U Memphis Employees, Students Call for Living Wages
Joined by Tennessee state Rep. Jeanne Richardson of Memphis, University of Memphis faculty, staff and students recently held a vigil with local faith leaders and elected officials for increased wages. A study by the university’s professor emeritus of economics determined that a living wage - the pay required for a household to "live a minimally decent life" - in Memphis is $11.62 per hour. University employees have not received a wage increase in four years, and in some instances, employees of over 20 years are still making $7.50 an hour. The vigil was an effort to raise awareness to introduce the issue to Tennessee’s state legislation.
U Minnesota Morris Unveils Healthy Eating Project
The Morris Healthy Eating Project, a University of Minnesota, Morris-based program, has announced plans to launch a campaign to make locally grown fruits and vegetables and other healthy food options the easy choice on campus and in the community. With obesity rates rising in Minnesota and on campus, the project conducted a food assessment that shows access to fresh fruits and vegetables is lacking at their campus. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota estimates that obesity-related health conditions could cost the state $3.7 billion by 2020. The 95-page assessment outlines the Morris Healthy Eating Project’s vision for a healthier community.
U Toledo Installs Electric Vehicle Charge Stations
The University of Toledo (OH) has installed three electric vehicle chargers. The charge stations use technology that debuted last year including General Electric Co.’s smart meters and Juice Technologies’ Plug Smart engine. The university's decision to implement charging stations is in anticipation of the university community's purchase of electric vehicles as electric cars gain traction with national automakers.
U Utah Scientists Implement Ice Ball System for Air Conditioning
Scientists at the University of Utah have installed an experimental system on campus that will store winter cold underground in a giant ball of ice to use as air conditioning in the summer. A team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering created a system of 19 connected vertical pipes that extend 50 feet into the ground. The pipes will circulate a refrigerant that when exposed to the winter air, will become chilled. As it goes back into the ground, it's expected to freeze moisture in the soil, creating a ball of underground ice about 35 feet in diameter. In the summer, the refrigerant will be pumped up to the building's air-conditioning system to cool the building as the ice ball melts. The university expects the $20,000 installation to pay for itself in reduced energy bills within two years if used on a building with a high demand for cooling.
U Washington Approves $78K Proposal to Expand Campus Farm
The Campus Sustainability Fund committee at the University of Washington voted unanimously to approve a $78,306 proposal to expand the campus farm. A part of the funding will initially fund student internships, but over time, the farm director says the university hopes that profits will pay for student interns. Another portion of the funding will purchase an additional acre to increase production. The farm also plans to increase its capacity to engage students with experiential learning, academic credit and food.
Allegheny College Residence Hall Achieves LEED Gold
Allegheny College (PA) has received LEED Gold certification for its North Village II residence hall, which opened in fall 2010 and houses 230 students. Sustainable building strategies include Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood, construction materials with high recycled content that were produced within 500 miles of the building site, open spaces with vegetation to reduce water run-off, an energy-efficient heating and cooling system fed by on-site geothermal wells and energy-saving motors in all mechanical equipment.
Brandeis U Funds Green Student Initiatives
Five student-initiated sustainability ideas at Brandeis University (MA) have been awarded financing through the university's new Sustainability Fund. The fund was established last year by a campus-wide referendum that received the required two-thirds student votes. The vote authorized an increase of $15 a year in student activity fees to be dedicated to student-proposed environmentally friendly projects. The $47,000 collected this year will be spent on Smart Meters to monitor electricity use at select campus buildings; cold frames to increase the size and utility of the campus garden; the installation of a micro-turbine to be part of an energy-efficient lighting pole system; an extension of the campus bike program to allow for semester-long rentals and the expansion of the bike repair shop; and the installation of vermiculture bins in a residence hall.
Clatsop CC Installs Solar Panels
Clatsop Community College’s (OR) Towler Hall can now generate 42.5 kilowatts of its own energy with the recent installation of rooftop solar panels. Through its Power Purchase Agreement with SolarCity, the college is able to purchase power generated by the panels to service Towler Hall. If the panels produce more than Towler Hall consumes, the solar provider will pay the college for the energy it produces. The college will monitor the energy production of the solar panels on its website.
