U Dayton to Research Renewable Energy for Air Force
The university’s Research Institute has been awarded a five-year Air Force Research Laboratory contract with a $99 million ceiling for research, testing and transition of new energy and environmental technologies to the Air Force and other Department of Defense agencies. The contract included an initial award of $1.5 million for evaluation, testing and installation of advanced renewable energy storage and management technologies
U Iowa Creates Wind Energy Certificate
The College of Engineering has created a new wind energy certificate program. The interdisciplinary program courses include “Wind Turbine Aerodynamics” and “Spatial Analyses of Wind Energy.” Students will also receive hands-on experience at the Wind Power Lab.
U Maine Farmington Approves $1.55M Geothermal Heating Project
The university’s Board of Trustees approved spending up to $1.55 million to install 80 geothermal wells. The geothermal wells are expected to pay for the cost in energy savings in eight to 10 years and will save about 28,000 gallons of oil per year.
Unity College to Raise Pastured Chickens for Hunger Relief
The college has received a grant from the Food for All program to raise free range chickens as part of an ongoing hunger relief effort. Through the collaborative grant, Unity students and local high school students designed the project, including budgeting, planning, and development of educational opportunities. A local food pantry and soup kitchen will be recipients of the meat and will distribute it to its clients.
Whitman College Approves Sustainability Coordinator Position
The Board of Trustees voted to hire a permanent sustainability coordinator that would oversee all green and sustainable efforts on campus. The decision is a result of several months spent by the Associated Students of Whitman College and student sustainability interns to convince the college that hiring a sustainability coordinator would be beneficial to the campus.
American U Cairo to Offer Sustainable Development Graduate Degree
(Egypt): The university has created a new master of science in sustainable development. The interdisciplinary program integrates all aspects of development and students will work together to carry out community-based projects to help resolve some of Egypt’s most pressing environmental and social issues.
Associated Students of U Cal Calls for Fossil Fuel Divestment
(U.S.): The Associated Students of the University California (ASUC) Senate has approved a bill ordering the divestment of its funds from fossil fuel companies while encouraging other institutions of higher education to follow suit. The bill binds the ASUC to complete the withdrawal of any of its $3 million in total investments from fossil fuel companies.
College of Wooster Bans Bottled Water
(U.S.): The college has announced it will no longer sell bottled water at locations on campus where students can make purchases using their “Flex” plan. The ban is a result of a grassroots initiative led by the environmental group Greenhouse, which began its campaign three years ago. There are 25 filtered water refill stations across campus, and the college plans to install seven more in the coming weeks.
Dalhousie U Art Installation Reflects Energy Use
(Canada): A student partnered with the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management to create an art installation that taps into the building’s data systems. The project features 18 glowing cube-shaped lanterns that move and change colors to reflect the amount of energy and water being consumed within the building.
Environment Agency Abu Dhabi Debuts Sustainable Campus Initiative
United Arab Emirates): The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi has launched a new Sustainable Campus Initiative program. Through the initiative, participating universities and colleges will be required to establish environmental clubs that are responsible for conducting green audits and providing students with the opportunity to promote sustainability in their community. Students in these clubs will present their local efforts in regional and international forums, and can actively volunteer to get hands-on experience in preserving the environment.
French Universities Sign Gender Equality Charter
(France): French government ministers and organizations representing 300 higher education institutions signed the Charter for Equality of Women and Men. Gender parity in university governance, teaching and training on gender equality for students and university personnel, and promoting research into gender are among the ratified measures.
Frostburg State U Named Tree Campus USA
(U.S.): The university has been certified as a Tree Campus USA institution by the Arbor Day foundation. The campus has adopted a standard of planting native trees and shrubs.
Indian Institutes of Management Push Gender Diversity on Campus
(India): The Indian Institutes of Management at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Calcutta have begun an initiative to increase gender diversity on campus. The number of women accepted into the admission process has increased from 15.9 percent to nearly 25 percent since 2012. Incentives for female candidates have also been created including awarding them points in the admission process.
