Five Schools Partner for Energy and Water Reduction [VIDEO]
Organized by students, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Toledo, Bowling Green University, University of Kansas and Pennsylvania State University will be competing together for the first time to measure the highest reduction of energy and water use on campus.
Cornell U Hosts Inaugural Energy Reduction Competition
The university's College of Human Ecology kicked off its first Energy Smackdown Competition in which buildings compete against each other in an effort to reduce their electrical consumption for a 45-day time period.
U South Carolina to Begin Greek Life Sustainability Program
A fourth-year international business student is spearheading an effort to educate the Greek community about sustainability and hopes integrate more environmentally friendly practices into every day life through the creation of an official Panhellenic Sustainability Committee.
California State U Fresno Holds Sustainability Summit
(U.S.): Attempting to educate the campus community about campus events and initiatives related to sustainability, the inaugural summit, spearheaded by the university's Sustainability Project, featured speakers and break-out sessions for participants to develop projects.
Grand Valley State U Serves Up Campus Grown Food
(U.S.): The university announced a new partnership between the Office of Sustainability Practices and Campus Dining to bring produce from its two-acre Sustainable Agriculture Project to the tables of a restaurant in its dining facility.
U California Santa Cruz Educates with Virtual Dorm Room
(U.S.): The new interactive page on the university's Housing website is an easy-to-use tool for students to become more educated about living sustainably by identifying methods for using less energy and water, using more environmentally friendly products and bicycling more.
Wake Forest U Students Add Greenhouse to Campus Garden
(U.S.): Two students recently erected the hoop house to extend the growing season of vegetables in the Campus Garden, which supports local farmers, decreases the carbon footprint, and supports the community with localized food through Campus Kitchen program.
Merced College Los Banos to Build Produce Forest
Two university professors received $50,000 from Wells Fargo to repurpose a biologically inactive one-acre plot adjacent to Los Banos Creek into a sustainable woodland ecosystem. The project will provide organic produce to students at the Los Banos campus and the surrounding community.
Triple Pundit Covers AASHE 2014 Conference & Expo
The article recaps Annie Leonard's recent remarks at the conference in October held in Portland. Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace and co-author of the Story of Stuff, reminds stakeholders in higher education campus sustainability to commit to renewable energy, divest from fossil fuel investment, leverage purchasing, encourage student engagement and stay inspired.
U Maryland Establishes Sustainability Pledge
The university's new Small Footprint Pledge is a way for all students, faculty and staff to make a commitment to minimize their environmental impact by adopting new green living habits from a suggest list of items from the pledge action list. Participants are invited to adopt that action for a week, a semester or a whole year.
U South Alabama Breaks Ground on Community Garden
Through a student initiative focused on recycling, the new community garden will help reduce the amount of food waste in the community, provide fresh, locally grown food, and raise community awareness about the values of sustainable living.
EPA Announces Winning Environmental Problem Solving Teams
In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced up to $15,000 for each of 42 student teams to pursue projects that deliver sustainable, alternative approaches to address environmental challenges as part of EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program.
Northern Kentucky U Student Creates Chemical Recycling Machine
After realizing that the university's chemical plan only covered a portion of the chemicals used in labs, the 2014 graduate student created a machine that separates the different liquids present in the leftover solution with high rates of purity allowing them to be reused again.
Syracuse U Contest Promotes Sustainable Practices
In order to continue momentum from Campus Sustainability Day, the Sustainability Club invited all students, faculty and staff to take and upload photos showing themselves engaged in sustainable activities across campus and the winner will be chosen during November at a campus lecture.
U Southern California Student Inaugurates Campus CSA
After purchasing produce from the campus farmers market and wondering about the growing method and it's environmental and health impacts, the student struck a new deal with a local farmer to start a community-supported agriculture (CSA) buyers club at the university.
Sonoma State U Launches Inaugural Expo
Aiming to demonstrate to the campus community and beyond the university's commitment to sustainability, the first Sustainability Expo brings exhibits, art, short films, panel discussions, tours and classes on global sustainability, including over 30 student and faculty projects.
U Massachusetts Expands Edible Gardens Program
Hoping to improve the university's sustainability image, three new programs were added to the edible gardens initiative including a Edible Mushroom Cultivation Program, the installation of pollinator hotels to provide a nesting area for pollinator insects, and a solar charging station that provides a renewable energy source for cell phones and USB-powered electronics.
U North Carolina Chapel Hill Builds Food Pantry
The newly established Carolina Cupboard, a student organization sponsored by the departments of Housing & Residential Education, and Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, will collect and redistribute nutritious food to students in an attempt to alleviate food insecurity.
