Student Opportunity: International E-Waste Design Competition
Organized by the University of Illinois, the Third International E-Waste Design Competition invites students to explore solutions to both remediate the existing e-waste problem and prevent e-waste generation in the future. Ideas must be submitted by November 1, 2012.
'Back-to-School' Limited-time AASHE Discount Offer
AASHE is offering “Back-To-School” discount packages for both first-time AASHE members and first-time STARS Participants starting August 27 and running through Sept. 21, 2012. First-time members that sign up for an AASHE membership will receive a 10 percent discount and one free AASHE 2012 conference pass. First-time STARS Participants will receive a $250 discount on STARS registration. New institutions that sign up for both AASHE membership and STARS will receive a 20 percent discount on AASHE membership and a $400 discount on STARS registration, plus one free AASHE 2012 conference pass.
Biomimicry Institute Student Design Challenge
The Biomimicry Institute invites submissions for its 2012 Student Design Challenge, open to students from any university. Students are challenged to use biomimicry to design a solution that improves water access and management. Teams must register by Oct. 19, 2012 to participate.
Ithaca College Online Sustainability Leadership Certificate
The program offers the chance to credential sustainability work through single seminars or a six-seminar sustainability leadership certificate. All work is completed online. Participants will learn to assess their organization's green policies and practices, communicate sustainability initiatives and evaluate best practices. New online seminars begin 11 times each year. Next two session start dates: September 20 and October 11. Discounts are available to AASHE members. Upcoming seminars include "How Green is Your Organization: Sustainable Policy and Practice" and "How Green is Your Organization: Sustainable Infrastructure." Most Ithaca sustainability seminars are now GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) approved.
Student Opportunity: Project Green Challenge
Organized by Teens Turning Green, the 30-day Project Green Challenge encourages high school and college students to experience conscious living, informed consumption and the collective impact of individual actions. Kicking off Oct. 1, 2012, the initiative will include daily green challenges with supporting resources, tips, facts and a Green Guide. Twelve finalists will be flown to California for the two-day educational summit Green University, where they will learn more about making a large impact in their own communities.
Arbor Day Foundation Volunteer Contest
Between September 4-28, students who sign-up for a volunteer opportunity through Arbor Day's Volunteer Center will be eligible for daily prizes and a chance to win a Kindle Fire, trees planted in their honor, or a donation to their favorite local nonprofit organization. Students can register for opportunities at local conservation-related organizations.
EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge
This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water challenge invites undergraduate and graduate students to create an innovative green infrastructure design for a site on their campus. The design should show how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Winning teams will earn a cash prize, as well as research funds for their faculty adviser to conduct green infrastructure research.
Registration Open for 2012 Game Day Challenge
Organized by the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), RecycleMania and Keep America Beautiful, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WasteWise program, this event challenges colleges and universities to reduce the most waste during home football games. Schools report waste reduction and disposal data during the challenge that is used to determine the winners.
Call for Papers: International Society for Environmental Ethics
The International Society for Environmental Ethics invites submissions of individual papers or proposals for themed sessions for its meeting at the 2013 Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, to be held March 27-31, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. The deadline to submit is Sept. 1, 2012.
Call for Papers - Sustainability: The Journal of Record
The journal invites manuscript submissions for its 2013 editorial line-up on topics including sustainability programs in higher education across institutions; integration of environmental, social, human and economic focused programs; sustainable food and agriculture programs; design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings; and development of sustainability-geared laws and policy. Submitted manuscripts will undergo peer review.
Arbor Day Foundation Rain Forest Rescue Coffee Program
The Arbor Day Foundation invites dining services and other campus departments to support its Rain Forest Rescue project by serving Arbor Day Specialty coffee in campus coffee shops and dining halls. Participants will receive a customized sustainable coffee program with custom coffee blends and branding; education and training on the best equipment and methods; and scholarship funds.
Call for Nominations: AASHE Board of Directors
AASHE invites any AASHE member to nominate candidates to fill several slots including student representation on its Board of Directors, which oversees policy, provides leadership and promotes AASHE in support of the organization’s mission and needs. The full board holds multi-day, in-person meetings at least once a year and holds bimonthly phone meetings. Overall, board members should expect to contribute an average of 5 to 10 hours per month to AASHE. The closing date for nominations is Aug. 15, 2012.
Submit Green Building Projects for New USGBC Project Database
The U.S. Green Building Council is seeking project profiles of real-life strategies and lessons learned in transforming the built environment on campuses including LEED best practices. Profile facilitators and authors are eligible for three LEED Specific GBCI Continuing Education (CE) credits pending publication of the profile.
