U Virginia and USGBC Partner to Support Public Health
Supported by a $1.2 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the new research initiative aims to result in new tools that create and demonstrate the value of public health through the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings and that bring a public health lens to assessments of commercial real estate portfolios.
U Kentucky Improves Connectivity for Bicyclists and Pedestrians
Because commuting cyclists faced limited and difficult options for traveling to and from campus, the university funded the construction of a new shared-use path and the city provided way-finding and pavement markings that link an existing bicycle route to a new campus facility.
Northwestern U to Implement Energy Efficient Lighting
After investing over $1.5 million since 2009 on updating lighting controls and adding occupancy sensors across campus, the next step of the university's energy savings initiative is to retrofit outdoor, athletic and theatrical lighting to LED.
U Albany to Host Sustainability Leadership Summit
During the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students Leadership Summit in early August, graduate student leaders from across the nation will convene to discuss the principles of leadership used to advance university sustainability capacity and how the principles can be applied to student governance.
Colorado State U Surplus Diverts 18 Tons of Move-Out Material
The university's Surplus Department and Housing and Dining Services diverted over 18 tons of reusable items this year through the Leave it Behind program, which netted just over $7,000 to fund eight students in the Eco Leaders Peer Education Program who raise sustainability awareness in the dorms.
U Kentucky Announces Bicycle Voucher Program
Inspired by the success of the University of Louisville's Earn-a-Bike Program, the University of Kentucky's Parking and Transportation Services' new pilot program is giving up to 100 students a $400 voucher for a local bike shop in exchange for not bringing a motor vehicle to campus for two years. The program aims to encourage commuters to consider alternatives to the single passenger vehicle.
U British Columbia Develops 20-Year Sustainability Strategy
Building on 20 years of sustainability achievement and following extensive community engagement, the strategy provides an overall framework to further integrate academic and operational sustainability efforts through the lens of regenerative sustainability. Using the campus as a societal test-bed, it seeks to explore and demonstrate net-positive approaches to human and environmental well-being.
Dickinson College Energy Efficiency Projects Earn Over $75K in Rebates
Thanks to the state of Pennsylvania incentives to lower power usage through Act 129, the college’s climate action plan projects have brought in $75,000 in rebates. Most recently it received a check for $47,000 for installing motion sensors in all laboratories of one of its science buildings.
U Maryland Partners with Community on Renewable Energy Awareness
The university's Center for Young Children and the Energy Research Center recently hosted 14 students, ages 4 and 5 years old, offering them the opportunity to see how the university uses clean and renewable energy. The children visit photovoltaic panels, an electric car and a research lab.
SUNY Fredonia Installs Solar Panels
The recently installed solar panels at the university's College Lodge will trim electricity consumption and aid in student learning. The array is expected to save $1,750 annually on utility costs and produce approximately 70 percent of the total electricity needs of the lodge.
Maharishi U Management Holds Inaugural Deep Sustainability Discussion
Hosted in June 2015, the Colloquy on Deep Sustainability was a closed discussion in order to distill the meaning of the term deep sustainability, how it differs from similar concepts and systems, and what a future with deep sustainability at its core should look like. Topics included philosophy, spirituality, mathematics, ecology, economics, governments and societies.
Maharishi U Management Holds Green Business Symposium
At its third annual Deep Green Business Symposium, the university focused on Global Green Opportunities and Technologies with 16 speakers discussing subjects including community development, optimization of a product’s life cycle, and philosophies of sustainability.
U Southern California Introduces Green Teams
Promoting environmental sustainability within athletics, the Green Teams Program, part of the Office of Sustainability, recently honored three teams, women's sand volleyball, women's rowing and men's club lacrosse, for their consideration of transportation, waste, energy and water impact, and food consumption. The program has four tiers of certification and seeks to highlight best practices.
Stanford U Dining Becomes REAL Certified
The United States Healthful Food Council recently announced that Stanford has become the nation's first campus dining program to obtain the Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL) certification. Honored for its commitment to holistic nutrition and environmental stewardship, the university was evaluated on whole-foods use, portions, behavioral components and procurement.