College of Southern Idaho Receives $4.4 Mil for Alt Energy Center
The College of Southern Idaho will receive a $4.4 million federal grant for its planned Applied Technology and Innovation Center. With the objective to train Idaho's growing alternative energy sector workforce, the 29,600-square-foot center will feature solar photovoltaic and wind energy components, exposed mechanical systems, geothermal heat, and measurement and verification equipment to be used in its curriculum.
Columbia U Alumni Center Earns LEED Gold
Columbia University's (NY) McVickar Hall, home to the university's Alumni Center, has earned LEED Gold certification. Historically preserved, sustainable features of the 1908 building include a recycled heating system, water filtration system and lighting that automatically adjusts to natural light and uses occupancy sensors to maximize energy efficiency.
Coppin State U Develops 500 kW Solar Installation
Coppin State University (MD) has initiated a contract with Constellation Energy that will produce 500 kilowatts of on-site solar power for the university. The energy products supplier will own, operate and finance the project, which, in turn, will produce electricity that the university will purchase at a reduced rate over a 20-year period. Approximately 2,040 roof-mounted crystal photovoltaic panels will supply more than 600,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Production is scheduled to begin in spring 2011.
Higher Ed Research Examines Viability of Renewable Energy Future
The complete world switch to power from only the wind, sun, waves and heat from the Earth in a matter of a few decades is both possible and affordable, say two researchers from the University of California, Davis and Stanford University (CA) who are profiled in a recent National Geographic News special series. Their study tallies the build-out that would be required to supply renewable energy for all the world's factories, homes and offices, as well as cars, planes and ships. Some estimations toward 100 percent renewable energy include four million, five-megawatt wind turbines and 90,000 large-scale solar plants for which, the pair says, there is no significant economic or environmental constraints on the production of the bulk materials like concrete and steel that this would require. The main bottleneck could be the production of rare earth materials like neodymium for which the worldwide production would have to more than quintuple. However, the researchers suggest the recycling of rare earth metals. No such recycling program exists today, says the article.
Iowa State U Students Open Campus Food Pantry
Students at Iowa State University have launched a campus food pantry that evolved from a fall semester learning community project that looked at food assistance needs in their community. After volunteering at local food pantries to learn more about who is using them and who is not, the students found that college students are not using food assistance programs in noticeable numbers even at a time that the number of federal, need-based financial aid recipients at Iowa State rose from about 4,300 in the 2008-2009 school year to 5,300 in 2009-2010. Between 20 and 30 students have joined the new student organization that will oversee the SHOP (Students Helping Our Peers), which will be stocked with donations.
New York U Power Plant Featured in NY Times Green Blog
The $125 million effort to open a natural gas power plant on the New York University campus was recently profiled in The New York Times' Green blog. The plant, now in the final stages of development, will provide electricity for the university's lights, elevators and computers, and steam for heating and cooling water. At nearly 90 percent efficiency, the new plant gets almost three times as much useful energy out of a unit of fuel as a typical utility power plant does and its carbon dioxide output is 23 percent smaller than the university's old system. While the university has been generating its own electricity since the 1970s, the switch to natural gas was spurred by air pollution regulators that told the university that it must reduce emissions of the conventional pollutants that resulted from its old power plant.
North Carolina State U, Meredith College Partner with Zipcar
North Carolina State University and Meredith College (NC) have partnered with Zipcar, Inc. to provide both campuses with the car sharing service. The alternative transportation option will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to faculty, staff and students at both campuses for $8 per hour and $66 per day with a $35 annual membership fee. Four Zipcars will be located on the North Carolina State University campus and two cars available on the Meredith College campus. Members of either campus will have access to cars at both locations.
