AASHE Releases 'STARS: A Year in Review’
AASHE has released its first annual “STARS: A Year in Review.” From sustainability research opportunities to sustainable dining efforts to campus-wide social justice initiatives, this report details the sustainability efforts found in the inaugural submissions to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). In addition to the broad range of information provided in the institutional reports submitted by STARS Participants, the report captures the insights and knowledge gained by those institutions during the reporting process.
April Issue of Mother Pelican Journal
Themed "Gender Equality for Human Development," the April issue of the Mother Pelican: A Journal of Sustainable Human Development aims to provide a snapshot of where we are along the path of overcoming patriarchal systems and attaining gender equality. Articles include "Basic Education and Gender Equality" and "Gender Equality for Human Development."
Ometeca Journal: Educating for Ecological Sustainability
Produced by the Ometeca Institute, a nonprofit devoted to the study of the relationship of the humanities and science, the Ometeca Journal has released a special edition devoted to educating for ecological sustainability. The issue aims to provide readers with a compendium of insights and strategies for transforming academic disciplines, pedagogical practices and the larger educational vision. Authors were invited to explore their specific disciplines or specialty areas in relation to the pursuit of ecological sustainability, and to highlight and explore interdisciplinary connections.
AASHE Guest Blog: Lessons From a Solar Decathlon Team Leader
In a new AASHE guest blog article, John Clinton, associate professor of environmental policy and sustainability management at Milano - The New School for Management and Urban Policy in New York City, talks about his experience as a team leader for the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition. The team used a community-based approach with broad partnerships to achieve the social impact they desired with their design, inevitably heightening process and structural challenges. Clinton describes the organizational lessons learned in tackling this kind of interdisciplinary, collaborative sustainability curricula.
ACUPCC Web Page: Financing Sustainability Projects on Campus
The American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) has announced the launch of a new “Financing Sustainability Projects on Campus” web page. The page is intended as a clearinghouse of information on financing mechanisms for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, as well as funding sources for other sustainability-related projects on campus. New content will be added to the site over the next few months.
New Article: When to Go Green with Data Centers
"When it comes to greening' a data center, the problems can be especially daunting, given institutional inertia, budgetary concerns and politics," says a recent article from Campus Technology. The key to success, says the article, "often lies in understanding when those very same problems can be used to press the advantage." The article highlights Loyola University Chicago (IL), who jumped on the opportunity to build a new, energy-efficient data center after being forced out of their old one. The article also looks at a 2010 Energy Efficient IT Report that reveals that more than 78 percent of higher education institutions either have or are developing a plan to consolidate their data centers.
Second Nature Video Advocates for Sustainability Education
Arizona State University President Michael M. Crow recalls a conversation with a New York Times reporter in this four-minute video recently released by Second Nature: "Who cares whether or not the colleges and universities reduce their carbon footprint? You only got 2 or 3 percent of the carbon footprint in the country," the reporter said to Crow. "Well, yeah, that's true," Crow answered the reporter. "But we have 100 percent of the student footprint." The video is a compilation of this and other sound bites and statistics that illustrate the need to tackle a sustainable society at the higher education level.
New Earthscan Sustainability Curricula
Earthscan has released a new Curricula for the 21st Century microsite with free downloads and webinars on the theme of education and training for a low-carbon economy. Each curriculum provides a course outline developed with Earthscan authors that includes suggestions for core books and recommended reading for each module. Sustainable development curriculum resources are available now and the site will soon host a forum to help source upcoming curricula on the topics of climate change and energy, sustainable business and sustainability leadership.
New Issue of Journal of Sustainability Education
Themed "Learning and Leading Sustainability," the March 2011 issue of the Journal of Sustainability Education has been released. The latest content of this peer-reviewed, open access interdisciplinary e-journal from the Institute for Sustainable Social Change and the Prescott College (AZ) Ph.D. Program in Sustainability Education includes a "Sustainability Education in the Interior Design Curriculum" case study and a "Teaching Sustainability in Graduate Education: A Call to Leadership Development" opinion piece.
ACUPCC Implementer Newsletter
Not subscribed to the ACUPCC Implementer yet? Faculty, staff and students from sustainability teams and the campus community at large are invited to subscribe to this monthly e-newsletter of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). For ACUPCC signatories and non-signatories alike, the newsletter is free and contains original articles from national experts on a variety of timely topics, as well as announcements and updates on resources, discounts and events.
