Dickinson College Announces Sustainable Investments Initiative
Dickinson College (PA) has announced that it will invest one percent of its pooled endowment in the Sustainable Investments Initiative and will seek additional gifts to match its pledge. This co-mingled fiscal vehicle seeks investments that generate long-term social, environmental and economic power. Structured to make investments in both public and private equity around the world, the initiative's focus on socially responsible investments prepares for the scenario of sustainability becoming a primary global economic driver.
Duke U Announces Free Bus Service
Duke University (NC) has announced that a free, environmentally sensitive bus service will help connect downtown Durham with the university. The project will feature six new hybrid/diesel buses. Under the agreement between Duke and the City of Durham, Duke provided $375,000 in matching funds. In addition, Duke will contribute toward the annual operating costs of the service.
Georgia Tech Students Evaluate Energy Saving Opportunities
After conducting energy assessments at five Beaulieu of America facilities, Georgia Institute of Technology students found that the carpet manufacturer could reduce its utility usage by almost 15 percent with an estimated annual savings of $2 million. Funded by the Georgia Environmental Partnership, the student site visits addressed energy issues important to the specific plants including energy management, boilers, steam systems and compressed air systems.
Luther College Develops Campus Wetland Area
Luther College (IA) is collaborating with Winneshiek County to develop a wetland area on college property, to be completed this summer. The enhancement of the area with native wetland plant species will be an ongoing project of the college. The wetland project is intended to mitigate the adverse effects of two county bridge projects on other existing wetlands in Winneshiek County.
Messiah College Approves Sustainability Studies Program
Messiah College (PA) has approved an undergraduate sustainability studies program. Students can select from three areas of focus: community and urban development, public policy and sustainable agriculture. Messiah has also partnered with Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, a fieldwork program, to provide students with opportunities to travel with Messiah faculty for fieldwork.
Oberlin College Awarded $925,000 Energy Efficiency Grant
Oberlin College (OH) has received a $925,000 grant to increase the energy efficiency of six of its residential halls. The award is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant: Local Governments and State Energy Program. The college will retrofit the dormitories with new windows, thermostatic radiator controls and more efficient steam traps. In related news, Oberlin's Williams Field House has achieved LEED Gold certification. Formerly an unused outdoor hockey rink, the renovated field house is now an enclosed winter practice space for sports teams.
Temple U Launches Corporate Social Responsibility Minor
Temple University's (PA) Fox School of Business has announced a new minor in corporate social responsibility beginning in fall 2010. The six-course undergraduate program will integrate sustainability into the business curriculum and expand research and community engagement. The minor will require students to complete 120 hours with partners within the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia.
U Alberta Augustana Unveils Solar Power Project
The University of Alberta, Augustana (BC) has completed the installation of 10 solar thermal panels on the roof of the Convocation Center. The panels will heat water for use in the cafeteria and gymnasium, relieving 20 to 30 percent of the heating requirements that formerly relied on non-renewable sources.
U California San Diego Implements Fair Trade Policy
The University of California, San Diego has announced the implementation of a Fair Trade University Policy. The policy promotes both sustainable business and humane farming practices that food and beverage suppliers will be asked to support whenever possible. In cooperation with fair trade authority TransFair, the university will work toward a Fair Trade University designation.
U California San Diego Wins EPA 2010 Award
University of California, San Diego has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010 Energy Star CHP Award for its high efficiency, low-emission combined heat and power plant. The co-generation plant provides 85 percent of the campus’ annual electricity needs. The plant generates electricity to run lights and equipment and captures the waste heat to produce steam for heating, ventilation and air conditioning for most of the campus buildings. The university saves $670,000 per month in energy costs and uses 26 percent less fuel than a system composed of typical onsite thermal generation and purchased electricity.
U Houston Partners with Urban Harvest for Community Garden
The University of Houston (TX) has partnered with nonprofit urban food educator Urban Harvest to intensify its sustainability initiatives with a new community garden and campus gardening classes that are open to the public. The garden is slated for a fall 2010 debut.
U La Verne Building Receives LEED Silver
The University of La Verne (CA) has attained its first LEED Silver certification. Green highlights of the 40,000-square-foot Campus Center include a rooftop garden with recycled seatbelt seating, recycled carpet, low-flow urinals and toilets, and passive solar design. Seventy-five percent of construction waste was recycled.
U Louisville Plans to Phase Out Coal
The University of Louisville (KY) has announced plans to phase out coal burning on its Belknap Campus. The university is working with the Louisville Air Pollution Control District on a pollution reduction plan that will replace a coal furnace with a new natural gas boiler. The gas boiler will increase heating capacity by 64 percent. The university is scheduled to sign an agreement to phase out coal by the end of 2015.
