Foothill-De Anza CC Foundation Divests from Fossil Fuel Holdings
Citing the community college district's commitment to environmental sustainability and a thoughtful student campaign, the college's Board of Directors voted to discontinue direct investments in fossil fuel companies and minimize investments in commingled assets that include such companies. As of the date of this article, the foundation's holdings were valued at about $33 million, of which approximately one percent was invested in fossil fuel companies. From gofossilfree.org, a 350.org campaign to divest from fossil fuels, eight higher education institutions have committed to divestiture from holdings in fossil fuels.
Missouri State U Launches 'Green Kiosk'
The university recently purchased the energy dashboard to educate the campus community about current energy use and to capture statistical information for facilities and sustainability projects on specific buildings.
Portland State U Questions Oppression in Sustainability Movement
The university's new Social Sustainability Month theme for 2013-14 is Decolonizing Sustainability: Unsettling the Dominant Paradigm, a focal point that encourages consideration of how the mainstream environmental and sustainability movements may perpetuate historical systems of oppression, colonization and domination.
Sierra, Princeton Review Announce Coordinated Reporting Deadline
AASHE has collaborated with Sierra Magazine and The Princeton Review to allow institutions to report all data in one place using the new and improved STARS 2.0. The new version of STARS offers a basic level of access at no cost to institutions. Simply follow these steps: 1) register for STARS (at the basic or full level of access), 2) report your data in the STARS Reporting Tool, and 3) save a “snapshot” to also share with Sierra Magazine and The Princeton Review. To help further address survey fatigue, Sierra Magazine and The Princeton Review have coordinated their deadlines. Register for STARS 2.0 and submit your data by Feb. 28, 2014 to be included in Sierra’s “Cool Schools” list or The Princeton Review's “Guide to Green Colleges.”
SUNY System Commits to Local Food
The university system recently committed to increase the procurement of fresh and minimally processed New York-grown produce by SUNY dining services at a competitive price that provides a sustainable profit margin for farmers. It will include an educational campaign to increase awareness among campus faculty, staff, and students on the benefits of purchasing locally grown fruits, vegetables, and meat.
U Alabama Proposes Bike Rental Program
As a result of increased use of bikes and the need for bicycle infrastructure on campus, the university's Student Government Association and Transportation Services Office have proposed a bike-sharing program, where students can pay a small fee to rent a bike form a public rack for one day.
U Hawai'i Proposes Sustainability Policy to Board of Regents
Students, faculty and community members' newly introduced policy calls for the recognition that the knowledge base in sustainable island systems resides in the indigenous people and residents of Hawaiʻi, and to commit to consult with local cultural practitioners and sustainability experts on best practices in sustainable resource allocation and use.
U Louisville Grows Green Space
A 4,000-square-foot area on campus is now a green space with a vegetable garden, clover pasture, rain barrels and compost containers.
U Maryland Celebrates 'Park(ing) Day'
Students from the university's chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Arboretum and Botanical Garden recently converted two parking spaces into a public park in an effort to raise awareness of the importance of green spaces in urban areas.
U Pennsylvania Building Earns LEED Gold
The 40,000-square-foot building's features include communal areas, roof-top gardens and green roofs as part of its storm water management system, natural daylighting, energy efficient heating, cooling and ventilating systems, and regionally-sourced materials.
U Wisconsin Madison to Create Framework for Diversity & Inclusion
Now in process of updating its plan for diversity and inclusion through a series of engagement sessions, the university is asking for campus member feedback for guiding, shaping and strengthening the university’s commitment to inclusive excellence and innovation. The listening series will be held in Spanish, Hmong, Tibetan and Mandarin as well as English.
Wesleyan U Students and Faculty Re-Envision 'The Commons'
As part of the university's College of the Environment year-long academic think tank on critical environmental issues, students and faculty discuss management of common property from an interdisciplinary perspective involving humanities and performing arts. The think tank will conjoin its scholarly work with the efforts of student sustainability groups like the Long Lane Farm Club, WILDWes and WesFresh.
Calicut U Implements Bicycle Initiative
(India): The university will provide bicycles free of charge to 100 of 421 affiliated colleges encouraging students to lead active and healthy lives apart from contributing to emission reduction and energy savings.
EAUC Announces 2013 Green Gown Awards Winners
(U.K.): Winners and commendations were bestowed across 13 categories at the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges’ 2013 Green Gown Awards. Now in its ninth year, the awards program recognizes exceptional initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the U.K. to become more sustainable.
Furman U Partners for Community Weatherization Program
(U.S.): The university's Community Conservation Corps program recently partnered with Habitat for Humanity to continue its efforts to reduce energy consumption and promote financial stability of homeowners through weatherization, energy conservation and education in the community.
Griffith U Creates Climate Change App
(Australia): The newly released Coastal Ecosystems Response to Climate Change Synthesis Report app, which provides critical information for anticipating how climate change may impact on coastal Australia, will help the public navigate through science and make decisions about the growing climate change threat.
INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine Announces Higher Ed Awards
(U.S.): INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has announced the 56 recipients of its first annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award. The national award, open to all colleges and universities throughout the U.S., measures an institution’s level of achievement and intensity of commitment in regard to broadening diversity and inclusion on campus through initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention, and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff.