NY Times Profiles Social Entrepreneurship in Higher Education
"Today's business students are far more socially aware than their predecessors," Hult International Business School's London president Stephen Hodges tells The New York Times in a recent article. The school's plan to debut a new master's degree in social entrepreneurship at its London location in September 2011 is the focus of the article that reveals student interest as the motivation behind expanded social enterprise business curriculum. While the article names a number of American universities that offer social entrepreneurship programs, London's School for Social Entrepreneurs' director of policy, Nick Temple, says that he is concerned that social entrepreneurship education in the U.S. seems to be embedded in universities: "...we feel that social justice is also about addressing inequalities. If you're limiting yourself to people who've passed exams or can afford the cost of private university fees you limit yourself to a relatively small pool."
Oklahoma State U Transportation Converts Buses to Natural Gas
With money from a federal grant, the Department of Parking and Transit Services at Oklahoma State University recently converted 18 buses to run on compressed natural gas. A natural gas station recently opened near campus and the university plans to convert more vehicles to natural gas in the future.
Owens CC Introduces Alternative Energy Degree
Owens Community College (OH) has announced its new Alternative Energy and Sustainable Systems Technology Program, which will offer an associate degree in alternative energy. Students enrolled in the program will use the campus' wind turbine, solar panels and geothermal heating systems to learn the technology behind alternative energy sources.
Pennsylvania State U to Transition from Coal to Natural Gas
The Board of Trustees at Pennsylvania State University has approved a plan to convert its coal plant to natural gas, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. Because forthcoming federal regulations on coal burning would have required expensive upgrades and the expectation that coal emissions could be subject to stricter regulations in the future, the university will spend $25 to $35 million on the conversion. Cornell University (NY), Duke University (NC) and the University of North Carolina are also among the major institutions that have started switching to natural gas.
Renewable Energy Trade School Opens Doors of New Campus
The Ecotech Institute (CO), a trade school focused entirely on renewable energy, sustainable design and green technology recently welcomed about 200 students to its new campus. The 620,000-square-foot campus, which features photovoltaic solar panels, wind turbines and motion-triggered light controls, is offering two-year associate degrees in electrical engineering technology, energy and environmental paralegal, energy efficiency, environmental technology, renewable energy technology, solar energy technology and wind energy technology, as well as a certificate program in sustainable interior design.
San Francisco State U Debuts Center for Sustainable Business
San Francisco State University's (CA) College of Business has launched the Center for Ethical and Sustainable Business, a clearinghouse for sustainable and ethical business education that will incorporate research and expertise from disciplines across the college. The center will work to build long-term partnerships with local organizations and businesses interested in ethical and sustainable business practices and help facilitate career opportunities for the university's graduate business students, among other efforts.
Sterling College Launches Farm-to-Table Curriculum
Sterling College (VT) will launch a new academic farm-to-table food studies program in summer 2011. "Vermont's Table: Farming, Cooking and the Rural Experience" will expose students to Vermont's farms, cheesemakers and agricultural businesses including the opportunity to shadow agricultural students on the campus farm. Students will also receive culinary training using locally sourced ingredients during the five-week sessions. Courses include "Whole Farm Thinking" and "Farm-Scale Production of Value-Added Products."
Students Initiate Compost Program at Auraria Higher Ed Center
Members of the student group Compost Auraria have recently expanded composting outreach efforts at the Auraria Higher Education Center in Colorado, home to the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and The University of Colorado at Denver. As part of the new student fee-funded campaign "Auraria Composts!" the group has placed composting bins in the food court of the center's Tivoli Student Union. In an effort to change the habits of their classmates, Compost Auraria members are standing near the bins to personally talk with students about how composting food waste, paper and napkins can create fertilizer, conserve irrigated water and prevent the erosion of soils.
U Arizona Supports Local Homeowner Water Conservation Program
The University of Arizona's Water Resources Research Center is backing a new water conservation program. Conserve to Enhance, also known as C2E, plans to offer $500-$1,000 subsidies to help local homeowners install 2,400-gallon cisterns to harvest rainwater. The university is reviewing applications to determine whether applicants qualify for these subsidies. The pilot program is looking for ways to engage the university's Campus Sustainability Group in the near future.