Inside Higher Ed 'Academic Minute': Green Jobs
"A sustained national effort to rewire the country with clean energy will mobilize large-scale private sector investment and initiative a positive feedback process whereby investment leads to jobs, which create higher income and demand, thereby generating greater investment job creation and economic growth," says Bard College's (NY) Eban Goodstein in this Inside Higher Ed Academic Minute. "Green investment does have a critical role to play in bringing an end to this current recession."
SEED Strategic Report: Community Colleges in the Green Economy
The American Association of Community College's (AACC) Sustainability Education & Economic Development (SEED) initiative has released its strategic plan, "Community Colleges in the Emerging Green Economy: Charting a Course and Leadership Role." Driven by AACC's Sustainability Task Force, a group of community college presidents from across the country, the document describes the national community college network's shared vision for advancing a green economy and will be used to guide expanded SEED offerings over the next several years.
'Carbon Nation: A Climate Change Solutions Movie'
"I see the United States having almost a full employment economy based on retrofitting a nation," says green jobs innovator Van Jones in the trailer of the new movie, "Carbon Nation: A Climate Change Solutions Movie." Billed as a movie "that doesn't even care if you believe in climate change," this solutions-based, non-partisan documentary illustrates how being a part of the new, low-carbon economy can be good business, embolden national and energy security, and improve health and the environment. The movie delves into creative solutions to combat climate change being created by entrepreneurs, visionaries, scientists and the everyday man. Campuses across the country will screen the documentary on April 12, 2011.
Education for Sustainable Development Report
Commissioned by UNESCO, this "Education for Sustainable Development: An expert review of processes and learning" report identifies which commonly accepted learning processes are aligned with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and should be promoted through ESD-related programs and activities. It also seeks to examine which learning opportunities contribute to sustainable development. The publication will inform the choice of tools and specific questions that need to be asked as part of the 2011 DESD (United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development) monitoring and evaluation report.
New Facebook Group for Student Eco-Reps
EcoRepCentral.com has launched a Facebook-based resource for Eco-Reps, also known as student sustainability educators, to share best practices across campuses.
GreenerU Guides and Toolkits for Campus Sustainability
GreenerU, a Massachusetts-based sustainability and energy efficiency company that partners with colleges and students to assist with energy, sustainability, climate and facilities challenges, has a collection of free guides and toolkits available for greening campuses. Examples include the "The GreenerU GreenerEvent Planning Guide: The Basics" and "The GreenerU Carbon & Energy Translation Kit: kWh?! CO2?! BTUs?!"
NWF's 'Going Underground on Campus'
The National Wildlife Federation has released "Going Underground On Campus: Tapping the Earth for Clean, Efficient Sources of Heating and Cooling." Featuring case studies of geothermal installations on more than 160 campuses in 42 states, this publication reveals that energy savings over conventional heating and cooling systems on campus range from 50 to 75 percent for ground-source heat pumps, 30 to 40 percent for earth-sheltered buildings, and even more for direct use geothermal. The guide was produced by the National Wildlife Federation in partnership with the Geothermal Energy Association, GEOExchange: The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium and APPA: Leadership in Educational
Parlez-Vous Green Campus Blog: Education City in Qatar
Former Ohio University Director of Sustainability Sonia Marcus interviews Chris Silva, sustainability education coordinator for Qatar's Education City, in the first post of her new blog, Parlez-Vous Green Campus? In addition to being one of the only institutions outside of North America participating in this year's RecycleMania, Education City is building 12 new residence halls designed to meet LEED Platinum status. This interview captures the ethics and initiatives of a campus sustainability movement in one of the most resource intensive nations on the planet.
AASHE '2010 Higher Education Sustainability Staffing Survey'
AASHE has released the results of its "2010 Higher Education Sustainability Staffing Survey." Despite national unemployment rates that hovered near 10 percent in 2010, this survey reveals a workforce of people who report a sense of job security and feel satisfied with the work they are doing. With 433 completed surveys, the results offer a comprehensive look at the demographics, roles, salaries and positions of college and university sustainability-related staff in the U.S. and Canada.
