U Iowa Student Releases Mobile App for Recycling
After a recent educational trip to garbage-infested beaches of Mexico, the senior marine conservation student recently created an application to turn recycling into a competition with users challenging each other on a virtual platform.
U Saskatchewan Class Furthers STARS Progress
After mining the university's bronze STARS submission, a new undergraduate course through the School of Environment and Sustainability involved teams working on self-selected projects that could help the university move its official rating up.
Knox College Sustainability Office Initiates Grad Pledge
(U.S.): The university's Sustainability Office recently took over Graduation Pledge for Social and Environmental Responsibility and was able to secure signatures for 90 percent of the spring 2014 graduating class. The pledge reads, "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work."
U Missouri Hosts First Farm to Dinner Event
The recent locally-produced on-campus dinner aimed to showcase the university's involvement in the local food movement in Columbia and introduce students to the farming community.
North Carolina State U Class Boosts Water Efficiency
This spring, aided by the professor's desire to generate real-world sustainability experience, 15 students in a quality control in food and bioprocessing science class focused on improving sustainability in the university-owned creamery by researching the facility’s processes and choosing to focus on enhancing efficiency of the case washer, which cleanses reusable plastic cases that transport milk.
U Wisconsin Madison Tests Campus Sustainability Game App
Designed with support from the university's Office of Sustainability, students from an introductory environmental studies course tested the new app, called Sustainable U, which directs players to find signs posted in campus buildings and scan a code with their mobile device to pull up information, videos or games related to waste, energy, water or transportation.
Colorado Mountain College Holds Sustainability Summit
(U.S.): The college's inaugural summit featured an overview of the sustainability-related accomplishments to-date, signing onto the Real Food Challenge, instituting a sustainability award, and nearly 50 posters by sustainability capstone students.
Ohio State U Students Work with City Policymakers
(U.S.): Spring semester students worked in teams to collect data, research best practices, and develop recommendations regarding strategies for the City of Columbus related to climate change adaptation, urban agriculture, alternative vehicles and green buildings.
Penn State U Wins Energy Dept Collegiate Wind Competition
(U.S.): The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the first place standing to the university after achieving the highest amount of points through performance testing, business plans and market opportunities for their turbine designs. The University of Kansas and University of Massachusetts at Lowell were second and third respectively.
Illinois Valley CC Dedicates Land for Organic Farm
With hopes its farm will produce enough organic vegetables to be brought to local markets, the new one-acre farm is used for research on sustainable farming methods by the college's Sustainability Club.
Ohio State U Class Develops Sustainability Framework
During the spring 2014 semester, a class from the university's Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability program worked with a local materials company to develop strategic sustainability initiatives for which the company can use to engage stakeholders.
Energy Dept Announces Home Student Design Competition Winners
Grand winners of the U.S. Department of Energy's Challenge Home Student Design Competition are State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in partnership with Onondaga Community College and Ryerson University. In its inaugural year, 28 teams from U.S. and Canadian universities competed to develop cost-effective zero energy ready homes for mainstream builders. Other categories include Best Design Solution Integration, Best Technical Integration, Best Presentation, Best Production Home Integration and Special Recognition for Subject Area Excellence.
EPA Releases Winners of Second Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge
Recently announced are four winners of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's competition to engage college and university students in reinventing the nation's water infrastructure and developing innovative green infrastructure systems to reduce stormwater pollution and build resilience to climate change. The winners are University of Florida at Gainsville; Kansas State Univerity; Michigan State University; and Mississippi State University.
Pueblo CC Students Begin Environmental Club
(U.S.): The recently started student club helps bring awareness and education to the campus and surrounding community and has several projects underway including initiating a recycling and tree planting program.
U Maryland Awarded $50K for Urban Design Competition
(U.S.): A team of university graduate students took top honors at the 12th annual ULI Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition, which asked the student teams to submit a development proposal that would promote healthy living for the residents of a Nashville neighborhood. Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of Texas at Austin each received $10,000.
Student Startups Compete for $100K in Energy Dept Competition
University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Colorado at Denver, Iowa State University and University of New Mexico were represented at the CU Cleantech New Venture Challenge. The seven groups representing the universities presented solutions to pressing sustainability issues. The winning team receives $100,000 seed funding and a chance to compete at the national competition in Washington, D.C.
Ursinus College Issues Green Living Certification
In an effort to grow the culture of sustainability, the four-tiered pilot program for students is designed to encourage sustainable actions across campus including residence halls, classroom, bathrooms and dining halls.
California State U Fullerton Students Map Campus Trees
The university's Geographic Informations Systems students have inventoried the 2,333 campus trees and produced a website where users have access to identifying information including its measurements, health and recent treatment.
North Carolina State U EcoVillage Learns from Boston
The living and learning group recently traveled to Boston to learn how the city embraces sustainability through its Greenovate Boston program. The trip included learning about sustainability at Harvard University, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College and Boston Architectural College.
