Drury U Loans Bikes to Students
Drury University (KS) is now offering bikes on loan to students. Bicycles are available for check-out during the debut semester free of charge pending the return of the bikes in good condition. The university used money generated from a student green fee to purchase the bikes and create a new bike path. Remaining funds will be spent for a storage structure to protect the bicycles from the elements.
ESPN Launches 'College Game Day' Recycling Initiative
This college football season, ESPN's sustainability team will work to recycle as many bottles and cans as possible from ESPN College GameDay venues. ESPN will work with environmental club volunteers from host institutions to set up recycling bins and spread the word as recycling and environmental practices ambassadors. "ESPN College GameDay Goes Green" kicked off Sept. 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Ala and will continue at every ESPN College GameDay site throughout the college football season.
Harvard U Offers Car Sharing Program to Drivers Under 21
Harvard University's (MA) Transportation Services recently announced the expansion of its 10-year partnership with Zipcar, Inc. to include a campus car sharing program for drivers under 21 years old. Zipcar will double its on-campus fleet to up to 20 cars that will be available to area residents and university affiliated members including those under 21. The university has also partnered with Zimride, an online rideshare interface where Harvard students, faculty and staff can find one-time rides or others with similar commuting times.
Kansas State U Receives Wind Turbine
Kansas State University has received a used wind turbine from Westar Energy. The university hopes the donation will aid in the research and exploration of wind energy being performed at the Wind Applications Center, funded by the National Renewable Energy Lab to increase the public's acceptance of wind power. Students and faculty will have the opportunity to perform tests to analyze the efficiency of the turbines and wind energy.
Lehigh U Debuts Car Sharing Program
Lehigh University (PA) has partnered with WeCar, a car sharing program run by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to offer on-campus access to car rentals for personal use. WeCar rentals are available to students, faculty and staff on an hourly, overnight and full-day basis with an initial enrollment fee of $25. The university hopes to take cars off the road and increase student mobility.
McMaster U Students Launch Campus Farmers Market
Students at McMaster University (ON) have launched a campus farmers market that runs every Thursday, offering fresh, local food to students, faculty and staff. The market has three area growers who supply produce, and the producers are invited to the market to share their food knowledge.
New Mexico State U Football Coaches Building Awarded LEED Silver
New Mexico State University's Football Coaches Office Building has been awarded LEED Silver certification. More than 88 percent of construction materials for the 6,749-square-foot building were diverted from landfills and more than 20 percent of construction materials were made from recycled content. Ninety-five percent of the building's occupied space is lit by natural daylight and the building uses 45 percent less water through water-efficient installations.
New York U Curtailment Initiative Reduces Power Usage
To help avoid the firing up of power plants in New York City during hot summer days, New York University's Curtailment Initiative recently saved enough electricity to power one average New York City home for three years, the equivalent to taking 7,000 homes off the grid. The university participates in the New York Independent System Operator demand response program, cutting its energy use when heat emergencies threaten the grid. As a supplement to the program, campus Sustainability Advocate volunteers are trained to turn off unnecessary lights, turn thermostats to proper set-points and unplug unused appliances.
Oregon State U Cascades Installs Solar Panels
Oregon State University-Cascades is set to install solar arrays on the roof of a residence hall and a parking garage. The new installations will help reduce campus energy demands and educate students in the university’s energy engineering management degree. The solar arrays are expected to produce 45 to 55 kilowatts of power and offset 18 percent of daily energy consumption. An Informative kiosk will display the solar energy generation in real time.
Princeton U Opens Green Chemistry Laboratory
Princeton University (NJ) has opened the doors of its Frick Chemistry Laboratory. The building's four-story atrium features 216 photovoltaic panels on the glass roof that convert solar energy into electricity and offer shade by letting in a controlled amount of light. Integrated mechanical systems enable the transfer of cooled and heated air from offices through the atrium into the laboratories, reducing the amount of outside air that must be conditioned to meet the ventilation demands of the labs. A sustainable monitoring display will show the building's investment in energy and energy savings and 200 high-efficiency fume hoods have been installed at work areas. The 265,000-square-foot building also features a 12,000-gallon rainwater cistern that collects and recycles stormwater for non-potable use.
Rutgers U Camden Professor Looks to E. coli for Biodiesel
An associate professor of computer science at Rutgers University-Camden (NJ) is researching how to engineer the bacteria E. coli to produce biodiesel fuel derived from fatty acids. The professor is after a more sustainable way to create renewable energy by making fuels without the use of food. The project will continue with the assistance of researchers from Harvard University (MA).
