy conservation in a climate that requires significant cooling through much of the year.
Taiwan Normal U Hosts U California Santa Cruz Delegation
Taiwan Normal University recently invited a delegation from the University of California, Santa Cruz to lead a two-day workshop on its campus. The conference covered topics including energy efficiency and sustainable food systems at the Santa Cruz campus and the University of California system. Speakers placed a special focus on student engagement in Taiwan. The conference was initiated by Taiwan Normal University's Graduate Institute of Environmental Education director, who visited the Santa Cruz campus to learn about the campus' sustainability initiatives and then invited the delegation to Taiwan to engage with a wider audience. Plans to extend the partnership beyond the trip include setting up regular videoconferences between University of California, Santa Cruz and Taiwanese sustainability student leaders to share project ideas and feedback.
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Posted Aug 1, 2011
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Other News
U Adelaide Earns National Recognition for Sustainability Efforts
The University of Adelaide (Australia) has been awarded a Sustainability Licence from South Australia's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in recognition of its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment. As part of its commitment to sustainability, the university has established an 'Ecoversity' initiative to tackle environmental sustainability campus-wide; worked to reduce water consumption; accomplished waste reduction and improved recycling; established an 'Ecoleader' program and student internship program that address water, waste and energy management; and developed a web-based sustainability management and reporting tool to manage energy, carbon and environmental performance.
U Edinburgh Students Help Businesses Reduce Carbon Footprint
University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) students have begun to measure the carbon footprints of businesses. The project seeks to offer businesses with the knowledge needed to manage their energy use and provide students with practical knowledge and hands-on experience. Initial figures show that the project, involving eight businesses from a range of sectors, has achieved a combined carbon emissions savings of more than 600 tons. The initiative is a partnership between the university, Prince’s Mayday Network and the Carbon Trust, and is coordinated by the Scottish Business in the Community.
U Exeter to Launch Environment and Sustainability Institute
The University of Exeter (United Kingdom) has announced a new Environment and Sustainability Institute, set to open in October 2012. The institute will focus on clean technologies, natural environment, and social science and sustainability. The institute will engage with businesses in Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond to translate its research across these themes into business practice, products and services. More than 100 business representatives met with the university recently to discuss how together they can build an environmental knowledge economy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
U Hong Kong Releases Sustainability Report, New Website
The University of Hong Kong has released a new online sustainability report that details its sustainability efforts in the areas of teaching and learning, research and knowledge exchange, and awareness and outreach. The report also highlights its Campus Master Plan and the Centennial Campus development, designed to embody issues including the optimum use of land, space and the built environment, environmental sustainability, community integration, access and circulation by pedestrians and vehicles, IT infrastructure and advanced building services systems. In related news, the university has also launched several new online tools to help connect and organize the campus sustainability community and efforts, including a new website and Facebook page. The website provides information on a wide range of programs in research and teaching, sustainable campus management, student activities, governance, and local and international outreach.
UK Students See Sustainability Curriculum as Essential
A new research report by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) reveals that freshman students believe their university should be responsible for actively incorporating and promoting sustainable development to prepare students for the workforce. The online survey of more than 5,760 first-year students in the United Kingdom shows that more than 80 percent of respondents believe sustainability skills are important to their future employers and that employers anticipate a need to employ staff with these skills. The survey also revealed that 65 percent of respondents believe that sustainability skills should be delivered throughout the curriculum rather than through a separate module and 63 percent are prepared to sacrifice £1,000 in salary to work for a sustainably aware company. With increasing tuition fees on the horizon, the report aims to provide higher education institutions with timely information on the expectations of current students and give insight into students' decision-making processes on where to study. The research highlights a range of recommendations targeting administrations, academic staff, government officials, student union representatives and funding councils.
U St Andrews Plans 12MW Wind Farm
The University of St Andrews (United Kingdom) has revealed plans to install six wind turbines totaling 12 megawatts to limit its "spiraling" energy bills, which have tripled to £5.4 million a year. The plan follows three years of research, which revealed that wind turbines could potentially generate enough electricity to meet the needs of the energy-intensive science department, as well as the rest of the institution's electricity demand.
U Tampere Students Pilot Endangered Lichen Green Roof Project
Students at the University of Tampere, known as the first and only fair trade campus in Finland, are pioneering a green roof project to promote the growth of endangered lichen and mosses on limestone beds. The project is an effort to preserve a threatened habitat in Finland, as the majority of limestone beds have been mined for fertilizer.