Elon U Receives 25th LEED Certification
Located in central North Carolina situated on 620 acres, six buildings in the Global Neighborhood on campus recently received U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certification. Five are residential and house a total of 600 students.
Michigan State U Terminates Coal Use
In early April 2015, as part of its Energy Transition Plan, the university president announced that it will retire its on-campus coal plant by 2016. Although this move results in switching to natural gas, its ultimate goal is to generate 100 percent renewable energy.
College of the Sequoias to Complete 893KW Solar System
In an effort to minimize energy costs, the newly announced 893-kilowatt photovoltaic system is expected to deliver an estimated 25-year savings of approximately $6.4 million. Two installations comprise the 893kW system, one parking lot shade canopy at 285kW and the other is a ground-mounted, 632kW system covering 3.3 acres.
Kapi'olani CC Students Build Solar Cart
The community college's team of Engineers for a Sustainable World built the cart to demonstrate how science, technology, engineering and mathematics can be applied towards building a more sustainable campus. The apparatus has the ability to provide 0.5-kilowatt-hours of AC electricity.
Alfred U Receives $2.8M Grant for Renewable Energy Research Center
The $2.8 million grant for the center's construction is part of economic development funding for 19 projects across New York by Empire State Development. The new center will allow the university to conduct specialized research and testing on renewable energy systems and high-temperature battery applications.
Ohio U to Discontinue Coal-Fired Boilers
Located in southeastern Ohio coal-mining country, the university anticipates switching to natural gas fuel by the end of 2015 for steam generation to heat and cool campus buildings.
U Warwick Divests from Fossil Fuels
(U.K.): The university commits to moving all oil, coal and gas investments out of its 14 million pounds ($21.9 million) endowment, following a two-year student-led campaign.
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Allocates $1.2M to 4 Interdisciplinary Projects
More than $1.2 million in seed funding was recently awarded to seed four interdisciplinary research projects through the university's Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. The selected topics that received over $350,000 each were stormwater and mosquito control, crop response to climate change, renewable energy for transportation, and crude oil cleanup treatment.
San Francisco State U to Open Wellness Center
The 118,700-square-foot complex, scheduled for completion in 2017, will feature an indoor jogging track, fitness and weight areas, pools, a sauna, a climbing wall, racquetball courts, two multi-use courts, fitness studios and a large multi-use space. The university is pursuing LEED Platinum designation.
Cornell U Grants $1.2M to Sustainable Ideas
The university's Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future has given $1.2 million to 11 new projects that include water cleanup, home retrofits, solar power's impact on pollinating bees, oyster revival, research on ground-source heating and cooling, and wind energy. The grants will enable teams to obtain initial data or proof of principle to find external collaborators.
Cornell U Offers Free EV Charging
Since demand for vehicle charging stations on campus has grown due to popularity of hybrid and all-electric vehicles, university Transportation Services now offers free electric vehicle charging and preferential parking for low-emission and alternative fuel vehicles.
Oregon and Washington, D.C. Considering Free College
Oregon's legislature recently advanced a bill that would fund a tuition waiver for community college students. Washington, D.C. lawmakers are also considering a bill that would create a scholarship to cover tuition and fees for qualifying students who attend the District of Columbia Community College.
U Maryland Earns Honors for Bike to Work Day
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently presented the 2015 Commuter Connections Bike to Work Day Employer Challenge award to the university. With 161 campus registrants at various pit stops, the university is among the top bike-friendly employers in the region.
Duke U Opens Water Reclamation Pond
The newly opened pond is 5.5 acres and is projected to save up to 100 million gallons of water a year. The water will be used to pump water across campus to cool buildings. The new process is projected to save the university approximately $400,000 per year in avoided city water expenditures.
Elon U Receives Honors for Alternative Fuel Vehicles
The university was recently recognized by the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition for supplanting petroleum use with biodiesel and electricity, avoiding use of more than 17,000 gallons of gasoline over the past year.