AASHE Events Forum
AASHE has created an Events Forum for discussions about upcoming campus sustainability events. This is a place for the campus sustainability community to continue conversations and/or collaborate with others prior to, or after, an event takes place. This forum can be used for a variety of purposes including continued conversations about a topic from a session attended, to find speakers for an upcoming presentation or to discuss an upcoming conference.
Responsible Endowments Coalition's STARS Companion Guide
As a partner on the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), the Responsible Endowments Coalition (REC) has released a companion guide to the STARS sustainable investment section. The guide can be accessed by STARS member institutions in the "Additional Resources" section of the STARS Reporting Tool website as well as in the Handbooks section of the REC website. From difficulty evaluating investments to a lack of understanding of a Committee on Socially Responsible Investment or a Committee on Investor Responsibility, this guide is intended to help institutions understand how best to answer questions and score points in this STARS section. The guide also features a worksheet tool.
EPA Renewable Energy Cost Database
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has compiled a database of existing cost data for wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and geothermal energy technologies, including historical costs and projected costs for each. Despite the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector, there are few publicly available compilations of the data on renewable energy costs. This database is an attempt to fill this void of renewable energy - specifically for electricity generation - cost information.
New AASHE Guest Blog Series: Sustainable Study Abroad
Studying abroad can promote sustainability if programs adhere to higher standards of sustainable practices, says Living Routes Director Daniel Greenberg. In a mini-series that AASHE will publish in four installments over the next month, Greenberg uses Living Routes as a case study to flesh out four identified strategies for sustainable study abroad including program design and management, student learning, staff training and office management, and promotion. The first installment of this series examines the program design and management of a study abroad program.
AASHE Debuts New Events Newsletter
AASHE has recently launched a new and improved Events Newsletter. Subscribe to this monthly communication to stay up-to-date on AASHE events and professional development opportunities such as workshops, conferences, webinars, talks and more. The AASHE Events Newsletter includes dates and times of events, registration deadlines, guidelines for conference abstract submissions, special offers and discounts.
A Blueprint for Advancing Education for Sustainability
The result of a November 2010 gathering of representatives from 23 national organizations, including AASHE, that work with the U.S. higher education sector to promote Education for Sustainability (EfS), this blueprint is intended to synergize efforts, avoid duplication and accelerate the EfS movement. The blueprint aims to promote broad participation and leadership from a diverse spectrum of racial, geographic and socio-economic communities.
Bon Appetit Student Garden Guide
Based on its work with numerous student organizers on higher education campuses to serve student-grown produce in its campus cafes, Bon Appetit has composed a Student Garden Guide to help students establish a successful relationship between their campus food service provider and their student garden.
'Greening the Bottom Line' Report: Green Revolving Funds
In collaboration with 11 partner organizations including AASHE, the Sustainable Endowments Institute has released a new report, "Greening the Bottom Line: The Trend toward Green Revolving Funds on Campus." The publication brings to light current trends based on a 2010 survey of green revolving funds that included 52 institutions with at least $66 million invested through green revolving funds. The report details how these funds help cut operating expenses and greenhouse gas emissions and how cost savings are used to replenish the fund for investment in the next round of green upgrades.
New AASHE Guest Blog Series: Sustainability Groundhog Cycle
Over the next month, guest bloggers from WAP Sustainability will look at what they refer to as the “sustainability groundhog cycle.” For professionals trying to implement sustainability in a university setting who feel like they are reliving the same experiences and not making progress in their fight to create a more sustainable campus community, this blog series will include insights uncovered from WAP’s sustainability experience in government, industry and higher education. Topics covered will include effective engagement by removing barriers of departmental segregation; purchasing and the power of life cycle thinking in the supply chain; success stories from the world of effective messaging; building momentum from the local community and business leaders; and the integration of sustainability and traditional curriculum.
STARS Unveils 1.1 Technical Manual
AASHE has released STARS 1.1, a version of STARS with minor substantive changes to the previous version, STARS 1.0. Minor substantive changes include changing reporting fields associated with a credit; modifying criteria or definitions within a credit; and modifying how points are calculated for individual credits. Minor changes do not include adding or deleting credits, point allocation and overall scoring calculations. The STARS Steering Committee approved the changes, which were recommended by Technical Advisor Work Groups and STARS staff in response to STARS participants' questions and comments regarding STARS 1.0. New STARS Participants should use the most recent version of the Technical Manual, which is available for free download at the STARS website. All institutions registering after Feb. 9, 2011 will be required to use STARS 1.1.
