U Texas El Paso to Develop Green Energy Manufacturing Courses
A $2.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant will fund a five-year collaboration between the university's Department of Industrial, Manufacturing and Systems Engineering and Drexel University that will integrate green energy manufacturing courses into the curriculum at both universities. The courses will incorporate technology-based and real-world problem solving.
Western Carolina U Meets State Energy Reduction Goal
Working from a 2002-03 baseline, the university has reduced its energy consumption by 30 percent. The university credits its success to student involvement and energy-saving measures including taking older buildings offline and ensuring new construction employs high building standards and energy efficiency. These conservation efforts have resulted in $13.8 million in energy savings since 2002-03. As mandated by the state, all universities in the University of North Carolina system are required to meet this goal by 2015.
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Installs Solar Array
The college, in partnership with New Richmond Utilities and WPPI Energy, has installed a 4-kilowatt photovoltaic solar system. The project is expected to save approximately $650 annually and will provide educational opportunities for students in the Industrial Automation and Controls Networking program.
8 Institutions Pilot UN Global Compact Reporting Process
(Worldwide): In addition to signing the Rio + 20 sustainability declaration, the State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo is one of eight universities from seven countries piloting the use of the Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions. The Global Compact is a call for institutions and corporations to voluntarily align their operations and strategies with 10 universally- accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Also using the guide and recommended reporting process are Bentley University (Massachusetts), Educatis University (Switzerland), Euromed Management (France), Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), La Trobe University (Australia), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) and Université Laval (Canada).
Auburn U Uses Solar Power to Charge Electric Vehicles
(U.S.): Facilities Management, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, has funded a pilot project for the installation of 24 solar panels atop the stadium parking deck. The solar system is designed to offset the energy used for 10 electric charging stations that have been installed on the lower level of the parking deck. The system is also expected to offset the energy to power lighting when the charging stations are not in use.
Bogor Agricultural U Students Create Sustainability Awareness
(Indonesia): Working toward Indonesia's commitment to reduce its carbon emission by 26 percent by 2020, a group of Bogor Agricultural University students are encouraging more sustainable actions among higher education communities by routinely picking up plastic bags and litter on campus, and distributing free reusable cloth bags.
Cebu Technological U to Establish Renewable Energy Center
(Philippines): The university has received a grant to establish an Affiliated Renewable Energy Center to pursue a national program for the development of indigenous energy resources. As part of an agreement with the Department of Energy, a solar waste pumping station project will also be implemented.
Cuyahoga CC Technology Building Awarded LEED Gold
(U.S.): The college's Health Careers and Technology building uses 34 percent less energy than a conventional building. A 28,000-gallon cistern captures stormwater run-off from the roof and from clean condensation from the building’s air handling units to water the landscaping, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in potable water used for landscape watering. High-efficiency plumbing fixtures inside the building also reduce domestic water needs by 44 percent.
George Washington U Renovation Certified LEED Gold
(U.S.): Sustainable features of Ames Hall, the university’s fifth campus building to receive LEED Gold certification, include a green roof, water bottle filling stations, bicycle racks and four fuel-efficient vehicle preferred parking spaces. The renovation of the academic building also demonstrates a 39 percent decrease in potable water usage and 28 percent increase in energy performance.
Guelmim Technology School Features Vernacular Architecture
(Morocco): The new campus building stays true to the localized needs and traditions of Morocco, featuring louvers and slats in the massing that permit natural light to enter the building and walkways without excessive solar gain, and allow for natural ventilation that keeps the campus cool on hot summer days. Locally-adapted plant species are also featured in shaded landscaping areas.
