Rochester IT Sustainable Manufacturing Center Receives Funding
(U.S.): The institute’s Center of Excellence in Sustainable Manufacturing will receive $500,000 as part of the 2013-14 New York state budget agreement. The center, housed within the Golisano Institute for Sustainability, will enable expanded research and technology transfer activity between industry and the institute.
SUNY Cortland to Offer M.S. in Sustainable Energy Systems
(U.S.): The university has announced plans to offer a new Masters of Science in Sustainable Energy Systems beginning in fall 2013. The program will offer advanced training in the physics of renewable energy, courses geared to build professional skills in areas such as economics and communication, and a culminating internship. Two grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation totaling more than $15,000 helped fund curricular development and a market needs assessment.
Trinity College Dublin Achieves Environmental Award
(Ireland): The college has been awarded a green flag for the quality of its environment as part of An Taisce’s Green Campus program. Water consumption has been reduced by 25 percent due to the elimination of leaks, behavior changes and rainwater harvesting; while energy use has been stabilized despite a large building program and an increase in students. The Green Campus award is overseen internationally by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education.
U Alabama Creates Sustainable Investment Fund
(U.S.): The university has created a new fund that will provide $1 million over five years to develop environmentally friendly projects. The fund was created through collaborative efforts of the Coalition of Alabama Students for the Environment, the UA Environmental Council, and the UA Student Government Association. Project funding will be approved by a panel of mostly students.
U Canterbury Researchers Produce Findings for Green Roof Pilot
(New Zealand): Researchers have investigated the benefits of green planted-roofs for the New Zealand built-environment. Initial findings into a year-long ecological pilot study have found that storm water run-off is reduced by half on a planted roof in comparison to an unvegetated roof.
U Chicago Creates Sustainable Certification for Offices and Labs
(U.S.): The Office of Sustainability has created a certification process for sustainable offices, residence houses and laboratories. The certification will recognize those departments or houses that are reducing the environmental impact of their offices, homes or labs. Participants will be awarded a Silver, Gold or Platinum certification based upon the level of sustainability criteria they meet.
U Hong Kong Centennial Campus Earns LEED Platinum
(China): Sustainable features include the careful positioning of buildings to capture natural light, breezes and storm water; solar panels and wind turbines for electricity generation and demonstration purposes; green roofs and sky gardens; and greywater and stormwater treatment.
U Illinois Chicago Expands Recycling Efforts
(U.S.) The university will install 60 recycling bins around campus and in residence halls. The bins were made possible by a grant from the Alcoa Foundation, in partnership with Keep America Beautiful.
U Massachusetts Amherst Libraries Win Award for Sustainability
(U.S.): The university’s Libraries have won the Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development award for their new Library Sustainability Fund. The fund has increased access to sustainability-related resources; provides opportunities to host presentations, exhibits and film screenings; and provides faculty development through a series of workshops.
U Minnesota Earthducation Program Goes to the Arctic
(U.S.): The university’s Earthducation is a series of seven expeditions to every continent designed to create a world narrative of the dynamic intersections between education and sustainability. A small team of researchers has begun Expedition 5. During the two-week, 100-mile expedition, the team will visit schools, teachers, and classrooms in the Canadian Arctic to learn about their educational needs and discover how global climate change affects these communities.
U Missouri Receives $2M Gift for Sustainability
(U.S.): The university will create a sustainability endowment from a gift of $2 million from Enterprise Holdings. The endowment will seed transformational research, education, and applications that sustain health, culture, economic vitality, and quality of life in a volatile global environment.
U Toledo to Create Green Office Certification Program
(U.S.): A new Green Office Survey will be used to determine which campus offices are conserving energy, recycling and reducing waste. Results from the survey will be used to create tiers for the Green Office Certification program, which will offer incentives to become eco-friendly.
Vanderbilt U to Switch From Coal Power to Natural Gas
U.S.): The university has announced it will replace its coal-fired co-generation facility, converting it to burn natural gas. Construction of the new natural gas facility will include the installation of two natural gas-fired boilers and one natural gas-combustion turbine, which will co-generate steam and electricity. The university hopes the switch will contribute to the reduction of its carbon footprint.
Wake Tech CC Debuts App to Reward Sustainable Behavior
(U.S.): The college has launched a new partnership with JouleBug, a free mobile app that gives users incentives and rewards for making sustainable choices. A custom JouleBug badge guides users toward actions connected to the college’s Climate Action Plan, like carpooling or taking public transportation, recycling on campus, and saving energy by shutting down computer equipment. Users can share activities and achievements with friends on Facebook and Twitter. The college hopes to use JouleBug to run student competitions and offer rewards.
Yale U Introduces New Bike Share Program
(U.S.): The university has launched a six-month pilot with the bike-sharing company Zagster. The company has provided Yale with 50 bicycles and an online reservation system that is available to current students, faculty and staff. Zagster requires an online registration and a $20 annual membership fee — which will be fully reimbursed for registrants who subsequently complete a Bike Safety class offered by Yale Environmental Health and Safety.