U Minnesota Duluth Unveils Outdoor Laboratory
The University of Minnesota, Duluth has unveiled a new outdoor teaching laboratory. The 2,000-square-foot classroom features zinc siding and a vegetated roof. South-facing photovoltaic panels on the roof provide solar heat. Other green features include high efficiency doors, local timber and compost toilets. The university is seeking LEED Platinum certification for the project.
U Texas Arlington Debuts Sustainable Graduate Program
The University of Texas at Arlington has announced a new sustainable studies graduate program. The yearlong curriculum addresses sustainability across a variety of academic and professional disciplines. Some courses will focus on sustainability concepts like the LEED and Energy Star programs. Other courses will look at cost and regulatory issues within green practices, and the psychological and socio-economic dynamics of the cultural paradigm shift to a more conscientious consumption. The program will start in fall 2010.
U Utah Debuts Bio-Retention Garden
The University of Utah has announced the completion of a bio-retention garden. Dubbed the "Rain Garden," the plot features drought-resistant, native plant species that pool rain water, storing it underground and re-channeling it to help alleviate the burden of the university's current irrigation system. The garden was built with funding from the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund, which is collected from a portion of student fees.
Waubonsee Community College to Expand Green Programs
Waubonsee Community College (IL) has received a $120,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to expand its green program offerings. The college will add a photovoltaic training laboratory and a geothermal heating/cooling system. The grant will also help create two photovoltaic career certificates.
Antioch U New England Launches Pervious Pavement Demo Site
Antioch University New England (NH) has unveiled a new demonstration site for pervious pavement. Pervious pavement is a stormwater management strategy that allows water from rain or snowmelt to flow through the pavement, into a stone base, and infiltrate into the native soils. The pavement reduces the amount of stormwater runoff and protects nearby surface waters from pollution. Research has shown pervious pavement to reduce the need for de-icing products by as much as 70 percent and to eliminate water pooling on pavement. The demonstration site will serve as an educational resource for students, faculty, staff, and the greater community.
Babson College Tops Green Business School Ranking
Babson College (MA), the College of William & Mary (VA), and the University of Virginia ranked highest among undergraduate green business programs in a list released recently by Bloomberg BusinessWeek . The magazine ranked colleges and universities on sustainability coursework offered to undergraduate students. Babson College tops the list with a Green Tower residence hall dedicated to sustainable living and business. The second-ranked College of William & Mary (Mason) launched a campus-wide sustainability initiative in 2008, opening a LEED Gold certified business building and conducting sustainability curriculum audits. In third place, University of Virginia (McIntire) offers a range of sustainability-focused coursework and features two LEED certified buildings.
Cochise College Introduces New Solar Facility
Cochise College (AZ) has introduced a new photovoltaic facility. Financed by solar energy company Externax, the $2 million solar facility is expected to generate 720,000 kilowatts of power annually and will help offset costs to power the campus. The College will purchase electricity at a nine percent discount. After 20 years, the College will have the option to own the facility and the energy it generates.
Furman U Awarded $1 Million Sustainability Grant
Furman University (SC) has been awarded a $1 million grant to support the work of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability. With this gift from the Duke Endowment Center, the University has raised a total of $2.7 million toward the center's endowment. Since 2007, Furman University has received $11.7 million in support of its sustainability efforts, including the recent $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to install geothermal systems at campus apartments.
George Washington U Acquires Bee Hives for Sustainable Food Ed
The George Washington University’s (DC) Mount Vernon campus has received four Italian honeybee hives from a local beekeeping cooperative. Spearheaded by student organization Food Justice Alliance, the initiative is an effort to promote sustainable food and gardening by exposing students in urban areas to the practice of keeping bees. The campus plans to offer beekeeping workshops to the university community.
Harvard U Building Earns LEED Commercial Interiors Platinum
Harvard University (MA) has received LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum certification for the renovation of McCulloch Hall. Sustainability highlights of the 35,127-square-foot residence hall include occupancy sensors that set back temperatures when the room is unoccupied, daylight sensors, LED task lighting, efficient overhead lighting, and fixtures to reduce potable water consumption by more than 30 percent.
Harvard U Students Weatherize Campus Building
Harvard University (MA) students recently improved the energy efficiency of the 100-year-old Phillip Brooks House in Harvard Yard. Participants helped weatherize the building by caulking storm windows, sealing a chimney, and installing low-flow plumbing fixtures, door sweeps, and insulating pipes. With 180 square inches of gaps in the building envelope filled, the weatherization is expected to save the University more than nine tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases and $3,750 in utility costs annually.
Marylhurst U Expands Graduate Sustainable Business Program
Marylhurst University (OR) has launched a campus-based version of its online MBA in sustainable business. The graduate business administration program will begin accepting students this fall. Students will take one course at a time during the 18-month program. Students can choose from concentrations in renewable energy and green development.