USGBC Seeking Applications for Student Regional Chairs
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is looking for student regional chairs to start and manage USGBC Students groups across the country. Regional chairs will work directly with students in their geographical area to advance sustainability goals on a variety of campuses.
Feedback for United Nations System-wide Action Plan on Youth
The United Nations is seeking input from youth and youth-led organizations for the development of a System-Wide Action Plan on Youth. This action plan will affect the way the whole UN system will work with and for youth in the coming years, focusing on five priority areas: employment, entrepreneurship, education (including education on sexual and reproductive health), citizenship and protection of rights, and political inclusion.
Call for Applications: USGBC Innovation in Green Building Award
Presented by the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools in partnership with AASHE, the Innovation in Green Building Award recognizes a leading college or university that is transforming the built environment and creating living laboratories for sustainability. This year's award will be presented at Greenbuild 2012 with a special emphasis on innovative projects that promote institutional change. The awardee in this category will receive free registration at both AASHE 2012 and Greenbuild 2012. The deadline to apply is July 27.
Call for Papers: Int'l Conference on Sustainability
The higher education community is invited to submit papers for the Ninth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, to be held January 23-25, 2013 at the International Conference Center Hiroshima in Japan. This interdisciplinary conference is for scholars, teachers, and practitioners from any professional discipline who share an interest in sustainability where environmental, cultural, economic and social concerns intersect. The deadline to submit is Aug. 8, 2012.
EPA Student Stormwater Management Design Challenge
(U.S.): The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water has launched the Campus RainWorks Challenge, inviting undergraduate and graduate students teams to create an innovative green infrastructure design for a site on their campus that demonstrates how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment. Winning teams will earn a cash prize, as well as funds for their faculty adviser to conduct research on green infrastructure. Registration opens September 4.
Survey: Campus Sustainability Challenges, Opportunities
Participants in this survey will help inform the thesis of a graduate urban management and development student at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The thesis looks at "Challenges and Opportunities for Practicing Campus Sustainability in Universities."
Survey: Energy Conservation and Sustainability in U.S. Schools
This survey by Pierce Energy Planning asks the higher education community to share information about the sustainability practices in place at their institutions. The survey will inform an upcoming book that aims to identify best practices in energy conservation and sustainability within educational institutions. All responses will be kept confidential unless otherwise specified.
Ithaca College Online Sustainability Leadership Certificate
Ithaca College (New York) offers the chance to credential sustainability work through single seminars or a six-seminar sustainability leadership certificate. All work is completed online. Participants will learn to assess their organization's green policies and practice, communicate sustainability initiatives and evaluate best practices. New online seminars begin 11 times each year. Next two session start dates: July 19 and September 20. Discounts are available to AASHE members. Upcoming seminars include "A Systems Approach to Sustainability," "Establishing Sustainability as an Organizational Purpose" and "How Green is Your Organization: Sustainable Policy and Practice." Most Ithaca sustainability seminars are now GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) approved.
Become a Project Green Challenge 2012 Team Leader
Hosted by Teens Turning Green, this 30-day challenge mobilizes high school and college students to learn about simple, fun and high impact actions toward a sustainable lifestyle with a focus on informed consumption and the collective impact of individual efforts. Two to four representatives per campus are invited to join the core outreach team to raise awareness and gather sign-ups. Schools with the highest student involvement by September 1 can host a Project Green Challenge-sponsored breakfast or Green Spa on campus.
Community Colleges: Free USGBC Membership
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is offering free membership for one year to community colleges that get involved with Community Green. With support, resources and tools from the USGBC's Center for Green Schools, Community Green colleges work to integrate green building concepts into curricular and co-curricular opportunities, including credentialing and networking.
Deadline Extended: AASHE 2012 Awards Program
The application deadline for all 2012 AASHE award categories has been extended to July 9. AASHE will recognize the achievements of two community, technical or tribal colleges; two four-year institutions; one faculty member; and three students at its awards ceremony in Los Angeles during the 2012 AASHE conference.
Win a Scholarship to Greenbuild 2012
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council is awarding Greenbuild scholarships to higher education students, faculty and staff to promote diversity and social equity within the green building industry and the sustainable schools movement. Awardees will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the conference and expo in San Francisco.
Call for Applications: AASHE 2012 Awards Program
AASHE is doubling the number of awards it gives campuses through its annual sustainability awards program. AASHE will recognize the achievements of two community, technical or tribal colleges; two four-year institutions; one faculty member; and three students at its awards ceremony in Los Angeles during the 2012 AASHE conference. The deadline to apply is July 2.