Inside Higher Ed 'Academic Minute': Green Construction
By 2030, 35 billion square feet of the current U.S. building stock will have been demolished and replaced, requiring enough energy to power the state of California for 10 years, says Liliane Wong of the Rhode Island School of Design in this Inside Higher Ed "Academic Minute" feature. "Efforts to reverse this trend have brought about a new focus on the practice of adaptive reuse in which an existing building is transformed and reused for a new purpose," she says. "Endeavors to achieve a net zero 2030 are part of a continuum that extends many centuries back, connecting an unlikely group that includes Roman emperors, popes, Renaissance architects, present day architects and designers from around the world."
Earthscan 'Sustainability Education & Training' Webinar
Part of its Earthcast webinar series, Earthscan's archived "Sustainability Education & Training" highlights ideas and strategies for embedding sustainability in curricula and professional development. Sustainability authors Stephen Sterling, Cheryl Desha and Paul Murray look at the response of higher education and training to the sustainability agenda, the challenges that remain and innovations that are working in this free resource.
AASHE Debuts New and Improved Website
AASHE has unveiled a new website with a clean design and improved navigation. Based on user feedback, the website content has been reorganized to better highlight AASHE's main programs and resources.
New Online Ecoliteracy Educational Construct
Earth Smarts, a new ecoliteracy educational construct from science journalist and University of South Florida professor Bryan Nichols, is a free website designed to be practical, apolitical and adaptable across cultures and bioregions. The construct offers education tools for preserving ecological knowledge in a way that is flexible to encourage teacher localization and creativity, and focused to be practical in modern, standards-based classrooms.
New Online Resources from Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has announced the launch of a new website that features a database of more than 140 clean energy training and education programs in Massachusetts. The center has also developed a library of new, clean energy curriculum resources in partnership with the workforce development agency Commonwealth Corporation.
New Issue of Int'l Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
The latest issue of Emerald Group Publishing Limited's International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education explores the state of sustainability reporting at Canadian colleges and universities, emerging campus sustainability curricula models in higher education, and the college student's perception of campus sustainability.
USDA Sustainable Living Education National Network
Efforts are underway to link sustainable living educators through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Living Education National Network of natural resource and extension professionals. The network aims to integrate the sustainable living concept into every extension program area by investigating, educating and modeling sustainable living practices to individuals, families, institutions, businesses, camps and schools. A unified national network will give participants the tools to apply sustainable living concepts to more traditional extension topics such as energy and water conservation in the home, green design residential housing, environmental education, youth leadership and community capacity building.
Debut Issue of Sustainability Accounting, Mgmt and Policy Journal
The inaugural issue of the Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal explores whether social accounting might become a multidisciplinary field, whether market participants see value in the publication of sustainability reports and how human rights' values influence the development of social responsibility practice. New from Emerald Group Publishing Limited, the journal features articles geared toward practitioners, policymakers and researchers.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., has published Vol. 3, No. 6 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The December issue includes a look at the sociotechnological challenges faced in "The Future of Urban Sustainability"; an editorial by SCA Tissue Sustainability Marketing Manager Mike Kapalko that examines how businesses currently marketing a green image can avoid falling into the greenwashing trap; and a book review of Michael Russo’s "Companies on a Mission: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Growing Sustainably, Responsibly, and Profitably."
A Review of the Treatment of Climate Change in Economic Textbooks
The Sightline Institute, a resource for best practices for public policy in the Northwest, has released a review of the bestselling economic textbooks for their treatment of climate change. "Grading Economics Textbooks on Climate Change" reveals that of 16 textbooks, more than half are using information on climate change that is several years old. Five books fell into the "not recommended" category for factual inaccuracies, omissions and misinformation in the face of widespread scientific consensus.