U California Santa Barbara Sends Solar Lamps to Ghana, Haiti
Engineers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have partnered with nonprofits to send solar-powered LED lights to thousands of people in Ghana, Haiti and other developing countries without plentiful electricity by the end of this year. Spearheaded by the director of the university's Institute for Energy Efficiency, the project received $19 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
U Chicago Institutes Policy on Bottled Water
The University of Chicago's (IL) Facilities Services has implemented a policy on bottled water that eliminates plastic water bottles in Facilities Services buildings, meetings and events. Instead, the department is providing reusable pitchers, cups and trays for serving water at meetings and events, and supplying each staff member with a reusable aluminum water bottle. The department will also promote the continued installation of water bottle filling stations in all Facilities staff locations.
U Oklahoma Establishes New Water and Sustainability Institute
The University of Oklahoma has announced plans to establish an Institute for Water and Sustainability. Funded by a $2 million gift from Corix, the institute will include the new Oklahoma Water Survey, patterned on the Oklahoma Geological Survey, which is also housed at the university. The institute will also consist of the Water Technologies for Emerging Regions Center and a future program focused on water and sustainability in critical regions. The university plans to begin its search for the institute's leader immediately.
U Wisconsin Madison Exceeds Energy Conservation Goals
The University of Wisconsin, Madison has announced its achievement of a 25 percent annual energy reduction relative to 2006 levels as a result of its We Conserve campaign. Implemented in April 2006, the environmental stewardship program has exceeded its goal of a 20 percent annual energy reduction by 2010. The program tackled projects like updates in heating and cooling systems, lighting upgrades in buildings and parking ramps and the retro-commissioning of older campus buildings. The university will now shift its focus to the "Be the We" campaign that aims to foster conservation and sustainability as a state of mind.
Yale U Launches Green Certification Program for Labs
Fifty-five of Yale University's (CT) laboratories have stepped up to the challenge of making their everyday operations more sustainable as part of Yale Environmental Health and Safety's Green Laboratory Certification program. The program, which offers four levels of certification based on points awarded for various action items, also encourages laboratories to innovate their own strategies for reducing waste, energy use and material consumption, such as a solvent recycling system or the reuse of packing materials. It is complemented by the Yale Office of Sustainability's Green Workplace Certification program, which pursues a similar goal of institutional sustainability in university offices and departments.
Chatfield College Offers Free Environmental Sustainability Course
Chatfield College (OH) has partnered with the Duke Energy Foundation to provide a free environmental sustainability course for students and community members. The course will teach environmental issues and solutions, how to apply and develop this information to everyday living, and help prepare for professions in the field sustainability. The curriculum is funded by the Duke Energy Foundation Community Sustainability Grant Program.
Cornell U Students Propose 'Sustainable Community' for Local Area
Designed to shift the minds of local residents to clean and efficient technologies, students studying biological and environmental engineering at Cornell University (NY) have designed a sustainable community with bike trails, community gardens and renewable energies for a plot of land in Helena, N.Y. The 266-acre land known as Aspen Trails Ranch is owned by a Cornell alumnus who contacted the school as a possible site for such a venture. While Aspen Trails Ranch is the focus of the students' study, the concept of having a community where energy costs are low, local produce is easily accessible and people can potentially bike or walk to work can be used elsewhere. The tentative plan for Aspen Trails Ranch allows for agricultural land, 650 residences ranging from apartments to single-family homes to business spaces and community centers. The students recently met with the Helena city manager and other city officials to present their sustainable community study.
Luther College Partners with U Car Share
Luther College (IA) has partnered with U Car Share to provide two campus vehicles available to students, faculty and staff at an hourly rental rate. The cars will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be reserved online.