U Tokyo Leads Energy Efficiency Efforts After Japan Earthquake
In the wake of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami in March, Tokyo universities are facing a government demand for a 15 percent cut in electricity use, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Classroom temperatures are set at 82 degrees Fahrenheit and many have ended classes early to avoid the summer months. As one of the 10 largest consumers of electricity in the capital, the University of Tokyo has claimed to have shaved 350,000 kilowatts of electricity a day off its bill at its five campuses and aims to double the government target of 15 percent cuts in electricity use to 30 percent. The university's executive vice president sees the changes as an opportunity to transform the nature of the campus: "It's about aggregating small changes to change a system that has been plagued by inertia. If successful, we could be used as a model for other universities."
U Western Sydney Partners for Campus Sustainability Portal
The University of Western Sydney has partnered with the Australian Learning and Teaching Council to debut an online resource guide that compiles a national collection of resources, teaching tips and courses related to sustainability in higher education.
Venezuelan Indigenous U Preserves Tribal Customs Amid Modernity
Venezuelan Indigenous University, founded seven years ago, is set to be incorporated into the national higher education system this year, according to a recent story by Reuters. With 100 students drawn from many of the Venezuela's 44 recognized tribes, the university teaches ancient customs alongside modern law and technology. The goal of the university is to create leaders who can defend tribal land rights and prevent modernity from destroying thousands of years of knowledge about forest and river life. Students and teachers are also creating oral histories from elders that may otherwise vanish. The article highlights one recent graduate who, after graduation, helped pipe clean water from a mountain spring into village homes.
2 Wake Forest U Buildings Awarded LEED Gold
Wake Forest University (NC) has achieved LEED Gold status with its new Welcome Center. Sustainable features of the building include low-VOC materials used throughout the interior of the space; regionally sourced materials; Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood; repurposed materials; and nearly 90 percent of the waste generated during construction was diverted from the landfill for recycling. The university's newest residence hall was also awarded LEED Gold certification.
Antioch U New England Reduces Campus Electricity Use by 34%
The Sustainability and Social Justice Committee at Antioch University New England (NH) has announced that its Green Guru workspace energy efficiency initiative has resulted in a 34 percent cumulative reduction in electricity used during fiscal years 2007-2010 compared to peak electricity usage in fiscal year 2006. This savings represents 186 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided and an estimated savings of $35,371 in electricity bills. The outreach initiative, launched a few years ago as part of the Carbon Counts: You Can Too campaign aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2020, targets individual behavior and provides energy-saving tips.
Arizona State U Implements Green Labs Program
In an effort to make its more than 1,200 laboratories more sustainable and cost effective, Arizona State University has established a Green Labs program. The self-assessment certification process includes goals for energy and resource conservation, waste reduction, idea sharing and collaboration, training and awareness, and chemical sharing and alternatives.
Arizona State U Research: Employers Favor Sustainability Skills
Recent research from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University shows that a considerable percentage of employers are giving positive weight to job candidates with sustainability skills. The same research indicated that job applicants also need professional training in existing fields to push them over the top in the hiring process. An analysis of about 100 job postings related to sustainability, interviews with several corporate sustainability managers, and a survey of about 200 managers and executives from small, medium and large companies revealed that 65 percent of small company respondents said they would consider a sustainability concentration when making a hiring decision; 87 percent of the large firm respondents agreed; and 97.5 percent of the large firm executives said they valued the concentration. Participants said that corporate social responsibility, sustainability strategy, measuring sustainability, sustainability-related product and process improvement, and environmental and health policy as it relates to business should be taught to all managers and executives.
Blackfeet CC Tribal Building Earns LEED Platinum
Blackfeet Community College’s (MT) new math and science building has been awarded LEED Platinum certification. The $5 million, 13,000-square-foot building has increased energy efficiency by 57 percent compared to minimum standards. Sustainable features include passive solar design, insulated glass, computer-controlled heating, low-flow plumbing fixtures and minimal pollutants in cabinetry and finishes. The college also diverted 83 percent of construction waste from the landfill.
College Leaders, Students, Senators Rally to Save Pell Grants
Inside Higher Ed has reported that eight college presidents joined student activists and two U.S. senators at a rally on Capitol Hill recently to protest Congressional Republicans' proposals to cut Pell Grants in deficit reduction talks. Public research institutions have a lot to lose if Pell is cut next year, says the article, because large percentages of their students rely on grants. A proposal for the upcoming fiscal year would reduce the maximum award by $845 and render 1.7 million current students ineligible to receive the grants.
College of the Canyons to Debut Solar Energy Certificate
College of the Canyons (CA) has announced plans to offer solar and other alternative energy courses this fall. The college’s solar energy technician certificate program will include "Introduction to Energy Technology," "Solar Photovoltaic Systems" and "Solar Thermal Systems." College officials are currently in the process of developing additional solar technology and energy program options in the areas of photovoltaic sales and customer service, weatherization and energy-efficient technology, energy code compliance and energy auditing.