Agnes Scott College Installs Energy Efficient Lamps
The college has replaced fluorescent lamps across campus with more energy-efficient bulbs. The lamps are part of the college’s first green revolving fund project and are expected to save about $11,000 annually in electricity bills.
Bowdoin College Athletes Implement Shoe Reuse Program
Bowdoin Green Athletes (BGA) looks to continue its campaign to ingrain sustainability into the athletic culture through a team-by-team strategy and a shoe reuse initiative. As part of the Rerun Shoes initiative, BGA has installed two boxes for students to donate their old, unwanted sneakers. About 200 pounds of shoes have been collected so far.
Food Recovery Network, Bon Appétit Partner to Fight Food Waste
Bon Appétit Management Company has partnered with the Food Recovery Network (FRN), a student-operated nonprofit working on college campuses to curb food waste and end hunger. Bon Appétit and FRN will work together to recover surplus food from campus dining halls and deliver it to local shelters to combat hunger in the surrounding communities.
Georgetown U Mobile App Allows Users to Track Buses
The university has debuted a new GPS-tracking feature for campus shuttles. NextGUTS maps the location of the next available Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) in real time, allowing anyone with a mobile device to access estimated times of arrival for the next available shuttles.
Long Island U Uses Blender Bike to Make Smoothies and Raise Money
A graduate assistant has partnered with Dining Services to convert a bicycle into a food blender in an effort to raise awareness about energy conservation. The blender bike will be used to create smoothies made from local and organic ingredients that will be sold to the campus community with the intention of showcasing how sustainability can be fun and profitable. The money raised will go toward future sustainability initiatives.
Loyola Marymount U Commits to Sustainable Seafood
The university has earned the Marine Stewardship Council’s Chain of Custody certification. The certificate attests that the fish stock used on campus comes from sustainable fisheries that are concerned with the marine ecosystem; and is supplied by processors and distributors through sustainable sourcing practices.
Montgomery County CC Launches Green Office Initiative
The college has selected six offices to participate in a new Green Office pilot program. The four-tier, goal driven system requires that a minimum of 50% of an office’s staff must sign the registration to participate. Each participating office will have an internal office mentor who reports to the Green Office Committee and also serve as a conduit for goals and news from the Climate Council.
N Carolina Central U Organizes Farmers’ Market College Day
The university’s Green Team organized a College Day at the Durham Farmers’ Market to promote healthy eating, local farming and supporting local businesses. Students using public transportation received a five-dollar coupon for the market, and farmers offered a 10 percent discount to students with a college ID. In collaboration with the farmers market, the Green Team has also organized a student internship program where students next fall will work alongside farmers and the market manager to learn about sustainable agriculture, marketing and local economic development.
North Carolina State U Creates Steward Program
The Steward program will attempt to consider the challenges facing the environment more holistically, and integrate economic and social aspects into their advocacy. As ambassadors for environmental advocates, the Stewards hope to collaborate with other environmental groups by holding workshops, presentations and campus events.
Portland State U Teams with Wells Fargo on Cleantech Challenge
The university has partnered with Wells Fargo to present a new competition for students and faculty with innovative ideas on how to improve the way communities operate in a resource-constrained environment. The PSU-Wells Fargo Cleantech Challenge will offer $50,000 in cash to help innovation teams bring their ideas to market.
Students Compete in DOE-Sponsored Cleantech Challenge
The U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored CU Cleantech New Venture Challenge has recognized five student groups from the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, Iowa State University, University of Utah and Brigham Young University to compete in the regional semifinals. Student projects include a cooling system for data centers, a rooftop system that captures carbon dioxide, and a brewery byproduct that is converted to an algae-based nutraceutical. The first-place team will receive $100,000 and will go on to the national competition, June 11-12, in Washington, D.C.
U British Columbia Deploys New Smart Grid Energy System
The university has unveiled a new $5.1 million energy storage system, created in partnership with Alpha Technologies Ltd. and Corvus Energy. The smart grid technology will allow the storage of clean power when it is generated and its use in times of peak demand.
U Cincinnati Creates Environmental Literacy Certificate Program
The Sustainability Office has begun a non-credit Environmental Literacy Certificate of Achievement program this academic year with members of the housekeeping staff. In the fall semester, a new group of staff members will participate in the program, and a parallel program targeting students will begin. Participants will attend 20 events, including lectures, film discussions and sustainability supper discussions.
U Colorado Boulder Debuts One Million Acts of Green
The university has announced the launch of One Million Acts of Green, a campus-wide sustainability-based social networking tool that will enable users to visualize the impact of their efforts to live green. For each of the first 1,000 people to sign up for One Million Act of Green, the Office of Campus Sustainability will put $10 toward campus sustainability projects.
U Iowa Renovation of Stuit Hall Earns LEED Gold
The building incorporates passive solar design, a rain garden to capture storm water from the roof, occupancy sensors to control electric lights, new insulation and windows, low-VOC and formaldehyde-free products, energy-efficient mechanicals, and recycling storage and collection centers on every floor.