India, U.S. Partnerships Zero in on Climate Change, Food Security
(U.S. and India): During a recent U.S.-India Higher Education Dialogue, Indian and American higher education leaders vowed to focus on educational partnerships that furthered priority areas including workforce training, using technology to make educational opportunities available to greater numbers of people, and undertaking joint research in priority fields like food security and climate change. The talks are the latest in a nearly three-year-old effort by the administrations of President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to increase cooperation in higher education between the two countries, a $10 million joint commitment to further academic collaboration and exchange, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Institutions Weigh Natural Gas Options in Face of Rising Tuitions
(U.S.): A solution to rising tuition prices is one reason that colleges and universities in the shale-gas zone, which extends from New York to Ohio and West Virginia, are considering the option of opening campus land to natural gas drilling, reports a recent Chronicle of Higher Education article. Pros include the money, research opportunities and new gas industry programs that "fracking" (a controversial extraction method for natural gas) would bring. Also tempting is a proposed bill that would allow Pennsylvania's public colleges to keep the money that comes from drilling for gas on their land and use it for energy-efficiency projects or a backlog of deferred maintenance, which stands at $2 billion systemwide. Cons include the environmental, socioeconomic, and public-image implications of pursuing fracking on university land in the face of local community opposition and institutionalized sustainability commitments. A new state law that directs Ohio's state institutions to inventory their parcels and determine whether gas companies can drill on them also has Ohio institutions worried that they will be forced into gas leases.
Kerala U Plants Trees to Celebrate Birthday
(India): In celebration of its 75th birthday, the university has launched "Oorma maram," a green initiative to plant 75 trees at each of its 75 campuses. The variety of saplings includes fruit and herb trees.
Maastricht U Student Green Office Wins Int'l Sustainability Award
(Netherlands): The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) and oikos International have recognized the achievements of the university’s student-led Green Office with a Student Leadership Award that represents sustainability student activism. Students have already successfully implemented several sustainability projects through the Green Office including the first sustainability baseline analysis of the university; business cases for a more energy-efficient computer infrastructure and light system; and several conferences and networking events.
Masdar Institute of Technology Offers Solar Energy Training
(United Arab Emirates): The institute recently held a course on solar energy technology for members of its Young Future Energy Leaders program. Students had the opportunity to learn about solar cell technology and the fabrication processes for various types of modules. They also participated in a hands-on lab session with the institute’s 10-megawatt photovoltaic power plant.
New Yale U Green Vehicles Offer Easier Access for Disabled
(U.S.): The university has debuted two new special services vans designed for community members with physical disabilities to get around campus more easily. One of the vehicles runs on domestically-processed compressed natural gas, designed to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management Goes Solar
(India): A 50-kilowatt solar power plant was installed aimed at providing clean energy to the institute. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who also advocated rainwater harvesting to conserve ground water, inaugurated the plant.
Rice U Physics Hall Receives LEED Gold
(U.S.): Home to dozens of experimental, theoretical and applied physicists, this 110,000-square-foot facility features an energy-recovery system that saves as much as 30 percent of the energy needed to cool the building in the summer. The building also has a dehumidification system, which captures humidity and returns it as pure, clean water to the university's Central Plant.
SUNY ESF Establishes 'No-Mow' Zones
(U.S.): The university is converting areas of turfgrass into meadows, kicking off a new "no-mow" initiative on its main campus. By focusing on plants and plantings rather than turfgrass and trees, the university aims to save energy, emissions, maintenance staff demands, and money spent on fuel, oil and machinery.
Taibah U Students Build Biological Incubator
(Saudi Arabia): Students of the renewable energy and biotechnology unit have created a model of a biological incubator to produce antibiotics from bacteria using solar energy. The group is currently working on various applications that make use of solar energy and research on manufacturing solar cells locally.
U Buffalo Residence Hall Earns LEED Certification
(U.S.): The university's William R. Greiner Residence Hall features low-flow faucets and floor tiling made from recycled soda bottles. The university is also recycling thousands of brick pavers from a campus sidewalk for use in a new dining hall and is working to repurpose soiled old lounge chairs for continued use on campus.
U California Davis Awarded $2.7 M for Alternative Fuel Research
(U.S.): The California Energy Commission has approved a two-year, $2.77 million grant to the university's Institute of Transportation Studies to research the value, benefits and drawbacks of all types of alternative transportation fuels and fuel uses in the state. The grant will support teams of research leaders and graduate students in the institute’s NextSTEPS consortium as they complete research tasks.
U Lisbon Wins Nationwide Green Campus Challenge
(Portugal): The University of Lisbon has been named the winner of Portugal's Green Campus Challenge: Energy Efficiency in Higher Education. After an energy analysis of one of their buildings, during which they created an energy profile that distinguished the thermal and electrical energy sectors, the Faculty of Science team presented a set of technical and behavioral changes to reduce energy consumption that included energy, economic and environmental savings.