DePaul U Debuts Eco Friendly Art Museum
DePaul University (IL) has applied for LEED Silver certification for its new $7.8 million art museum. The 15,200-square-foot building was designed to incorporate a variety of energy-efficient features including a green roof, reflective roof coatings, proximity to public transportation, water-efficient landscaping, stormwater system design and energy-efficient heating, cooling and ventilation. The museum will open to the public in September.
Indiana U Creates Pilot Campus Community Garden
Indiana University Bloomington has created a 900-square-foot community garden on campus. The campus garden initiative aims to foster environmental and social sustainability by creating interactive, edible gardening spaces. By modeling different ways to produce food in a campus setting, the garden will serve as a pilot for future gardening projects. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to engage in the process of growing food.
Kansas State U Students Research Ways to Increase Recycling Rates
Students at Kansas State University have conducted research on ways to improve campus recycling rates. The group collected data and compiled statistics for the university’s recycling committee. The research, coupled with surveys of students, faculty and staff, suggested that single-stream recycling could be more effective.
Lewis U Offers Renewable Energy Training to Teachers
With a $160,000 grant from the state, Lewis University (IL) recently held a two-week workshop on green and renewable energy for teachers. The workshop combines lectures, videos, field trips, computer exercises, hands-on experiments and ongoing self-guided action research projects. The goal is for the first-year participants to serve as mentors regarding renewable energy education to others in their schools.
Middlebury College Diverts Used Astroturf from Landfill
Middlebury College (VT) has begun replacing 95,000 square feet of Astroturf that covered the field hockey course. To avoid sending the Astroturf to the landfill, a large portion of the turf will be donated to the community’s recreation center to be used for miniature golf courses. The rest of the carpet will be sent to Georgia to be used in various recreational facilities.
Molloy College Offers Green Building Design Training
Molloy College (NY) has announced that it will offer green building and design training programs. The college has teamed up with Forever Green Training and Sustainable Design to offer courses that will prepare students for LEED accreditation. The new offerings include two LEED Green Associate Plus certificate programs and a Principles of Sustainable Design.
North Dakota State College of Science Earns LEED Certification
The renovation to the 75-year-old North Dakota State College of Science’s Horton Hall has earned LEED certification. The building’s certification was based on a number of sustainable design and construction features including passive solar design, high performance glazing, improved insulation, solar thermal hot water, low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient lighting. The university system has also adopted an integrated green building education program.
Pomona College Announces Plans for Pedestrian Friendly Campus
With the recent opening of its new South Campus Athletic Field and Parking Structure, Pomona College (CA) has announced steps toward a more pedestrian friendly campus by allowing the closure of several parking areas scattered throughout the campus. The new two-story building, topped by a soccer and lacrosse field, will provide parking for more than 600 vehicles and free up more green space on campus. The parking structure also features sustainable elements including LimeLight, a wireless lighting control system that senses motion; solar PV arrays on the athletic field that will provide shade for spectators and should provide much of the electricity needed for the structure; high-efficiency restroom plumbing fixtures and irrigation equipment; drought-resistant native landscaping; six electric vehicle charging stations; bike racks; and priority parking for carpools.
Rock Valley College Science Center Pursues LEED Gold
Rock Valley College (IL) is preparing to open its newest green building, the 106,000-square-foot Center for Science and Math. Designed to meet LEED Gold standards, the college has implemented numerous strategies to reduce the energy consumption of its new facility. Sustainable features include passive solar design, a closed loop geothermal system, chill beam cooling system and solar panels.
Southern Connecticut State U 'Plants it Forward'
Southern Connecticut State University has announced its Sustainable Southern-Plant it Forward Initiative. The urban farm project will expand its existing campus organic garden to include orchards and a vineyard, along with a new greenhouse, outdoor classroom and apiary. The orchard portion of the project will focus on growing more fruits in less space as the percentage of people living in urban environments is expected to grow locally and globally. Students from various courses and programs will have access to the orchard trees, garden and eventually the greenhouse for hands-on experience. The initiative will also include reaching out to the local community to teach, support and encourage local residents to grow their own food in their backyards.
Southwestern College Installs Wind Turbine
Southwestern College (KS) has begun installing a wind turbine on its campus. The college plans to use the turbine to teach students and the community about wind energy and sustainability. The turbine is expected to produce 400 kilowatts of energy per month.
U British Columbia Researches How to Make Green Roofs Greener
A student and professor at the University of British Columbia have partnered to research ways to make green roofs even more environmentally friendly by using construction waste. The team is researching how to recycle waste building materials to form the base layers of a green roof. Currently, materials for the base layers are made out of plastic and it takes 25 years to compensate for the environmental damage caused from making the plastics contained in the roof laying material. The team is monitoring several green roof plant beds on campus that were donated and comparing the results of the manufactured material against a green roof constructed using discarded, crushed concrete as drainage material. The progress and results of the experiment will be monitored for a full year.