CWI Service-Learning, Sustainability Institutes
The Community Works Institute (CWI) invites the higher education community to join others working to embrace service-learning and sustainability within their teaching practice at two service-learning institutes this summer. The first, taking place July 16-20 in Shelburne, Vermont, will provide interactive training around CWI’s model for service-learning best practice with both an instructional and site-level focus. The second institute takes place July 30–August 3 in Los Angeles.
SEED Initiative Mentor Connect Program
Launching this summer, the Sustainability Education & Economic Development (SEED) Initiative's Mentor Connect Program is designed to help community colleges build sustainability and green programs through technical assistance and a series of conference calls, site visits, and meetings with mentor colleges. Mentor colleges will be matched with partners based on need and fit. SEED is a program of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Call for Applications: EAUC Green Gown Awards 2012
(U.K.): The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) invites submissions for its 8th annual Green Gown Awards, which recognize exceptional sustainability initiatives at universities and colleges across the U.K. in 14 categories. This year features the new "Best Newcomer" category.
Call for Papers: Business and Entrepreneurial Studies Summit
Focusing on social responsibility, professional ethics and management, the 2nd Annual Summit on Business and Entrepreneurial Studies will take place in October 2012 in Malaysia. The aim of the conference is to present and discuss research that contributes to the sharing of new theoretical, methodological and empirical knowledge, and a better understanding of business and entrepreneurship practices with an emphasis on the field of social responsibility and ethics. Papers related to issues of business in multicultural societies are also welcome. The deadline to submit an abstract is August 17.
Higher Education Sustainability Initiative for Rio+20
Leaders of the international academic community are invited to sign this United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development declaration, which asks the community to commit to the development of sustainable practices. Signatories of the declaration, including AASHE, agree to support actions including teaching sustainable development concepts, encouraging research on sustainable development issues, greening campuses, supporting sustainability efforts in surrounding communities, and engaging with and sharing results through international frameworks. The conference will take place in Brazil from June 20-22, 2012.
Call for Case Studies: NWF Campus Ecology Program
National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) Campus Ecology Program is calling for case studies that showcase campus sustainability efforts and/or green jobs training programs for the 2011-2012 school year. Case studies will be featured in NWF's online searchable case study database and in national press promotion. Submissions are due by Aug. 3, 2012.
Ithaca College Online Sustainability Leadership Certificate
(U.S.): Ithaca College (New York) offers the chance to credential sustainability work through single seminars or a six-seminar sustainability leadership certificate. All work is completed online. Participants will learn to assess their organization's green policies and practice, communicate sustainability initiatives and evaluate best practices. New online seminars begin 11 times each year. Next two session start dates: June 7 and July 19. Discounts are available to AASHE members. Upcoming seminars include "Using Evaluation to Craft the Business Case for Sustainability," "A Systems Approach to Sustainability" and "Establishing Sustainability as an Organizational Purpose." Most Ithaca sustainability seminars are now GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute) approved.
SustainUS Biodiversity Negotiations Delegation to CBD COP 11
(U.S.): The SustainUS Agents of Change program is now accepting applications to join the SustainUS youth delegation to the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in India in October 2012. Delegates will work with each other and with international youth in advance of the conference to educate themselves and their communities, develop policy priorities, acquire skills in effective lobbying, and engage the broader youth community in action related to international biodiversity policy. Applications are due by July 1.
SustainUS Climate Change Negotiations Delegation to COP 18
(U.S.): The SustainUS Agents of Change program is now accepting applications to join the SustainUS youth delegation to the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention and the 8th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP18 and CMP8), to be held in Qatar from November 26 to December 7, 2012. Delegates will work with each other and with international youth in advance of the conference to educate themselves and their communities, develop policy priorities, acquire skills in effective lobbying, and engage the broader youth community in action related to international climate policy. Applications are due by June 3.
Call for Papers: ACTS Campus Sustainability Conference
Themed "Mobilise and Motivate: Building momentum for a holistic sustainability approach," the September 2012 International Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) Conference invites abstracts from the sustainability community on some of the key sustainability challenges facing professionals, managers, facilities, academics and researchers. Potential topics include the role of higher education in the sustainability debate; how institutions can prepare for changing economic systems, changing student demographics and emerging potential risks associated with climate change; and how to create the appropriate sense of urgency to gain executive buy‐in and commitment. The call for papers will remain open through June 1.