Ryerson U Establishes Center for Urban Energy
Ryerson University (ON) has announced the creation of the Center for Urban Energy, a research and technology demonstration center devoted to the discovery and commercialization of urban energy solutions. The center will combine engineering, science, environment, business and infrastructure management to tackle immediate challenges such as the development of clean energy technologies, energy conservation, alternative local energy generation, energy storage and adaptable infrastructure.
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Earns LEED Gold
With instructional space for marine science students from the University System of Georgia, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography's Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center (GA) has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The center's energy-efficient orientation minimizes its east-west exposure, reducing the heat absorbed from the sun. Other sustainable features include a solar hot water heating system, a 1,000-gallon cistern to capture rainwater and 6-inch foam insulation.
Spartanburg CC Installs Rooftop Garden
Horticulture students and professors at Spartanburg Community College (SC) have installed a rooftop garden atop a campus gazebo. The garden features heat resistant plants including sedum, agave and nanaparetta, with future plans for ornamental grasses. The college hopes to use the green roof as an educational tool for the rest of the community.
Suffolk U Expands Recycling Program
In an effort to increase its recycling rate, Suffolk University (MA) has expanded its campus recycling efforts to single-stream recycling. Employees, students and visitors are no longer required to sort recyclables as papers, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic can go in any recycling bin on campus.
Syracuse U Launches Composting Program
Syracuse University (NY) has launched a composting program in an effort to divert several tons of food waste away from Food Services dumpster. All eight of the campus dining locations will sort and collect a variety of food waste. The waste will be delivered to Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency to be turned into compost.
Truman State U Cafeteria Goes Local
Truman State University's (MO) Ryle Hall cafeteria has begun purchasing local produce grown at a nearby orchard. The initiative has kicked off with apples but the university hopes to expand the program to a larger variety of local food. Dining Services is also advocating for students to grow their own food on the campus farm.
U Buffalo, Boise State U Partner with Zipcar Car Sharing Service
In separate deals, the University at Buffalo (NY) and Boise State University (ID) are the latest of more than 200 universities to partner with Zipcar, Inc. to provide faculty, staff and students with a car sharing service. Three vehicles will be made available to the University of Buffalo campus community and four vehicles to the Boise State University community. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will cost members at both universities $35 annually. Goals at both universities include reduced greenhouse gas emissions, ease of traffic congestion and lowered barriers to alternative transportation.
U Central Arkansas Installs Green Roof
The University of Central Arkansas has installed a green roof on Laney Hall, home to the chemistry department. Nearly 2,000-square-feet of drought-resistant sedum was planted to help reduce stormwater runoff and insulate the building. If the green roof proves to be cost-saving, the university will add more green roofs across campus.
U Florida Brings Back One Less Car Challenge
The University of Florida has brought back the One Less Car Challenge this fall for the third year. The campus community is challenged to use alternative transportation on One Less Car Day and throughout the semester. Participants can earn points for each trip traveled by alternative transportation. The Office of Sustainability will provide information about the various transportation options available. The challenge ends November 19.
U Illinois Debuts Sustainable Student-Run Farm
The University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign has debuted the new Sustainable Student Farm. The three-acre farm is part of an initiative to have locally grown produce make up 30 percent of all food eaten on campus by the year 2015. All fruits and vegetables harvested will either be sent to the university’s dining services department or sold on Thursdays on campus during lunch hours. Students and volunteers work and manage the farm.
U Maryland Creates Sustainability Fund
The University of Maryland has launched the Campus Green Fund. The $200,000 sustainability grant will be given to students, faculty and university-based organizations that want to take action to reduce the university's carbon footprint while educating the student body about ways to become more sustainable. Students will be charged eight dollars in student fees to fund the grant.
U Minnesota Collects State Fair Food and Farm Waste for Fuel
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have begun collecting samples of food waste and manure from the Minnesota State Fair to learn whether they can be combined with waste from the university’s campus and converted to renewable energy. The university will use an anaerobic digester to break down organic materials to produce methane gas, which can be used to fuel generators that produce electricity and heat. Solids from the process are reused as animal bedding, compost or fertilizer. The State Fair averages 1,200 tons of food waste and 2,000 tons of animal manure each year.
U Northern Iowa Implements In-Room Dorm Recycling
The University of Northern Iowa has placed recycling containers in all individual dorm rooms and the ROTH campus apartments this fall, distributing 2,800 containers throughout campus. A room in each residence hall has been designated as the collection center for sorting recycled plastic, tin, glass, cardboard and mixed paper. A pilot in-room recycling program in the university's Rider Hall was launched in 2009 with weekly measurements taken. The residents averaged less than 40 pounds per week of recycling before given individual recycling bins; after a semester of the pilot program, the average shot up to 121 pounds of recycling per week.