MIT Exceeds 'Efficiency Forward' Energy Saving Goals
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently learned that its expectations for the first-year energy savings of its Efficiency Forward program were exceeded by 30 percent. Launched in May 2010 with NSTAR, the institute aimed for a campus-wide energy savings of 10 million kilowatt-hours with the energy conservation and efficiency initiative. The school achieved a 13 million kilowatt-hour reduction. Since the program's initiation, the school has created a campus-wide lighting retrofit project, implemented a project to reduce a dorm fan energy by 40 percent and improved campus building heating and cooling strategies.
NYC Urban Tech Innovation Center Launches at Columbia U
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has announced the launch of the NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center at Columbia University (NY). Designed to promote the development and commercialization of green building technologies in New York City, the center will be led in partnership by Columbia University, Polytechnic Institute of New York, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the City University of New York. The initiative will connect scientific research with companies creating the associated products and building owners who will use those technologies.
Ohio State U to Install Geothermal System for Dorms
The Ohio State University has announced plans to drill 450 geothermal wells in a parking lot on campus. The well field will be part of a closed loop geothermal system that will circulate water to regulate the temperatures of five campus dorm buildings. Using a heat exchanger, the system will pull the warmth from the ground to heat the buildings on cold days, and remove the heat from the buildings on warm days, transferring it back into the ground. The $4 million geothermal system will use 34 percent less energy than the university's natural gas system, saving $200,000 a year. The university expects a return on investment in about 12 years.
Purdue U Trustees Consider $200 Mil Wind Farm
Trustees at Purdue University (IA) are considering the installation of close to 60 wind turbines near its Animal Science Research and Education Center as part of a commercial wind operation that would cost about $200 million. In addition to creating sustainable energy, the turbines would be used for research and educational opportunities among several departments on campus.
San Diego City College Career Technology Center Awarded LEED Gold
San Diego City College (CA) has received its first LEED Gold certification for its new Career Technology Center. Sustainable features of the $63.1 million center include water-efficient landscaping, plumbing fixtures that reduce potable water use by 55 percent, regionally sourced materials and the ability to filter 100 percent of collected stormwater. Sixty-five percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills.
Santa Clara U Installs Test Wind Turbine
Santa Clara University (CA) recently announced the installation of a wind turbine atop its Facilities building in an experiment to see how much energy it can realistically produce. As part of campus efforts to reach climate neutrality by 2015, the university hopes the turbine will show a significant level of production that will call for more turbines in the future.
Southern Illinois U Carbondale Approves Green Fund Projects
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale has approved 12 projects for funding this spring with $209,811 from its Green Fund. Generated by a student green fee, the money will fund projects including the installation of water bottle refilling stations and improving lighting efficiency. The goal of the fee is to promote energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy and sustainability on campus.
U Calgary Plans Carbon Capture Research Center
Part of both the federal and Alberta governments' climate change strategies, the University of Calgary (AB) is planning for a research facility dedicated to carbon capture and sequestration. The Alberta government has pledged $2 billion toward four commercial-scale projects scheduled to start trapping industrial greenhouse gases by 2015. The research facility plans to host a small-scale project, used for student and industry training, technology testing and public education. It will also be used to develop monitoring methods for keeping CO2 trapped underground.
U California Santa Barbara Marine Science Bldg Earns LEED Gold
The University of California, Santa Barbara's Marine Science Research Building has been awarded LEED Gold certification. Sustainable features of the 60,542-square-foot building include an efficient lighting system and controls; an extensive metering system to track energy use and air quality; waterless urinals and low-flow sinks; the use of reclaimed water to irrigate its drought-tolerant landscape; passive ventilation in perimeter offices; and renewable materials in carpet, wood fixtures, and concrete.
U Colorado Boulder Adds 400 Bike Spots
To keep encouraging students to go car-less on campus, the University of Colorado at Boulder has added 400 bike spaces in prime campus areas. About 75 percent of students, faculty and staff get to the campus by some means of alternative transportation and university officials noticed bikes chained to nearby trees and handicap-accessible rails due to the parking crunch. The university has added 1,664 bike parking spots over the last three years.