U Maryland Apiary to Add 8 Hives with New Grant Money
The beekeeping club has received a $9,600 grant from the Sustainability Fund to expand the university’s apiary with eight more hives. Members hope to develop a “Terps Bees” brand of honey products and beeswax candles to sell at the Maryland Food Co-op, farmers markets and the university’s convenience shops.
U Michigan Diversity Resolution Passes Assembly
The Senate Assembly voted to approve a resolution that would increase efforts to promote inclusivity. The goals of the four-part resolution include reassessment of the strategies used to increase diversity, adoption of active, intentional, creative and ongoing efforts to improve diversity, assurance that diversity efforts are woven into the university’s fabric, and publicly asserting the goal of improving diversity on all three university campuses.
U Vermont’s Eco-Reps Launch Follow the Leaf Campaign
The university’s Eco-Reps have launched a Follow the Leaf campaign in an effort to make it easier for students to make sustainable choices. As part of the launch, the Eco-Reps held an even that included green leaf eco-pledges and their own Eco-Option label.
Warren Wilson College Signs Real Food Challenge Commitment
The college and Sodexo Dining Services have signed the Real Food Challenge Commitment. The agreement, augmenting previous sustainability commitments by the college, states that Warren Wilson will procure 40 percent “real food” annually by the year 2020. The College’s local foods crew is charged with monitoring the food purchasing.
Washington U St. Louis Announces Land Lab Winners
The Sustainable Land Lab is a joint program between the city and the university’s Office of Sustainability to turn vacant land into innovate public competition that will give teams the opportunity to demonstrate their ideas through tangible projects at the scale of a single vacant lot. Winners of the inaugural competition include a franchise-model urban farm, a bistro built out of re-used shipping containers, and a sunflower lab piloting efficiency of plant-based soil remediation.
American Public U System Explores New Wellness Efforts
The university system has increased sustainability and wellness efforts that focus primarily on employees. Recent initiatives include a carpooling program and hosting walking clubs during lunchtime. The university also plans to host a wellness day that will feature information on composting, wellness clinics, vendors and yoga.
California State U Fresno to Offer Water Mgmt Masters Program
The university has created a professional science masters degree in water resource management. Some of the courses to be offered include geospatial technologies, climatology, water economics, hydrological systems and natural and agriculture uses of water. The new degree requires students to have a Geographic Information Systems certificate or the equivalent work experience.
Cuesta College to Open Sustainability Resource Center
The college has announced plans to open a Sustainability Resource Center that will focus on alternative energies in the San Luis Obispo County school systems and the local community. The center will provide resources and training for teachers at all grade levels and delivery of sustainability learning modules to students both at Cuesta College and local schools. MidAmerican Solar, SunPower and NRG Energy provided financing for the project.
Drake U Campaign Leads to Restriction of Bottled Water Sales
The university has announced plans to restrict sales of plastic single-serving water bottles next fall. A student-led campaign worked for months to raise support for the initiative. To ease the transition, every new student will receive a reusable bottle that can be filled at hydration stations.
Georgetown U Dedicates Solar Street Project
The student-spearheaded initiative, Solar Street, has installed 75 solar panels across rooftops of six university-owned historic townhouses. The project is expected to offset an average of approximately 40 percent of the electricity used in each townhouse, and provide up to $43,000 in savings to the student body government over the 20-year life of the power purchase agreement.
Indiana U Bloomington Sustainability Fund Announces First Project
The Student Sustainability Council has announced plans to install motion-sensing, energy-efficient lighting as its first capital project. The project will be funded by the student-supported and student-directed sustainability fund, which was established via an 11,000-signature student petition in fall 2010.
Kennebec Valley CC Receives Grant for Sustainable Ag Program
The college will receive a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to create an agriculture-oriented education hub. A two-year associate degree in sustainable agriculture will be one of the first programs to make its debut in the fall. The program will provide students with the technical and small business skills needed to manage or develop a small farm or agricultural business.
Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture to Launch Farm to Campus Program
Under the Farm to Campus program, the state agriculture department will partner with Eastern Kentucky University and other state colleges to assist with buy-local efforts. Over the next two years, the department will target college campuses to increase Kentucky Proud products in their bookstores, gift shops, cafeterias and food service systems.
North Central College Earns Earth Flag for Campuses Award
The college has earned an Earth Flag for its sustainability efforts. A green audit was performed to identify energy efficiency opportunities and potential environmental hazards. Following the audit, the college adopted several recommendations, including establishing a recycling program and other initiatives to reduce waste and energy consumption.
Obama’s Proposed Budget Aims to Increase College Affordability
President Obama’s proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year includes several measures to increase student financial aid and college affordability. The budget calls for market-based student loan rates that would stay fixed for the loan's lifetime. The plan also includes a “Pay as You Go” measure, allowing students to pay no more than 10 percent of their discretionary income. Moreover, any outstanding debt after 20 years of payment would be forgiven.
Ohio State U Wins Environmental March Madness Championship
The university won the second annual Environmental March Madness Tournament, defeating other schools in the “Sustainable 16”. Organized by Enviance, an environmental software company, institutions competed against one another based on environmental curriculum and campus sustainability efforts. The university will be awarded $5,000 for its Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability (EEDS) program.