New York U Releases Sustainable Communities Report
New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy has released a report with the Urban Institute titled "Building Environmentally Sustainable Communities: A Framework for Inclusivity." The study examines the relationship between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's dual goals of encouraging sustainable communities and enhancing access to opportunity for lower income people and people of color.
Northland College Library Achieves LEED Gold Certification
The Dexter Library at Northland College (WI) has been awarded LEED Gold certification. The recently renovated building features a geothermal heating and cooling system and an array of solar panels. Roofing rubber removed during the renovation was reused elsewhere on campus, including a repurposed hoop house door for a campus community garden.
NY Times Features Responsible Investing at Stanford U
The New York Times recently covered Stanford University's (CA) grassroots effort to pressure the technology industry to crack down on “conflict minerals.” In the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed groups force villagers to mine minerals like wolframite and cassiterite. Metals processed from these minerals are used in consumer electronics products like laptop computers and cell phones. Stanford’s trustees are considering a resolution to create a new proxy voting guideline for the University’s investments. The guideline would support shareholders’ efforts to make companies trace the supply chain of the minerals used in their products.
Ohio U Receives Grant for Compost Expansion and Solar Array
Ohio University has received a $1.5 million grant for energy efficiency projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With the $1,088,571 award, the University will double its current compost initiative through the purchase of a new composting unit that will be capable of accepting four tons of waste per day. The compost facilities will yield a 200 percent increase in organics recycling. In addition, the facility will generate 100 percent of its energy needs through the on-site solar arrays.
Oklahoma State U Creates Renewable Energy Program
Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma City has announced plans to offer a renewable/sustainable energy associate in applied science degree. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in a number of different related fields including solar and wind energy systems, geothermal heating and cooling systems, residential energy auditing, and advanced green building systems. The new program will be offered in fall 2010.
Smith College Building Awarded LEED Gold Certification
Smith College's (MA) new science and engineering building, Ford Hall, has been awarded LEED Gold certification. Construction of the $73 million building reduced the overall stormwater runoff at the site by 25 percent through a detention system and a planted rooftop that encompasses 20,000 square feet. The project also diverted 96 percent of construction waste from the landfill through recycling agreements.
Smith College Pilots Reusable Pizza Box Program
Smith College (MA) has announced a pilot program to implement reusable, plastic pizza boxes on campus. In partnership with local restaurant Pizza Amore, the initiative will circulate three plastic carry-out containers. Each container is estimated to last for 500 uses and can be recycled at the end of their usability. The University hopes to employ reusable containers on campus for other types of food in the future.
South Dakota State U Receives Grants for Green Education
South Dakota State University has received two grants totaling $150,000 from the South Dakota Department of Labor to promote green jobs training in the state. The first grant will fund two courses and a workshop for people starting or advancing their careers in the ethanol and bio-energy industries. The project will also result in LEED certifications. The mechanical engineering department will use the other grant to develop a minor in sustainable energy systems. Both two-year grants will begin on July 1, 2010.
U California Berkeley Boosts Energy Efficiency by 20%
The University of California, Berkeley has announced that it has increased energy efficiency in its 10,000-square-foot data center by 20 percent. A wireless, sensor-based monitoring system by San Francisco-based systems and software firm Arch Rock measures temperature, air flow and pressure throughout the data center. The monitoring system provides real-time, continuous visibility into power and thermal conditions, allowing for the expansion of server capacity without overloading the cooling system. The University plans to install the system throughout the entire production data center by 2011.
U Central Florida Debuts Reusable To-Go Box Program
The University of Central Florida has launched the Green Thread Reusable To-Go Box Program. The initiative will provide students, faculty, and staff with reusable to-go containers with every fall meal plan purchased. The containers are made of polypropylene, a heat-resistant plastic that will be usable for up to two years before being recycled. The program will also include a reusable cup and bag.
U Central Florida Joins LED University Program
University of Central Florida has joined the Cree LED University program with the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting in the student union. The Cree LED University Program is an international community of universities working to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient LEDs across their campuses. The University expects to save at least $10,000 a year in energy and maintenance costs. The LED lights consume 85 percent less energy than the old fixtures.
U Delaware Debuts 2 MW Coastal Wind Turbine
The University of Delaware has completed a 2-megawatt wind turbine. The turbine provides enough electricity to power approximately 500 homes and is expected to provide clean, carbon-free electricity for the entire campus. Excess power will be fed to the electric grid. The University worked alongside regional technology and energy corporations to complete the project, which is expected to enhance research in areas including turbine corrosion, avian impacts, and policy issues related to renewable energy.
