Northwestern U Earns LEED Platinum on 63-Year-Old Building
The building includes a 254-panel rooftop photovoltaic array that provides five percent of the building’s electricity, LED light sensors that automatically dim or brighten based on the amount of natural light, and radiant ceiling panels that use chilled water from the university's utility plant to reduce the amount of energy needed for air conditioning.
National Recycling Coalition Announces 2017 Award Winners
The University of Florida received this year's Outstanding Higher Education award from the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), while the University of Illinois at Chicago was recognized as honorable mention. The NRC mentioned UF’s Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management and curricular opportunities for waste professionals. The University of Illinois at Chicago was cited for its Sustainability Internship Program.
Cleveland State U Earns LEED Silver on Medical Building
The building reduces the heat island effect through shading, hardscape materials and green space. It also improves stormwater management and reduces runoff with the use of pervious concrete pavers. The project diverted over 99 percent of demolition materials from landfills through recycling and reuse.
Cleveland State U Receives Grant to Expand Recycling Program
Thanks to a new $3,000 grant from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, the university installed 24 battery recycling receptacles across campus. A portion of the grant also will be used to obtain additional recycling bins for bottles, cans and paper.
U New Hampshire Earns STARS Platinum
The University of New Hampshire recently earned a Platinum rating in AASHE STARS, which measures sustainability achievements in academics, campus and community engagement, operations, and planning and administration. Some highlights of the university’s sustainability achievements include powering the main campus with 100 percent renewable energy and composting 25,000 pounds of food waste every month.
Orange Coast College Debuts $7.5M Recycling Center
The new facility accepts a variety of recyclable materials from the community. It also houses classrooms and offices, a conference room, a first aid room, men’s and women’s showers, as well as solar panels and solar tubes for indoor lighting.
Yale U Implements Carbon Charge for Buildings & Departments
After three years of study, discussion and experimentation, the university has implemented a carbon charge that affects more than 250 buildings and nearly 70 percent of campus carbon dioxide emissions. A university carbon charge pilot program ran from December 2015 to May 2016 in 20 buildings and tested four approaches to reducing carbon.
U North Carolina Asheville Earns Green Restaurant & Fair Trade University Status
One of the university's dining halls is now certified as a Three Star Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association. Additionally, the university's Dining Services worked together with a committee of student, faculty and staff volunteers to achieve Fair Trade University designation by Fair Trade Campaigns.
Saint Anselm College Hires First Chief Diversity Officer
The college recently hired Ande Diaz, Ph.D., to lead its diversity efforts. Coming from Princeton University as an assistant dean for Multicultural Affairs for seven years, Dr. Diaz is responsible for increasing diversity and inclusivity in the campus community.
U California System Takes Legal Action in Defense of DACA
The University of California System has filed suit in federal court against the Trump administration for its recent decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to remain in the country without fear of deportation. Approximately a quarter of the country’s 800,000 DACA individuals, commonly known as DREAMers, live in California. Of those, roughly 4,000 are enrolled in the University of California System.
Insight Into Diversity Acknowledges 2017 HEED Award Recipients
This year's Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award was given to 80 higher education institutions, 15 of which were categorized as Diversity Champions by exemplifying an unyielding commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout their campus communities, across academic programs, and at the highest administrative levels.
New Senate Bill Addresses Access for Homeless Students
A recently announced senate bill directs colleges and universities to publicize financial aid and resources available for those students and to set up a single point of contact on campus to help them find and obtain assistance. It also attempts to streamline the verification process to determine that a student is independent.
Pitzer College Launches ESG-Focused, Fossil-Free Fund
This August, the college became the founding investor in a new global equity index fund that is both environmental, social and governance focused and fossil fuel free. The fund is designed to help endowments, foundations and other nonprofit organizations meet their responsible investment goals.
Yale U Announces Academic Initiative to Improve Corporate Reporting
Recognizing the critical role that private capital flows will play in moving society toward a more sustainable future, the university recently launched a new academic effort to provide high-quality research on the flow of capital into sustainability-oriented projects and sustainable companies. Called the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance, the initiative will focus on three initial sustainable finance issues: impediments to the movement of mainstream capital into sustainability-related projects, needs of sustainability-minded investors, and standards in the sustainability bonds market.