U Northern Iowa Opens Green Transportation Center
The University of Northern Iowa has unveiled a solar-powered transportation center. Solar panels installed on the building's top deck and a geothermal heating system supply almost all electricity for the net-zero center. A collaboration between the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the cities of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, the university building features 587 parking spaces, an elevator, vending machines, a waiting area and 10 lockers for bicycles. The center is designed to provide students, faculty, staff and visitors easier access to and within the campus and surrounding communities.
U Texas San Antonio Establishes Sustainability Council
The University of Texas at San Antonio has established a Sustainability Council. The council will develop a five-year plan for sustainability-related university programs and collaboration with community organizations. The 20-member council, comprised of students, faculty and staff, is charged with advising campus administrators on strategies for enhancing sustainability, the allocation of resources and the monitoring of sustainability programs.
U Utah Students Install Rain Gardens
Graduate students at the University of Utah have installed multiple rain gardens as a solution for water treatment and conservation. The 1,500-square-foot rain gardens are designed to treat polluted stormwater from nearby roadways and parking lots. The strategy will conserve water and keep many pollutants from entering the storm drainage and a nearby creek. The project uses native plants to filter pollutants and release clean water back into the ground.
U Wisconsin Oshkosh Completes First Wave of Solar Installations
The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh has installed its first photovoltaic array, the first of many solar installations planned to replace natural gas and coal-based heat on the campus. The 2.9-kilowatt system slowly adjusts its position to track the sun as it moves from east to west and as it rises and falls in the sky. Future projects include the installation of 120 solar panels on the rooftops of four buildings to heat water on campus.
Alfred State College Awarded Renewable Energy Center Grant
Alfred State College, Wellsville (NY) has received $500,000 in federal funding for a renewable energy technical training center. The center will be used to build additional model installations with complete monitoring systems, utilizing geothermal, solar and small wind projects. The center will promote economic development with alternative ways to provide energy for homes, businesses and farms.
American U Unveils Solar Energy Dashboard
American University (DC) has announced that students, faculty, staff and the general public can now track the energy production being generated by campus solar panels online. The School of International Service building's solar array is live via an online energy dashboard that tracks daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and total energy generation. The live data also includes the electricity consumption of the LED lights in the building's parking garage.
California Polytechnic State U Debuts Vending Machine Sensors
California Polytechnic State University has installed VendingMiser devices on 13 vending machines across campus. The devices use an infrared motion sensor to power down the vending machine when the surrounding area is vacant. The university expects to save more than $600 a year.
California State U San Bernardino Hands Out Sustainable Fortunes
California State University, San Bernardino sweetened its sustainability messaging by passing out fortune cookies during its recent Welcome Week. The cookies were filled with green campus information inside, an idea initiated by the university's Green Campus interns. The team is currently gearing up for more student-involved green activities.
Cal Poly Pomona Installs 4,500 Solar Panels
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona is installing 4,500 solar panels on campus that are expected to go into operation in October. As part of the university's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the panels will generate enough electricity to power 161 homes for a year with carbon savings equivalent to planting 282 acres of pine trees.
Central Carolina CC Offers Green Building Courses
Central Carolina Community College (NC) has begun offering green building and renewable energy classes. The courses will focus on the LEED rating system and building environmentally friendly structures. An introduction to photovoltaic system design, sustainable design and communities, building analyst training, solar water heating principles and water management courses will also be offered.
Champlain College Opens Green Admissions Center
Champlain College (VT) has opened the doors of its new environmentally friendly Welcome & Admissions Center. The $12 million renovation of the 1859 historic building includes energy-efficient lighting and climate control systems including a geothermal pump. The new staff headquarters will seek LEED Platinum status.
College of the Canyons Receives National Science Foundation Grant
College of the Canyons (CA) has been awarded a four-year grant totaling $3 million from the National Science Foundation to establish a renewable energy regional center. The center will create and expand courses and workforce training programs to help address the high demand for renewable energy technicians throughout the state. Funding will also go toward developing renewable energy programs and workforce training at the consortium's partner colleges, which include Cuesta, Cerro Coso, Allen Hancock, Santa Barbara City, L.A. Pierce, Moorpark, Oxnard, Merced and Porterville community colleges.
Colorado State U Earns Grant for Solar Array
Colorado State University has been awarded a $15,000 grant from New Energy Economic Development funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will be used for the installation of a 206-kilowatt thin-film solar array on campus and solar energy education kiosk.