Linfield College Hires First Sustainability Assistant
(U.S.): The college has hired a sustainability assistant as an outgrowth of its new Strategic Plan. The new position will help incorporate sustainability more fully into the culture, engage students in sustainability projects, and enhance sustainable practices for campus operations and infrastructure, with a goal of achieving carbon neutrality.
Rochester IT Installs Energy-Efficient LEDs
(U.S.): The institute has launched a project to replace fluorescent tube lighting with efficient LED lighting. More than 20,000 tubes have been replaced, a move estimated to save the campus more than $300,000 a year in energy and maintenance costs.
Students Hold National Conference on Fossil Fuel Divestment
(U.S.): Nearly 200 student organizers from across the country have gathered at Swarthmore College for a conference to unify the fossil-fuel divestment movement. In addition to building bonds among student campaigns, conference organizers connected students with other environmental activists who represent communities already being affected by fossil-fuel extraction.
U California Santa Cruz Constructs Closed-Looped Car Wash
(U.S.): The university has constructed a pressure washing system supplied by a closed-loop water recycling system to prevent contaminating the sewer or bay. Water is cycled through the system using microbes to eat and digest contaminants such as oil. The system helps to locate and eliminate oil leaks that find their way onto roads while keeping fleet vehicles clean using less water in the process.
U Louisiana System Offers Degree Completion Program
(U.S.): The University of Louisiana System has created a new two-year online bachelor's degree program for adults who previously earned 60 credit hours before leaving college. The program is an initiative to provide access to 600,000 Louisiana residents who have college credits but no degree.
U Manchester Students Plant First Campus Orchard
(U.K.): Forty students helped to plant more than eighty fruit trees around campus residence halls, aiming to provide staff and students locally grown apples. The university will plant plum, pear and soft fruit trees next winter.
U Queensland Creates Living Laboratories Initiative
(Australia): The Living Laboratories initiative aims to connect sustainability projects with teaching to provide real examples of student learning. The first site was completed in November 2012 and involved the planting of 2,000 trees on campus, with the help of over 60 student and staff volunteers. Projects planned for the future include revegetating land that was damaged by floods, capturing methane from a pig farm to create electricity, and stimulating the regrowth of mangroves along a riverbank.
Wesleyan U Renovation Achieves LEED Platinum
(U.S.): The renovation of the multi-purpose academic building features a 2,500 square foot green roof, low-flow plumbing, triple glazing on windows, and over 52 percent of the total wood-based building materials that were harvested from FSC-certified forests.
Yale U Launches Surplus Exchange Website
(U.S.): The Yale Administration office has launched a new website, Eli Surplus Exchange, that allows for all university offices and laboratories to purchase, sell, or exchange furniture, equipment, or other items. The website aims to help departments make better use of their surplus equipment and save money when procuring new supplies, while also supporting sustainability goals of recycling and reuse.
Yeshiva U Releases Updated GHG Report
(U.S.): Greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by seven percent since 2008 according to an updated report. The university is in the process of converting boilers from oil to cleaner burning natural gas, is installing efficient lighting and water upgrades, and is introducing other HVAC upgrades in an effort to lower emissions 20 percent by 2020.
AAUP Seeks Better Policies on Preventing Sexual Assaults
The American Association of University Professors’ new report, “Campus Sexual Assault: Suggested Policies and Procedures” calls for clearer policies about what constitutes assault; coherent reporting procedures drafted in tandem with local law enforcement; more effective prevention campaigns targeted at both male and female students; and greater faculty awareness.
Elon U Francis Center Earns LEED Silver
The renovations of the Gerald L. Francis Center incorporated 95 percent of existing structural elements, included the use of sustainably harvested wood, and resulted in a 96 percent diversion rate for construction waste. The center is the tenth LEED-certified building on campus.
Elon U Residence Building Achieves LEED Silver
The Depot building’s sustainable features include low-flow plumbing, drip irrigation, efficient lighting, a green cleaning program, and a comprehensive approach to stormwater management. The university also purchased renewable energy credits equal to 70 percent of the electric use for two years.