U Mass Medical Installs LED Light Fixtures
(U.S.): A wing of recently renovated offices for research staff features the first installation of an integrated LED system for offices on campus. In combination with new lighting controls, the LED fixtures are expected to be 30 to 50 percent more energy efficient, and last up to seven years longer than the fluorescent lamps used elsewhere on campus.
UniversityNow Acquires Patten U to Offer Affordable Tuition
(U.S.): Higher education accessibility company UniversityNow, Inc. has acquired Patten University (California) to enable the university to continue to serve students at a low cost. The university will introduce an affordable, flat rate tuition model including the option to earn a bachelor’s degree at a total cost of less than $10,600.
U Oxford Receives ￡75 M Donation to Support Low-Income Students
(U.K.): Targeting students from families earning under ￡16,000 ($25,000) a year, the Moritz-Heyman Scholarships will provide financial support of ￡11,000 ($17,000) a year per recipient. Half will be awarded as a scholarship, with the remainder used as a fee waiver on Oxford’s ￡9,000 tuition charge ($14,000). About 100 students will receive the scholarship in 2012-2013, but the university hopes to extend the plan to all students from the lowest-income bracket.
U Puget Sound Health Sciences Building Earns LEED Gold
(U.S.): The university's Weyerhaeuser Hall features 40 geothermal wells; 10–20 percent recycled content in a quarter of the building's materials; paints, coatings, carpets, wood and agrifiber that emit low levels of air pollutants; and predominant daylighting. More than 97 percent of all construction waste was diverted from the landfill.
U Tennessee Knoxville Installs Solar Secure Structure
(U.S.): The university has installed a new solar powered wireless structure that provides self-sufficient power and a communications source for Emergency Assistance Stations, video surveillance, LED lighting and wireless Internet. The SunStation also features a power outlet, allowing students the convenience to stay connected by using their laptops, cell phones and other technology outdoors.
Walters State CC to Offer Clean Energy Technology Degree
(U.S.): Beginning this fall, the college will offer an associate of applied science degree in clean energy technology. Four core focus programs will be offered including electricity, sustainable agriculture, transportation and building technology.
ACUPCC Network Reduces Collective GHG Emissions by 25%
A recent five-year report released by the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) reveals that collectively, the ACUPCC network of almost 700 signatories has reduced gross greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent since 2007. Released in conjunction with the ACUPCC's annual Climate Leadership Summit, the report also states that more than 30 percent of signatories have targeted climate neutrality within 20 years and, by 2022, signatories are projected to reduce their gross emissions by more than 50 percent.
Alfred State College Names Chief Sustainability Officer
Julian Dautremont-Smith has been named as the college's chief sustainability officer. Dautremont-Smith was most recently with Green Schools National Network, analyzing green school assessment and recognition tools, and developing recommendations for the creation of a new national green school rating system. Dautremont-Smith has also held an associate director position at AASHE and currently serves as a STARS Steering Committee member.
Antioch U New England Sustainability Prgms Earn PSM Designation
The Council of Graduate Schools has approved the university’s master degree programs in resource management and conservation, and environmental studies for affiliation as Professional Science Master’s programs.
The recognition confirms that the programs effectively train students to be both scholars and practitioners.
Concordia U Receives $1.6 M for Renewable Energy Research
The university’s Institute in Energy, Water and Sustainability has received a $1,643,700 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to train approximately 20 students a year in research areas including the production of renewable energy and the optimization of water usage in industry.
Creighton U Student Spearheads Fair Trade Status
Inspired by the economic plight of a community in the Dominican Republic during a service trip, a senior at the university has successfully campaigned for the university's Fair Trade status. The status commits the university to support Fair Trade through the use of fair trade products where feasible in university-operated/owned outlets, meetings and special events; Fair Trade education and awareness building on campus; and general support of Fair Trade through procurement practices.
Indiana U Awards Fellowships for New Sustainability Courses
Three faculty members have been awarded Sustainability Course Development Fellowships for 2012. Courses to be developed include "Pleasure, Pain and Peak Oil," "Hands-on LEED for Existing Buildings on Campus” and "Cheaper is not Better, Zero is: Sustainable product development starts with students." The fellowship program supports efforts to enhance instruction of topics related to sustainability and environmental literacy.