U Albany Renovates Building to LEED Standards
The $10.3 million project on the 51-year-old residence hall included mechanical, plumbing, electric and lighting systems replacement, new energy-efficient windows, a new roof, new bathrooms, updated laundry facilities, and community study and recreation spaces. Recycled content and low-VOC materials were used.
Appalachian State U Installs Community Garden Space
A new garden space at the university brings together people from across campus and throughout the community to share knowledge about gardening, seed-saving, beekeeping and solar energy. Currently the gardening program has seven interns, who work to build, maintain, plan and educate.
Cornell U Launches Interactive Sustainability Campus & Community Map
The new interactive map features over 200 data points organized in topical map layers with sustainability features across campus, including green buildings, bottle water filling stations, bike-share and car-share locations, sustainability landscape sites, electric-vehicle charging stations, sustainability centers and institutes, and reuse centers. Through joint funding between the Campus Sustainability Office and the Office of Engagement Initiatives, the map was developed with living laboratory and engagement opportunities in mind.
Georgetown U to Install 32.5 MW of Solar Energy
The university recently signed a power purchase agreement to develop a 32.5 megawatt photovoltaic project in La Plata, Maryland. The project is expected to supply about 49 percent of Georgetown’s electricity load annually for its Washington, D.C., campus. The power plant is expected to be completed in summer 2019.
Arizona State U to Implement Bike-Share Program
A new regional bike rental program with four stations will soon be available to the campus community. A unique aspect to this service is the freedom to park bikes at either the service's hubs or at a public rack.
Monroe County CC Cuts Ribbon on Geothermal System
The $16.1 million ground source heating and cooling system is comprised of 288 wells that are 350-400 feet deep. The community college will save an estimated $275,000 per year over the next 20 years.
Duke U Raises Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour
Duke will increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour for all regular university and health system staff, according to an Aug. 25 university statement. Over 2,300 staff members will get a pay raise by 2019.
SUNY New Paltz to Divest From Fossil Fuel Companies
The SUNY New Paltz Foundation board voted recently to remove endowment funds from direct investment in fossil fuel companies. The initial request to consider divestment came from a group of students who raised the issue with the college president in September 2016. The SUNY New Paltz Foundation endowment currently stands at about $20 million. Data as of June 30, 2017, show that about 4.5 percent, or $920,055, was directly invested in fossil fuel companies.
U Nottingham Wins ‘University of the Year’ Accolade From MSC
(U.K.) The university received the honor at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Awards 2017 for serving students with the most MSC-certified seafood. The MSC’s annual awards recognize U.K. retail and foodservice providers for improving the world’s oceans.
U California Davis Pilots Energy Saving Technology to Keep Cows Cool
In an effort to demonstrate an effective alternative to cooling cows that consumes less energy and water, the university's new pilot program uses chilled water and air cooling. The project is part of a four-year, $1 million grant from the California Energy Commission to help improve water and energy efficiency in California’s dairy industry.
U Winnipeg Announces Institutional Sustainability Strategy
The university's second five-year plan outlines four overarching sustainability goals and 19 targets to ensure those goals are met, including exceeding Canada’s commitments under the Paris Accord, deriving five percent of total campus energy from renewable energy sources, and establishing a baseline and reduction target for emissions resulting indirectly from university activities, such as waste, paper use and air travel.
American U Receives Energy Star Certification
By managing the energy related practices of its College of Arts and Sciences building, the university was awarded with its first U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star certification. The EPA’s Energy Star certification recognizes buildings that have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by using more energy-efficient products and implementing energy savings practices.
Harvard U & U California San Diego Win 2017 Freezer Challenge
The University of California San Diego was identified as the organizational winner by saving an estimated 500,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Harvard University's Hoekstra Lab was the individual laboratory winner, saving an estimated 13,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Individual labs at the University of Alberta and the University of California San Diego received honorable mention. The Freezer Challenge encourages researchers to implement sustainable practices around cold storage management. Labs received points for taking actions such as properly maintaining freezers and refrigerators, discarding old samples and retiring unneeded units.
U California Riverside Fellows Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
As part of the Carbon Neutrality Initiative Student Fellowship Program, five participating fellows will receive a stipend of $3,000 to fund a project that reduces greenhouse gas emissions produced by UCR buildings and vehicles. An additional student engagement fellow will serve as the initiative’s ambassador, receiving a $4,000 stipend plus $1,000 to fund campus event programming geared toward educating and inspiring other students.