Harvard U Creates New Position for Sustainable Investing
Harvard Management Company has created a new position devoted to researching and understanding sustainability issues related to the university’s $30.7 billion endowment. The new Vice President of Sustainable Investing will also serve as HMC’s primary liaison to other University offices on environmental, social, and governance investment issues.
NCADAC Releases Draft Climate Report for Public Review
The National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (NCADAC) has released a draft climate report that includes more than 240 authors. Following extensive review by the National Academies of Sciences and by the public, this report will be revised by the NCADAC and, after additional review, will be submitted to the Federal Government for consideration in the Third National Climate Assessment Report.
New York U Receives $40M for Urban City Development Institute
The university has started a new institute dedicated to urban city development and sustainability upon receiving a $40 million private donation. The Marron Institute will focus on policies and initiatives aimed at creating more livable cities for their residents.
NY Times Transgender Coverage On the Rise in College Health Plans
A growing number of colleges have begun offering student health insurance plans with coverage for gender reassignment surgery and related hormone therapy, reports a recent New York Times article. According to the article, because the issue directly affects a small number of students, “universities recognize that their insurance plan sends a signal to the much larger number of students for whom the rights of transgender people have taken a place alongside gay rights as a cause that matters.”
Paul Smith’s College Installs Smart Meters
The college has installed electricity meters that illustrate how much power is being consumed in 15 residence halls. The $43,000 project includes a 55-inch television screen in the student center that displays energy updates in real time. Students will compete to see which resident hall can reduce electricity use the most over a four-week period.
Pennsylvania State U to Create Sustainability Institute
The university has announced the launch of a Sustainability Institute to bring together researchers, educators, students, staff and community members from multiple colleges, campuses and frames of reference. An aim for the institute is to dissolve the traditional boundaries of the classroom to partner operations with research, teaching and community engagement.
President Obama Unveils Changes to Higher Ed Policy
“Colleges must do their part to keep their costs down, and it’s our job to make sure they do,” President Obama said in his annual State of the Union Address. “Tonight, I ask Congress to change the Higher Education Act, so that affordability and value are included in determining which colleges receive certain types of federal aid.” He also said his administration would release "a new 'College Scorecard' that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criterion—where you can get the most bang for your educational buck."
Santa Monica College Opens Bike Parking Lot
The college has opened a $600,000 bike parking lot that holds up to 400 bicycles. The three-quarter acre parking lot also provides secure skateboard parking and DIY fix-it stations.
Sarah Lawrence College Introduces Car Sharing Program
The college has partnered with Zipcar to offer a car sharing service for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Students now have the opportunity to participate in the Students With Drive grant program, which provides students with free Zipcar membership and driving credits to support campus student organizations.
Seattle U Launches Center for Environmental Justice
The primary goal for the newly launched Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability will be to promote scholarship by faculty and students and support them as they engage with others in the community on projects related to environmental justice. The center will adopt an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, crossing boundaries of different colleges and schools.
Sterling College Divests from Fossil Fuel Companies
The college has announced that it will soon divest its endowment from the two hundred fossil fuel companies identified by 350.org in its effort to move higher education toward fossil free investment. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to instruct the investment team to take this action and to move swiftly to divest.
U Arizona Ranked Top in Nation for Environmental Research
The university has been ranked as the top environmental university in the U.S. based on several measures of productivity for research publications in environmental science, according to a report published in the Journal Science of the Total Environment. The study was based on the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database to analyze research report indicators such as the number of top-cited articles published by an institution, scientific publications resulting from collaborations, and the lifespan and history of articles.
U California Santa Cruz Biomedical Building Earns LEED Gold
Sustainable features at the Biomedical Sciences Facility include daylighting, active chilled beams in the laboratories, reduced air change rates, and low-pressure-drop design of air handling systems. In addition, building information modeling was used throughout design and construction.
U District of Columbia Receives Grant to Create 4 Gardens
The university has received a $25,000 Verizon Foundation sustainability grant to create four “Gardens of the Senses” on campus. The gardens will serve as an educational tool on environmental literacy. There will be a garden of colors and sights; one of smells and scents; another of touch; and an additional garden dedicated to plant research.