U District Columbia Completes Food-Producing Rooftop
The new 40,000-square-foot vegetated rooftop that produces food replicates the university's 143-acre research farm by using techniques from its sustainable agriculture certificate program. The rooftop also boasts a stormwater harvesting system to collect rainwater in two 500-gallon cisterns.
U California Davis to Save 61M Gallons of Water
In an effort to combat ongoing drought issues, using recycled water instead of well water to help cool the campus' chilled water supply will result in a savings of 9 percent of total potable water use for a year.
U California Riverside to Launch Sustainability Science Degree Program
Offered through the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies, the interdisciplinary bachelor of science degree will focus on challenges to sustainability such as climate change, air and water pollution, toxic contamination, energy demands, economic growth, agricultural production, and environmental degradation.
Inside Higher Ed 'Minimum Wage Hike'
The article discusses the recent trend among colleges and universities to increase minimum wages above what's required by states and the federal government due to concerns about equitable pay for all employee, changes in local ordinances, or pressure from workers' advocates.
Idaho State U Receives 50 Recycling Bins
As part of a national recycling grant from Keep America Beautiful and The Coca-Cola Foundation, the new bins will be placed around six buildings on campus. The university was chosen by Keep America Beautiful based on the extent of its need, recycling experience, and its ability to sustain the program in the future.
U Kentucky Partners to Provide Campus With Free Public Transit
In an effort to strengthen its relationship with the city, the university and the Lexington Transit Authority, better known as Lextran, have partnered to offer faculty, staff and students free transit on Lextran bus routes simply by showing a valid identification card.
Michigan State U Students Create Stormwater Walking Tour
Funded by the university's student sustainability fee, the new walking program is a self-directed tour that educates participants about the various methods of stormwater management the campus has integrated into its built environment in order to protect and preserve the state's Red Cedar River.
U Hawai'i Mānoa Plans for Net Zero Energy
The university continues to add occupied space and decrease energy usage through a focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and evaluating the natural qualities of a piece of land when assessing building design.
Eastern Washington U Divests from Fossil Fuels
In June 2015, The university's board of trustees unanimously supported a motion to divest its endowed funds from fossil fuel investments and further directed the university to pursue socially responsible investment strategies. The university in the process of developing a comprehensive sustainability master plan to align with its strategic plan.
U West England Tests Urine-to-Energy Project
(U.K.): Led by the university's Bristol BioEnergy Center, urine is used as a biofuel that generates electricity to light up urinals. The technology, tested at a music festival, is being developed to improve lives in refugee camps set up in areas suffering the impacts of environmental disaster, war zones, and areas without sanitation or electricity infrastructure.
U California System Supports Gender Identity Inclusivity
The university system is adding optional questions to undergraduate applications about sexual orientation and gender identity in an effort to allow its colleges and universities to track enrollment and graduating students from a range of orientations and identities. It also announced that, starting July 1, all new construction projects or major renovations will include gender-neutral restrooms.
Columbia U Divests from Private Prison Companies
Following a student activist campaign, the university's trustees decided to divest its endowment from two private companies that run prisons, detention centers, and militarized borders, and will refrain from investing in such companies again.
NY Times: 'A College in Maine That Tackles Climate Change, One Class at a Time'
The New York Times article cites the College of the Atlantic for using project-based learning to engage students outside of the classroom specifically around the issues of climate change and energy. The article says the college "takes an interdisciplinary approach to human ecology, the study of the interaction between people and their social and physical environments."
U Illinois Urbana-Champaign Institutes Net Zero Growth Space Policy
To halt growth of gross square footage in buildings on the university's campus, a commitment made in the 2010 Illinois Climate Action Plan, the new policy, which went into effect July 1, 2015, is meant to reduce the campus carbon footprint with more efficient space use in future projects and renovations.
New Mexico State U Student Gardens Display New Irrigation System
A newly constructed rainwater harvesting system, consisting of the collection and storage of precipitation for use on site, will serve as a teaching and learning tool for students by encouraging cost-benefit analysis, calculating storage tank capacity, and how much water is needed for each crop.