BioCycle Upgrades Online Composting Facilities Directory
BioCycle Magazine has released a new, more user-friendly version of FindAComposter.com, a publicly searchable directory of composting facilities in the U.S. and Canada. The magazine created the online directory and resource guide in partnership with the Biodegradable Products Institute in an effort to make it easier to divert organic waste streams and buy compost. Visitors to the site may now enter a ZIP code to identify composting facilities within a 50-mile radius or may search for facilities by name. The new site offers the ability to integrate with social media platforms and an upcoming "Feedstock" blog will include site profiles and links to current events and stories in the world of organics recycling.
U.S. Dept of Energy's 'Guide to Financing EnergySmart Schools'
The U.S. Department of Energy has released the new "Guide to Financing EnergySmart Schools." Written for school administrators and board members, the document provides information on the process of financing energy-efficient school renovations, retrofits or new construction and outlines the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of financing mechanisms.
AASHE Debuts Searchable Forum Database
AASHE has unveiled a new search interface that allows forum visitors to search through all entries posted on AASHE's Campus Sustainability Discussion Forum. Posts are searchable by forum topic or terms, with the option to limit searches to STARS and the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) posts.
AASHE Open Space Conf Call: Ed for Sustainability Info Exchange
Kankakee Community College (IL) Dean of Sustainability and Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) Sustainability Fellow Bert Jacobson addressed topics related to educating for a sustainable future through collaboration and institutional transformation during this November AASHE Open Space Conference Call. Available free online to AASHE members, Jacobson discusses the Sustainability Task Force of the South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium's Sustainability Planning Workshop and the current status and lessons learned from the Illinois Green Economy Network’s statewide effort to create a standardized Greening Your Curriculum for faculty.
USGBC 'Hands-On LEED: Guiding College Student Engagement'
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council has released "Hands-On LEED: Guiding College Student Engagement." Intended for campus staff and faculty, the document discusses how to involve students in green building projects and facilitate their contributions to the LEED certification process. The guide outlines three options for engaging students including course work, internships and volunteer opportunities, and provides implementation options for each.
AASHE List of Campus Telecommuting Policies
AASHE has released a new list of campus telecommuting policies. Offering a telecommute program for employees helps to cut down transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. Telecommuting programs are also recognized in AASHE's STARS program as a tier-two credit. This resource is available to AASHE members only.
AASHE, USGBC, Kyoto Publishing: 'Climate Neutral Campus Report'
In collaboration with AASHE and the U.S. Green Building Council, Kyoto Publishing, USA has released the second edition of the "Climate Neutral Campus Report." The report features white papers, case studies and interviews with practitioners to deliver a fresh perspective on how sustainability is impacting and being driven by faculty, administrators, facilities managers and students. This project aims to accelerate the adoption of green building and sustainability initiatives on campuses by educating the major stakeholders about the successful initiatives and rapid return on investment that colleges and universities are achieving.
New Issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., has published Vol. 3, No. 5 of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. The October issue features a salary survey of sustainability professionals, conducted by the University of California, San Diego Extension in collaboration with the journal; a look at the policies, programs and results of sustainable travel; and a roundtable discussion of sustainability as an academic discipline with educators from Ithaca College (NY), Philadelphia University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Slippery Rock University (PA), Baldwin-Wallace College (OH), Drew University (NJ) and Dalhousie University (NS).
USGBC Guide to Multiple-Building, On-Campus Building Projects
The U.S. Green Building Council has released the "2010 LEED Application Guide for Multiple Buildings and On-Campus Building Projects." The free document was created to provide guidance when applying the LEED rating systems to multiple-building and on-campus projects that are on a shared site under the control of a single entity including educational campus installations.
AASHE 2010 Conference Coverage
For a look at panels, keynote speakers and meeting discussions during the AASHE 2010 conference, held Oct. 10-12 in Denver, visit the AASHE Campus Sustainability Blog. Blog posts include recaps of the largest Student Summit in AASHE conference history, the Curriculum Call to Action and Working with Athletics discussions, STARS Town Hall Meeting and keynote speaker presentations.
USGBC 'Roadmap to a Green Campus'
The U.S. Green Building Council has released "Roadmap to a Green Campus," which provides strategies for using the LEED green building certification program as a framework for developing and evolving campus-wide sustainability plans. The document references more than 100 tools and resources to support campus greening efforts including profiles of institutional success stories.