EPA 'Battle of the Buildings' Competition
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting applications for its annual national building competition. Participants will measure, track and report their building's monthly energy consumption, make improvements to their building's energy performance and share their progress. The building that demonstrates the greatest percentage-based reduction in energy use intensity over the contest period will be recognized as the winner. New this year, the EPA will also recognize the top water savers. The University of Central Florida won last year's battle with a 63.2 percent decrease in energy use in a main campus parking garage.
2012 Youth Encounter on Sustainability (YES) Course
Activating Talent in Sustainability (ACTIS), in collaboration with the Alliance for Global Sustainability and the Donella Meadows Institute, invites applications for the first YES course in the U.S. With a focus on sustainable food production and consumption, this course aims to sensitize participants to the complex issues of sustainable development in a global context through course work, field trips, workshops, group work and discussions. The course will be held Aug. 15-Sept. 1, 2012 at Sterling College (Vermont). The deadline to apply is May 14.
Obama Administration Youth Sustainability Video Challenge
Leading up to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012, the Obama Administration invites video submissions from America's youth that share what they are doing to foster sustainable communities. Submissions are encouraged in the areas of economy, education, energy and environment, health, and science and technology. Winning videos will be chosen by a panel of Administration officials and featured at the U.S. Center in Rio during the conference. Winners also will be invited to the White House for a special event on sustainability leadership. Submissions are due by June 1.
Call for Letters of Interest: Earthzine Virtual Poster Sessions
Earthzine, a publication covering the Earth observation community, is seeking letters of interest from university and college faculty members interested in contributing research projects for its Virtual Poster Sessions. The sessions allow students and young professionals to showcase their research work in a global setting with project presentations that include abstracts, short videos or narrated slide presentations. Those interested can submit a short letter outlining their university and professional background; the Earth observation-related topic area they seek to highlight; and the approximate number of research projects proposed to Earthzine Managing Editor Jeff Kart at jkart@earthzine.org. The deadline for letters is June 1, 2012.
Fulbright NEXUS Regional Scholar Program
The 2012-2013 Fulbright NEXUS Program, a model for scholarly exchange and science informing policy, is currently seeking applications from early or mid-career academics, applied researchers and/or professionals with research experience in the public, nonprofit or private sector in the topics of science, technology and innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable energy. Applicants must be conducting current research relevant to these themes. Projects focusing on climate change adaptation strategies, and/or public policy focused research ventures that examine strategies to cope with climate variability are particularly welcome. The deadline to apply is June 15.
National Farm to Cafeteria Conference Scholarships
The National Farm to School Network is offering scholarships and volunteer positions that will cover the registration costs for its Farm to Cafeteria: Digging In! conference, slated for August 2-5, 2012. The deadline to apply is May 31.
Smart Growth Network Call for Papers: Community Design
The higher education community is invited to join the Smart Growth Network's (SGN) first national conversation about how neighborhoods could be planned, designed and developed to meet the needs of current and future generations. In an effort to build a compendium of new and innovative ideas, SGN is seeking short papers that discuss a particular issue that communities will be facing in the next 15 years. Twenty to 40 papers will be selected for publishing in anticipation of the 2013 New Partners for Smart Growth Conference. The published papers will be considered for inclusion in the open and/or closing plenaries of the conference. Papers will be accepted through June 30, 2012.
350.org Climate Action Day
A project of 350.org and partner organizations, Climate Action Day is a chance for higher education communities to protest, educate, document and volunteer along with people around the world. Rallies will take place on May 5 in climate-ravaged areas around the world where someone will be holding a huge black dot on a white banner as a way to visually connect the dots between extreme weather and climate change. 350.org will share these images in an attempt to give climate change a human face. Anyone is invited to join, or host their own events.
AASHE Sustainability Across the Curriculum Leadership Workshop
The deadline has been extended for AASHE's Sustainability Across the Curriculum Leadership Workshop, slated for June 26-27, 2012 at San Diego State University (CA). These workshops are for faculty leaders of all disciplines who wish to develop curriculum change programs around sustainability on their campuses. Through an intensive two days of presentations, exercises, discussions, reflection and planning, participants will become familiar with the philosophy of change in higher education developed through the Ponderosa Project at Northern Arizona University and adapted at Emory in the Piedmont Project. The deadline to apply is April 27.
April Discount on NACUBO Publications
Through April 30, the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) is offering selected higher education sustainability titles for half price. No special code is needed. Publications include "Boldly Sustainable: Hope and Opportunity for Higher Education in the Age of Climate Change" and "Financing Sustainability on Campus."