Northern Kentucky U Establishes No-Mow Zones
No-mow zones are land that will be returned to a natural state. The university now has 4.8 acres designated as no-mow zones, which helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. Natural areas also create habitat for native species.
Higher Education Leaders Criticize DACA Repeal
Many college and university leaders have spoken out against the Trump Administration’s announcement that it would rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a federal program that allows undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S.
Northeastern U Opens New Science Building
The university’s new science and engineering building features triple-glazed windows to reduce glass condensation and prevent heat loss, variable air volume (VAV) fume hoods, and occupancy-based airflow controls.
Cornell U Launches Free Online Climate Change Course
The new course on climate change science, communication, and action focuses on equipping learners with the tools they need to understand climate science and policy fundamentals, and how to take action to communicate and implement climate change related projects in their community and work.
North Carolina State U Opens Edible Garden on Rooftop
The university's Student Union hosts a new rooftop garden with raised beds for planting herbs and vegetables that will be used by university dining facilities. The department of horticultural science will also use the garden for experimental pollinator plants and perennials.
Pomona College Releases 2030 Carbon Neutrality Plan
The college's new plan, known as SAVE: Sustainable Action Visible Effects, strives for carbon neutrality by 2030 through energy, water, waste, transportation, buildings, and landscaping and food initiatives. The college intends to reach net-zero carbon emissions without purchasing carbon credits, but rather by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to zero and then offsetting remaining emissions by retrofitting buildings, installing solar panels, investing in off-site renewables and promoting alternative transportation programs. The plan was crafted by the Office of Sustainability and the President's Advisory Committee on Sustainability.
McHenry County College Receives $500K to Develop Ag Degree
An anonymous donor recently gave the college $500,000 toward the first phase of an effort to promote sustainable urban agriculture education. The project will provide experiential learning related to intensive, organic food production, business management and marketing. During a two-year pilot program, the new funds will be used to research sustainable agricultural trends and practices, facilitate partnerships across the agricultural community, and promote the use of sustainable practices and food production in the region.
Bucknell U Earns 'Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal' Certification
The recent Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) certification, administered by the Green Business Certification, Inc., recognizes the university for reliable delivery of electricity, reducing the environmental impact of electricity generation, leveraging value gap analysis to identify and eliminate waste, and assessing customer contribution to grid service, investment and innovation. PEER is a framework for continuous energy improvement and performance assessment that leads to greater efficiency, reduction in carbon emissions and greater power quality.
U Florida Receives LEED Gold on Building Renovation
The newly renovated building designed for study and collaboration space includes systems for reusing wastewater, and use of regional and recycled materials. No additional parking spaces were added for the building during renovation.
U Kentucky Introduces Car Sharing
University students and staff can now check-out one of two vehicles parked on campus through a university partnership with Zipcar. The car sharing program is part of a suite of alternative transportation options available to the campus community designed to simplify the process of shifting from driving a single-occupancy vehicle to campus to an alternative form of transportation, and to reward those individuals who make the change in their routine.
EAUC Launches Sustainable Development Goals Accord
The SGD Accord supports the critical role that education has in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Signatories of the pact, which AASHE and many other organizations have endorsed, commit to implement the goals, annually report on progress, and share best practices and experiences.
AASHE Releases 2017 Higher Education Sustainability Staffing Survey Report
The 2017 staffing survey report examines sustainability positions at colleges and universities. It presents insights into salaries, funding, supervision, job satisfaction and challenges. For the first time, the report includes information from outside of the U.S. and Canada, and graphical data comparisons.
U Massachusetts Amherst Receives LEED Gold on Historic Building
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, the Old Chapel building incorporates an array of green building strategies to maintain the integrity of the original design and materials, including use of existing wood and masonry, and energy modeling to find the correct balance of masonry wall insulation, energy-efficient glazing and stained glass restoration so that energy goals were in concert with historic restoration efforts. The building is designed to exceed code energy performance by 21 percent and to reduce potable water use by 34 percent.
Colorado College Opens Net-Zero Library
Adding 25,000 square feet, the $45 million renovation also made the building net-zero energy. A geothermal energy field, 115-kilowatt rooftop solar array, 400-kilowatt off-site solar array, green rooftop garden, and 130-kilowatt combined heat and power system contribute to the net-zero energy library. The net-zero energy library recently received a 2017 Innovation Awards from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