Stanford U Organizes Inaugural Climate Week
Part of a Stanford Green Fund Project, the university's Graduate School of Business organized the week-long series of events, which seeks to highlight the urgency and opportunity of climate change and engage the campus community in solutions-based thinking.
U New Hampshire Holds Local Foods Expo
The university's inaugural Nutritional Expo focused on the importance of local foods while raising awareness for on-campus healthy options including the Farm to UNH farm food that is served in one of its dining halls.
Harvard U Students Develop Indicators for Safe Oil Drilling
Students from the university's Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic developed the recently released report, currently being circulated among legislators, which suggests ways to protect the environment from the impact of routine drilling as well as major oil spills.
Dickinson College Hosts First Student Sustainability Conference
(U.S.): The statewide event was student-organized and student-focused with round table discussions about the Keystone XL pipeline, obstacles to achieving sustainability initiatives, fossil fuel divestiture, and interdisciplinary collaboration as a part of sustainability practices.
Ten Schools Selected to Compete in Energy Dept Wind Competition
The Collegiate Wind Competition, which aims to cultivate wind-specific interests and skills, will feature 10 teams of students who will design and construct lightweight, portable wind turbines intended to power small electronic devices. During the competition event, teams will present on current market drivers and deployment opportunities for the wind industry, pitch their business plans, and put their turbines to the test in an on-site wind tunnel. The 10 selected schools are Boise State University, California Maritime Academy, Colorado School of Mines, James Madison University, Kansas State University, Northern Arizona University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Kansas and University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Tufts U to Hold Student Solar Project Competition
The Tufts Energy Conference offers students the opportunity to submit a photovoltaic technology project that will operate without a connection to the university's electric grid. The winning proposal will be allocated $10,000 toward implementation on campus.
U Maryland Cultivates Campus Farm
In partnership with the university's Dining Services, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Office of Sustainability, the new sustainable farming operation will be located 15 miles from campus and it will supply the university and food-insecure campus and community members with fresh and sustainably-grown food.
Wesleyan U Begins On Campus Food Cooperative
Recently began in concert by interested students, the local food co-op, which now has nearly 600 members, was started to meet the needs of those who wanted locally-grown and ethically-raised products, including meat and eggs, dairy, bread, jams and vinegars.
Hampshire College Students Check Out Vegetable Seeds
(United States): Called a seed-lending library, students interested in learning more about sustainable gardening and seed saving can now check out seeds from the on-campus library. Once the plants produce fruit or flowers, students harvest and dry the seeds, and then return them to the library's catalog.
Davidson College Unveils Sports-Centered Sustainability Programs
The college's The Next Play program will use the influence of sports to encourage sustainability through the creation of a Student-Athlete Sustainability Coalition, two zero waste athletic events and a speakers series. The initiative will also coordinate two national events: a sustainability-in-sports venture pitch tournament and a virtual discussion on sustainability and sports.
Middlesex CC to Host Statewide Sustainability Conference
Designed for staff and students of the state's public and private colleges and universities, the event, featuring workshops and discussion panels, will focus on campus and community engagement, curriculum, teaching and research, and campus planning and facilities management.
U Kentucky to Open New Residential Learning College
Available to students in fall 2014, the university's Greenhouse Residential College is a living and learning community for those interested in learning different aspects of their local environment through the lens of sustainability.
U Georgia Students Receive $28K to Promote Sustainability
The university's Office of Sustainability recently announced $28,000 to be used by nine student groups' projects that aim to promote a culture of campus sustainability. While biking was the most popularly submitted proposal, others included an on-campus garden and water quality testing.
Oxford College Acquires Land for Organic Farm
(U.S.): After an alumni recently donated land, the college will now offer an organic farm to model sustainable farming techniques and for integration into the school's curriculum.
North Carolina State U Students Opt to Live in EcoVillage
The new sustainability-focused living and learning community drew 63 students whose focus is on service programs and a first-year student course on sustainability, which encourages students to lead, serve, problem solve and engage in complex issues.
Small Steps, Big Wins Campus Challenge Announces Fall Results
A national contest to empower college students to take positive social and environmental actions, such as donating blood or recycling, released the top scoring schools for fall semester as Oklahoma State University, University of California at Berkeley, Southern Illinois University, Penn State University and Washington University.
Green Mountain College Students Build Sustainable Mobile Home
Motivated to build a mobile living space that could be towed behind a four-cylinder vehicle, the Renewable Energy and Ecological Design students custom-built a 70-square-foot room with a composting toilet, rainwater collection system and a 120-watt photovoltaic panel.
North Carolina State U Students Engineer Heat Ventilation System
Students from the university's Landscape Construction Studio class recently designed and implemented the heat ventilation system for a garden space that has steam pipes underneath it causing vegetation to die. The student-staff collaboration won a local award.