Purdue U Expands Biking Lanes
(U.S.): Thanks to the newly-sanctioned Bicycle Task Force, one mile of new bike routes is being added to campus to increase the safety for riders and pedestrians.
Queen's U to Place Recycling Stations
(U.S.): Sixty new bins, including organic waste bins, will be distributed across campus in an effort to make sorting waste on campus more prevalent and accessible.
Saint Martin's U Building Acquires LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The university's Hal and Inge Marcus School of Engineering is now housed in the LEED-Platinum building featuring a geothermal ground loop; systems and structures that are exposed, offering visitors a clear view of their operations; energy-efficient fixtures and equipment that reduce water usage by 48 percent; a roof-top solar panel system that allows students to study tracking devices, solar orientation and the production of solar energy; a rain garden; and a grid-tied photovoltaic array that produces more than 15 percent of the building’s power.
Students Organize Around Campus Food Day 2013
(U.S.): Campus Food Day was celebrated recently at 350 U.S. colleges and universities. The event mobilized students to unify the food movement and launch efforts to change food policies on campus through events such as lectures, documentary screenings and petitions. Johns Hopkins University, Northeastern University and The University of Massachusetts, Amherst signed onto the Real Food Campus Commitment, pledging to source 20 percent of its food from local, fair, sustainable and humane farms and food businesses. As of Campus Food Day, 22 institutions have signed the Real Food Campus Commitment.
'Sustainable Campus International Competition' Announces Winners
(Canada): In its inaugural year, the SCIC recognized sustainability innovations from worldwide post-secondary institutions. Superior Institute of Management (Dakar, Senegal) placed first for its Green'Act, a program that enables students and community members to collect waste and sell recyclables back to industry. Two Canadian institutions, McGill University and MacEwan University, competed for first alongside Superior Institute of Management. A total of 13 projects from seven universities located in five countries submitted works.
U California Santa Barbara Opens First Farmers' Market
(U.S.): In an effort to promote eating local and providing a place for community to exist and grow, the Gaucho Certified Farmers' Market will allow any farmers within the three- county area to sell fresh produce to students and the community.
U Canterbury Green Roof Research Shows No Need for Water
(New Zealand): University researchers recently released that green-planted roofs do not need to be irrigated in winter or summer to thrive. Research also revealed the benefits to an on-campus river, for which they won a local award.
U Maryland Initiates Rain Garden Construction & Research
(U.S.): The soon-to-be-completed rain garden will be remediated using native plants and stored in underground cisterns for pollution monitoring. The water will be reused on the university's Public Health Garden, Teaching Garden and Community Garden.
U.S. Solar Decathlon 2013 Announces Winners
(U.S.): Vienna University of Technology, a first-time U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competitor, took first place overall in the international competition whose design philosophy was guided by differing climes and lifestyles. University of Las Vegas Nevada won second and Czech Technical University placed third.
Atlantic Cape CC Completes 2.2MW Photovoltaic Project
The recently dedicated project includes more than 2,000 panels and spans four parking lots. The monitored system is projected to provide enough energy for approximately 220 homes and will be used as a teaching tool for students.
Auburn U Reduces Facilities Filter Waste
After a recent partnership with a large filter manufacturer, the university reduced the amount of filters from nearly 30,000 per year to 4,549 in fiscal year 2013 leading to conserved electricity and monetary savings.
Berea College to Open Local-Produce Grocery Store
The yet-to-be-opened store will offer organic fruits and vegetables, freshly prepared food, fish and humanely raised meat that are harvested, prepared and sold by Berea students as part of their jobs with the college. The goods will come from the college's on-campus farm.
Bowdoin College Proposes 1.3MW Solar Installation
The 1.3-megawatt photovoltaic installation, which is projected to supply approximately eight percent of the college's annual electricity usage, is proposed to be built atop two athletic facilities and include a 127-acre ground mounted installation.
Chatham U Receives $15M Gift
The Falk Foundation recently awarded the university funding that will support the university's School of Sustainability & the Environment through an academic endowment and help fund construction of the Eden Hall Campus. Further, the funding will be applied to student internships and expansion of the university's Rachel Carson Institute.
Concordia U Students Learn About Homelessness
In an effort to understand the plight of the homeless demographic, students organized an event in which they built cardboard shanties that they slept in overnight and spent time serving the homeless.
Cornell U, Texas A&M U Win 2013 Global Climate Award
The recently-won award recognized these universities for their achievements in providing clean, sustainable energy solutions through its on-campus combined heat and power system. The award's focus was on identifying and recognizing systems that illustrate the overall importance of district energy (heating & cooling) in providing sustainable energy solutions, providing a global benchmark for environmental excellence, and offering a platform for sharing successful ideas and encourage further interest in district energy.
Gonzaga U Signs St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation & the Poor
Responding to calls by Pope Francis, the Society of Jesus and the U.S. Catholic Bishops for mission-based sustainability consistent with Catholic ideals and values, the university recently signed the St. Francis Pledge to Protect Creation and the Poor, an initiative of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. The pledge addresses the impact of climate change on the socio-economically depressed population and advocates for behavior change.
Moraine Valley CC Signs ACUPCC
The community college recently signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, pledging to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