U Washington Kicks Off Festival
The new weeklong festival focuses on university operations and academic sustainability with different events across campus.
Western U Institutes Student Environmental Competition
In its inaugural year, Western's Ideas for Sustainability and the Environment (WISE) competition aims to generate ideas and initiatives by asking students to pitch innovative and high-impact ideas to reduce or eliminate today's most pressing environmental concerns.
U East Anglia Students Initiate Water Saving Campaign
(U.K.): Attempting to challenge conventional water usage behavior, students recently launched the Go with the Flow Campaign asking students who take showers in the morning to urinate in the showers instead of using the toilet.
San Francisco State U Class Analyzes Bikeability
As part of an agreement with city agencies to take measurable steps to minimize transportation impacts of the growing student population, the university's Bicycle Geographies class released a new report outlining how to make students' commutes safer and where more secure and convenient bike parking could be located.
Students Promote Green Cleaning [VIDEO]
Students from several institutions promote the importance of using green products such as baking soda and vinegar for cleaning as a less expensive and healthier option.
U Michigan Hosts EarthFest
This past September, Planet Blue, a university sustainability initiative, held a "Party for the Planet" to increase awareness around environmentally friendly food purchases, climate action and waste prevention. During this event, students had the opportunity to learn about sustainable focused groups that they could join.
U Texas Austin Students Create BioFuel
Through a 2013 grant, students have researched, studied and created a biofuel that is intended for use in university vehicles once out of the testing stages. This particular biofuel is created from a waste product that was slated to be thrown away and will decrease the university's fuel intake.
Clarkson U Student Starts Project to Offset Carbon Emissions
(U.S.): A graduate student recently developed an forestry project in Uganda in an effort to balance the effects of carbon emissions generated by university air travel. Micro-finance groups were also set up to create paid jobs for women who work on this project.
McGill U Boost Sustainability Initiative
(Canada): The university recently launched the ECOLE initiative, after three years in the pilot stage. This initiative allows students to examine sustainable living in urban communities, learn about clean energy and green produce and conduct community events.
College Idaho Provide Eco-House
A self-sustaining college sponsored residency provides opportunities for students to promote food consciousness and a more environmentally friendly lifestyle for a second year.
Johnson C. Smith U Students Garden
In an effort to provide a sustainable garden and food source to the campus, the university had students plant fall crops for harvesting in November and December. This garden will also encourage healthy eating habits.
Indiana U Purdue U Indianapolis Repurposes Food Waste
The university’s new student-led food rescue and distribution operation will turn wasted food into meals for those in need while creating opportunities for student leadership and empowerment, service learning opportunities and additional community partnerships, to promote sustainability throughout the campus to community.
Wright State U Students Advocate for Fair Trade
In order to increase the variety of products and price points to consumers at the university, the Fair Trade Student Association will soon begin a campaign to increase the availability of eco-friendly products by laborers who were treated fairly and ethically.
Albright College Opens Sustainability House
Five college undergrads will take part in green activities at a new affinity house focused on sustainability, such as recycling and tracking their energy use, developing a relevant event for students on campus, and writing a grant application for a capital item for the house, such as a solar panel.
U South Florida to Bring Local Food to Campus
This November the university plans to bring organic fruits and vegetables from a garden to the university for consumption and to increase convenience while reducing the need to travel for produce.
Georgia State U Sparks Food Movement
(U.S.): University students have set out to close the gap between the food on the plate and where the food is grown in a new “Know Your Grower Atlanta” campaign sparking conversations and connections related to the local food process.
Government Model Engineering College Promotes Organic
(India): The college recently started a month-long campaign to spread awareness about the harmful effects of the use of pesticides and additives and to promote the use of purely organic farming methods by having students pass out organic kits and provide student access to an organic farm on campus.
Bryant U Student Studies Campus Solar Lighting
A student recently accepted into National Wildlife Federation’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program conducted research and analysis about implementation of solar-powered street lights and is finishing the feasibility analysis and presenting it to the university.
Roosevelt U Students Initiate Green Projects
Sustainability interns have cultivated a rooftop garden, with more than 100 pounds of produce donated to campus dining, and are preparing a sustainability plan using skills learned in the sustainability studies program.
Smith College Students Engage in Community Garden
In its first year out of the pilot program, the college offers students the opportunity to increase knowledge and hands on learning about sustainable food through managing the daily operations of the garden in collaboration with Dining Services. Harvested food is donated to local nonprofits or sold to students.
Colorado College Sells Produce to Public
Students from the college have begun selling produce from a college-owned, 1.5-acre, student-operated farm to the public in addition to its food service provider.