Milwaukee Area Technical College Plans Wind Turbine
The college’s Center for Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing has announced plans to install a 47-foot wind turbine at its Oak Creek campus. If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the turbine would join the campus' 510-kilowatt Photovoltaic Educational Laboratory solar array.
Oregon IT Renewable Energy Program Plans Battery Research
The institute has partnered with Powin Energy to provide battery testing equipment for students and faculty in the renewable engineering program. Students will conduct advanced experiments on batteries, the results of which will be publicly disseminated to help inform companies that design and use batteries.
Oregon State U Launches Sustainability Social Science Degree
The university's new bachelor’s degree program focuses on social, cultural and environmental dynamics in communities, cities and nations, and will include a community development concentration. Students will examine how these dynamics impact the development of sustainable systems.
SUNY Canton Receives $6.6 M for Wind Turbine Project
Funded by the New York Power Authority, the university will design and, if approved, construct a 2.8-megawatt wind turbine. The project is expected to provide up to one-third of the electricity needed to power the campus and provide educational opportunities for students.
Taylor U Completes Green Science Center
The university has completed construction on its 127,000-square-foot science complex that was designed to be both sustainable and to serve as an environmental learning tool. Sustainable features include a 10-kilowatt photovoltaic system, rooftop garden, geothermal system and wind turbines. The facility also features a heliostat that helps capture natural daylight.
U Illinois Chicago Researcher Studies More Efficient Solar Energy
A professor and head of chemistry at the university has received a $390,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to test methods of coating solar panel films using nanoparticles from a chemical group called metal chalcogenides. The inexpensive films could be wrapped over everything from vehicles to buildings to gain maximum sunshine exposure and produce electricity.
U Michigan Opens Sustainable Computing Data Center
The new data center has the capacity to house up to 1 megawatt of high-performance computing equipment in a compact container the size of several shipping containers. With the flexibility to expand its capacity as needed, the center is designed to cool equipment 75 percent of the year with the use of outdoor air.
U North Carolina System Commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2050
During a recent a three-day Appalachian Energy Summit hosted by Appalachian State University and Rocky Mountain Institute, representatives from all 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system and five private colleges made a signatory commitment to work toward carbon neutrality by 2050. The inaugural event was designed to aid in the creation of actionable energy plans that benefit students, the environment and the local economy. The summit launches a multi-year process in which participating campuses will collaborate to set goals, share best practices and educate leadership on integrated design and the latest technologies. The five private colleges include Catawba College, Davidson College, Duke University, Warren Wilson College and Wake Forest University.
U South Dakota Introduces New Sustainability Major
The university's new major, set to launch this fall, will include introductory sustainability courses, electives and an applied learning experience. Students will have the opportunity to choose from two concentrations in public communication or science.
U Tennessee Ayres Hall Renovation Earns LEED Silver
After a two-year, $23 million renovation, the university's classroom building features low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient windows. The renovation included the refurbishment and reinstallation of the original hardwood floors, clay roof tiles and marble.
U Utah to Introduce Electric Transit Bus
The university has ordered an electric bus to transport students across campus. The bus will charge its batteries wirelessly through a pioneering recharge-station technology developed by Utah State University. Funding was provided by a federal grant.
Winthrop U Updates MBA Program with Sustainability Focus
The university has redesigned its Master of Business Administration program to focus on globalization, communication and sustainability. Starting this fall, students will be able to choose from seven different concentrations.
Yale U College Reunions Go Green
The university’s College Reunions department has achieved platinum-level certification by its Office of Sustainability for reducing the carbon footprint of its 2012 reunion weekends. The department worked with other groups on campus to promote green transportation methods, use renewable products, order locally produced food and dispose of waste carefully. The reunions are the largest on-campus events ever to receive the highest level of green event certification.
Babson College Reduces Student Move-Out Waste
Through a new Green Move Out initiative that urges students to recycle, reuse and donate, the college has reduced the overall waste associated with end-of-the-year student moving by 29 percent. All donations and recyclables were distributed to local nonprofits.