Colorado State U Recreation Center Gets Green Makeover
Colorado State University's Recreation Center is undergoing a green renovation. Sustainable features include energy-reducing lighting and thermal controls, motion sensors, water-efficient landscaping and the re-use of more than 75 percent of existing structural walls, floors and roofs. The center will achieve a 20-30 percent reduction in water use and at least a 21 percent reduction in energy use. Seventy-five percent of the construction waste will be recycled.
Dickinson College Hall Awarded LEED Gold
Dickinson College's (PA) Althouse Hall has received LEED Gold certification. Home to Africana studies, economics, and international business and management, the building's green renovations used more than 27 percent of recycled building materials. Other green features include a dedicated area of bicycles and recycled materials, waterless urinals, automated energy-saving lighting and thermal controls, water-efficient landscaping and erosion, sedimentation and stormwater runoff control plans to prevent pollution from construction activity.
Emory U Debuts Green Residence Hall
Emory University's (GA) newest residence hall completes phase three of its planned freshman complex. Designed to LEED Silver standards, green features of the Longstreet-Means Hall for incoming freshman include recycled countertops, flooring and a new water recycling system. Eighty-four percent of the construction waste was recycled.
Grand Rapids CC Launches Green Job Training
Grand Rapids Community College (MI) is set to launch its green technician training course. The 80-hour, four-week class will prepare students for entry-level sustainable manufacturing jobs. Three area manufacturers will draw on graduates from the program.
James Madison U Implements Residence Hall Geothermal Units
James Madison University (VA) has drilled eco-friendly geothermal units as part of a sustainable renovation of Wayland Hall. The units are located under a parking lot and will contribute to the heating and cooling of the dormitory. Set for a 2011 completion, the 158-bed residence hall has been designed to meet LEED Platinum certification.
Jones County Junior College Receives Award for Recycling Efforts
Jones County Junior College (MS) has been awarded a 2010 Kresge Foundation Fellowship Award, designed to provide education on green building and sustainability in higher education. The award was given to the college for their leadership and progress in recycling. Since partnering with Sumrall Recycling in the fall of 2009, disposal fees have been cut in half.
Lincoln Land CC Set to Expand Renewable Energy Program
Lincoln Land Community College (IL) has received a $2 million grant to expand opportunities for students in alternative energy and green construction trades. The college will offer wind, solar and geothermal energy training with new equipment and teaching spaces.
Long Island U Installs Solar Panels
Long Island University (NY) has installed a new 10-kilowatt solar generating system. Incentives from the Long Island Power Authority and National Grid lowered the cost of the solar panels by $28,000. The university also purchased renewable energy certificates amounting to three percent of its total energy consumption.
Mineral Area College Launches Renewable Energy Technology Degree
Mineral Area College (MO) has developed an associate degree in renewable energy technology with agriculture, manufacturing, solar and wind concentrations. The coursework can be articulated to a bachelor's degree at Southeast Missouri University. The college is also offering a 15-hour Renewable Energy Technician Certificate.
NY Times Features Rise of Community College Green Job Training
Highlighting the growing need for a new generation of environmentally smart managers, The New York Times recently featured the rise of green job training opportunities at community colleges. The federal government is contributing $500 million toward green job training, says the article, and the energy efficiency sector is estimated to grow as much as four times in the next decade to an estimated 1.3 million people. Educational institutions are offering courses and degree programs to ready managers who will oversee the technologies, manufacturing processes and materials that will be used to conserve energy and help safeguard natural resources.
Palm Beach State College Unveils First Green Building
Palm Beach State College (FL) has announced the opening of its first green building. The 33,982-square-foot Technical Education Center was constructed to LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features include a wastewater recycling system, energy-efficient lighting and renewable energy sources. The native landscaping is designed to utilize stormwater runoff for irrigation. The $13 million project will be used as a training facility for a variety of careers including sustainable building.
Penn State York Offers Green Advantage Training, Certification
Pennsylvania State University, York will offer Green Advantage training and certification in October. Green Advantage is a commercial construction program designed for builders, developers, contractors and suppliers. The training is open to the public and will cover the construction principles behind sustainable building and the LEED rating system. Participants will learn how to lighten the impact on the environment, save energy and improve the health conditions of construction workers and building occupants.
Pennsylvania State U Awarded $129 Mil for Energy Innovation Hub
Pennsylvania State University has been awarded up to $129 million in federal funding to develop an energy innovation hub at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The grant, to be paid over the next five years, will fund energy-efficient building design research with a focus on how to improve energy efficiency and cut pollution in the construction, maintenance and management of buildings. A particular emphasis will be placed on training workers to retrofit old buildings. The project is expected to create and retain 100,000 jobs over the next five to 10 years.