U Guelph to Debut Produce Processing Room
The University of Guelph (ON) is finalizing plans to build a produce processing room on campus, which will allow for the preparation of more vegetables procured from local farmers and suppliers. Since 2009, the university has doubled its purchases from a local produce auction and as a result about 45 percent of produce is local. The university aims to grow this percent as the on-campus processing capacity increases.
U Minnesota Building Earns EPA Energy Star Rating
The University of Minnesota's Donhowe Building on the Twin Cities campus is the first University of Minnesota campus building to receive an Energy Star Building rating by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The building earned a rating of 90, putting it in the top 10 percent of buildings around the country. The building's high energy efficiency is the result of a 2009 recommissioning project by the university's Energy Management group.
U Minnesota Partners with Neighborhood to Reduce Waste
The University of Minnesota's ReUse Center partnered with the Southeast Como Neighborhood Improvement Association for the recent Move In/Move Out (MIMO) Free Store. This year's effort attracted more than 800 shoppers and diverted more than 6,000 pounds of goods from the landfill this year. The store, which runs at the end of spring semester and the beginning of fall semester, encourages students and the community to donate household goods like tables, chairs and bookcases instead of throwing them away.
U Mississippi Launches Car Sharing Option on Campus
The University of Mississippi has announced that it will offer the Zipcar car-sharing service on campus. Registration will be available in mid-August for all students, faculty and staff ages 18 and older, as well as to members of the local community ages 21 and older. The university has also partnered with Zimride, a private online social networking site devoted to establishing rides. Free to the university community, the site allows users to connect with others who are looking to carpool in the area. In addition to Zipcar and Zimride, students can take the Oxford-University Transit system free of charge and rent bikes from the university's Rebel Pedals program.
Villanova U Announces Pedestrian Friendly Campus Renovations
Villanova University (PA) has announced a $15 million renovation to its campus that will reduce vehicle access and increase pedestrian friendliness. The transformation will be implemented this summer and the following two summers with a majority of the renovations affecting the inner campus. The first phase, currently underway, will change the roadways on campus and limit vehicle traffic to be more friendly to pedestrians. Students and staff participated in focus groups to direct the "Transformation of the Campus Landscape" initiative.
Wilfrid Laurier U, Ghana Partner for Curriculum Exchange
In an effort to strengthen its academic program in the areas of global citizenship and social justice, Wilfrid Laurier University (ON) has announced a teleconferencing curriculum initiative with Ghana. Part of the university's Global Studies and Human Rights and Human Diversity departments, the initiative will deliver courses jointly to students from the university and Ghana's Ashesi University via video conferencing. Twenty-three Wilfrid Laurier students will also receive funding for internships in Ghana, and four graduate students from Ghana's University of Cape Coast will receive internships to study at Wilfrid Laurier. The program is funded by a $264,000 four-year grant through the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada through its Students for Development program.
Alfred State College Announces Sustainable Agriculture Center
Alfred State College (NY) has converted 225 acres of farmland adjacent to the campus to certified organic hay and pasture production for its Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture. An effort to introduce organic farming to the agriculture program, the center acquired 300 acres of land to be used for crops, promoting sustainable and innovative agricultural techniques. The project received a $4.9 million grant from New York State and additional funding from local companies and college alumni.
Bucknell U Partners with Local Farm for Composting Operation
Bucknell University’s (PA) Dining Services has partnered with Rowse Howse Farms to launch a composting operation. The local farm has agreed to collect the ground-up remains of vegetables, fruit, meat, pizza crusts, unbleached napkins and other biodegradable waste at no cost to the university. Nearly 850 pounds a day of compost material will be collected and taken to a composting operation at the 10-acre farm.
Chatham U Hires 4 New Sustainability Faculty
Chatham University (PA) has announced four new faculty appointments to its School of Sustainability and the Environment (SSE). Founded in 2009, the SSE is a transdisciplinary academic institution that provides sustainable answers to today's regional, national and global social, economic and environmental concerns. The faculty will take the lead in developing SSE's new sustainability master's program and online certificate in sustainable management, both of which launch in 2012.
Gwinnett Technical College Offers New Green Programs
Gwinnett Technical College (GA) has begun offering a variety of courses, seminars and workshops on energy conservation, sustainability and green building practices for business professionals in construction and related fields. The college will also offer the nationally recognized Building Operator Certification course that promotes the use of energy management resources to improve a facility’s energy efficiency. The institution was also recently honored with the Green Reach Award for its efforts to provide a sustainability-focused curriculum.