U Minnesota Morris Produces Fertilizer from Wind
The University of Minnesota, Morris has designed a $3.75 million carbon-free system that uses wind power from a turbine to produce a common nitrogen-based fertilizer. The fertilizer produced will be used on university farmland. The plant will use surplus energy generated on-site by a 1.65-megawatt wind turbine that already helps power the campus. The system creates fertilizer by using an air separation unit to pull nitrogen from the air, while the turbine powers large electrolyzers that separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The nitrogen and hydrogen are then synthesized into anhydrous ammonia using a century-old chemical process called Haber-Bosch. Using wind to power the electrolyzers instead of natural gas makes it a carbon-free process that releases no greenhouse gases.
U Nevada Reno Awarded Grant for Renewable Energy Scholarships
The University of Nevada, Reno has been awarded $600,000 for renewable energy scholarships. The grant will be used to create scholarships for incoming renewable energy and engineering students with financial need. The grant will allow the University to build on their renewable energy program, renewable energy research projects, and will provide qualified graduates to Nevada's energy industry.
U Notre Dame Partners with Office Depot for Box-Free Program
The University of Notre Dame (IN) has partnered with Office Depot to launch the Tote Program. Instead of using boxes, campus Office Depot deliveries will be shipped inside reusable green plastic bins called "totes." The program is expected to save 9.6 tons of cardboard and plastic annually. The totes will reduce campus-related carbon dioxide emissions by 53 metric tons annually.
U South Carolina Honors Hall Achieves LEED Gold Certification
The University of South Carolina's Honors Residence Hall has received LEED Gold certification. Equipped with high-efficiency plumbing and recycled carpet materials, the building is the second on campus with a LEED designation. Interior finishes feature no or low volatile organic compounds and high levels of recycled content. Twenty percent of the materials used in the construction of the building were found within a 500-mile radius of the campus.
U Texas Arlington Offers Sustainability Minor
The University of Texas at Arlington will offer a minor in sustainability through its School of Urban and Public Affairs beginning fall 2010. The 18-credit interdisciplinary undergraduate program will aid science majors who want to work in environmental science or liberal arts majors who want to explore public policy. A new three-hour core sustainability course will be offered in spring 2011.
Antioch U New England Debuts Resource Mgmt Graduate Degree
Antioch University New England (NH) has begun accepting applications for a new master's degree in resource management and conservation. The four-semester program, which will begin this fall, is tailored to working professionals in the natural and environmental sciences who want to broaden their leadership expertise and expand their career options. Courses take place on Fridays and weekends in a collaborative learning environment focused on socio-economic sustainability.
Antioch U New England Offers Sustainable Dev't Concentration
Antioch University New England (NH) has added a new concentration in sustainable development and climate change to its environmental studies graduate program. Studies include ecological and climate sciences, policy formulation and implementation, resource management, stakeholder participation, and organizational decision making. Applications to the 20-month program are now being accepted for the fall.
Boise State U Announces LED Light Pole Installations
Boise State University (ID) has partnered with Inovus Solar, a local renewable outdoor lighting company, to set up grid-smart, solar-powered light poles with LED luminaries. The installation will enable real-time testing and development of new solar and power conservation technologies at the University. Students will have access to the installations to learn about integrating solar technologies into a smart grid.
California State U San Bernardino Builds Water Efficient Garden
California State University, San Bernardino has begun constructing a water conservation demonstration garden. The garden will showcase ways to conserve water with an attractive and water-efficient landscape that will thrive in the local climate. The project will be built on more than once acre of campus grounds and will utilize native and drought tolerant plants and irrigation technology. The University’s Water Resource Institute will incorporate the garden into academic programs and provide educational tours.
California State U San Bernardino Plans Water-wise Landscape
California State University, San Bernardino has partnered with its Water Resources Institute to construct the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation Garden, a water-wise demonstration landscape. Plans for the one-acre, water-efficient landscape will consider local water history and feature native and drought-tolerant plants.
Colby-Sawyer College Announces Green Utilities Contract
Colby-Sawyer College (NH) has announced a new, three-year electricity contract that will power the College with renewable energy sources and reduce its carbon emissions by 43 percent. The package will include the purchase of renewable energy certificates.
Dalhousie U Declares an Idle-Free Campus
Dalhousie University (NS) has implemented an idle-free campus policy. The new anti-idling guidelines for vehicles operating on campus ask that passenger-sized vehicles be turned off whenever idling periods are expected to exceed one minute. Larger vehicles are permitted three minutes. Upwards of twenty “Idle-Free” signs will be installed across campus this fall.
Florida Gulf Coast U Installs Low-Flush Toilets
Florida Gulf Coast University has installed low-flush valves on university toilets. Fifty valves have been installed in restrooms in six buildings. The University hopes to retrofit all of the older bathrooms with the low-flush valves. A reduction in utility bills will be the deciding factor.