U Idaho Receives $25K Donation Toward Woody Biomass Research
The University of Idaho has received a $25,000 donation to fund research focused on converting woody biomass to energy. The gift from Texas-based Advanced Trailer and Equipment LP will allow the university to install a pilot-scale pyrolysis unit at its steam plant. Pyrolysis, a type of incineration that uses almost no oxygen, yields biofuel when applied to an organic material like wood. The company has also provided funding to formalize bioenergy and bioproducts efforts at the university.
U Mississippi Awarded Grant for Solar Panel Installation
The University of Mississippi has received a renewable energy grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to install 414 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of its Center for Manufacturing Excellence. Generating roughly 90 kilowatts of electricity, this is will be enough to power the lights and air conditioning in the building. The $529,395 grant was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the center matched it with $176,465 in university funds. When completed in spring 2011, students and faculty will be able to monitor the building's energy usage and solar power generation through the center's website.
U Pennsylvania Students Save Energy with Power Down Challenge
During the University of Pennsylvania's Power Down Challenge over winter break, student efforts yielded a 7.2 percent daily reduction in electrical use and $2,300 in savings. Designed as a contest among its residence halls, winners were measured by the highest number of student pledges by percentage and by absolute numbers. With support from college house and Greek chapter Eco-Reps, more than 2,000 students pledged to turn down, turn off or unplug appliances during December's break.
Bowdoin Awarded $50K Grant for Expanded Solar Hot Water System
Bowdoin College (ME) has received a $50,000 grant from the Efficiency Maine Trust to double the size of its existing 960-square-foot solar hot water system atop its largest dining hall. Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the grant will help provide additional solar panels that will aid in preheating the domestic hot water used in the building. Following the completed installation this spring, the college estimates that 50 percent of the hot water used in the dining hall will be heated by solar panels.
Campus Sustainability Planning: A January Update
Three institutions have reported the completion of 2010 sustainability progress reports to the AASHE Bulletin in the recent past. Princeton University (NJ) outlines its progress in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions reduction, resource conservation, research, education and civic engagement. Through direct local reductions, the university is set to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Pomona College (CA) reports progress toward campus reduction of water use, landfill waste and fertilizer use. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has published its third annual sustainability report, researched and compiled by MBA students as part of an experiential learning assignment in a business law and corporate responsibility class. In related news , the University of Iowa has announced goals to become a net-negative energy consumer, reach 40 percent renewable energy consumption and divert 60 percent of its waste by 2020 in its "2020 Vision" sustainability plan.
Carnegie Foundation Designates 'Community Engagement' Schools
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recently designated 115 U.S. colleges and universities as meeting the requirements for its 2010 Community Engagement Classification, an elective process open to institutions from all sectors. In order to be selected, institutions had to provide descriptions and examples of institutionalized practices of community engagement that showed alignment among mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices. More than 300 colleges applied for the designation this year, up from 217 that applied in 2008. Representing campuses in 34 states, the institutions selected include 37 research universities, 40 master's colleges and universities, 28 baccalaureate colleges, six community colleges and four specialized institutions.
Chatham U Announces Plans for New 388-Acre Campus
Chatham University (PA) has announced the launch of its multi-year Eden Hall Campus Master Plan. The campus will be constructed on 388 acres of farmland, a gift from the Eden Hall Foundation, which will also be home to the university's School of Sustainability and the Environment. The announcement comes on the heels the university's recent appointment of David Hassenzahl as dean of the new school. The Master Plan promises climate positive buildings and landscape design, meaning on-site greenhouse gas emissions will be less than zero. The campus will maintain nearly half of the 388 acres as open space and be organized into four districts. Phase one of the construction is expected to take place over a two- to three-year period at a cost of $30 million. It will take more than 10 years to complete the final phase four of the campus.
Dickinson College Receives Grant to Raise Cattle for Dining Hall
Dickinson College (PA) has received a $13,545 grant from the Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council to turn its 18-acre section of farmland, currently used for crop production, into pasture to raise livestock through rotational grazing. The college farm will work with the dining hall to incorporate the grass-fed beef cattle into the menu.
