U Central Lancashire Divests From Fossil Fuels
The university's recent announced its decision to divest its funds in the fossil fuel industry in line with its commitment to sustainable and ethical investments. This includes all companies in the oil, gas and consumable fuels industry; energy equipment and services industry; and diversified metals and mining industry.
U Southern California to Obtain Solar Electricity for 25% of Consumption
The new 20-year agreement will provide a quarter of the university's electricity with power from a solar farm in Mojave. In addition to lowering its carbon footprint, the university will contribute approximately $180,000 per year to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Clean Energy Adder program that supports disadvantaged communities in and around USC’s campuses.
U Washington to Divest From Fossil Fuels
The university's board of regents in early September approved a resolution to begin exiting all direct investments in fossil fuel companies with the goal of complete divestiture by fiscal year 2027. The resolution includes a commitment not to renew indirect investments in funds primarily focusing on fossil-fuel extraction or reserves. The resolution also includes a goal of investing at least 2.5 percent of the UW’s entire Consolidated Endowment Fund in climate-solutions companies or asset managers and a commitment to achieving net-zero emissions in the university’s endowment fund by fiscal year 2050.
2022 AASHE Sustainable Campus Index Lists Top Performers
The Sustainable Campus Index (SCI) recognizes top-performing colleges and universities in 17 sustainability impact areas, and overall by institution type, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). This year’s SCI introduces an international top performers list that recognizes the highest scoring institution in every participating country with at least one STARS-rated institution.
Brandeis U Launches Year of Climate Action
Organized by the Brandeis Sustainability Committee, the Year of Climate Action aims to raise awareness for climate change as a social justice issue. Planned activities and initiatives throughout the year focus on institutional priorities, such as introducing new organic land management practices and a decarbonization study, and curricular programming, including sustainability course development funding and curated teaching resources. Other features of the year include a theater, a climate organizer-in-residence, local environmental justice events, an eco-anxiety support group, and club funding for student-designed programs.
U Arkansas Signs PPA on 5.1 MW Photovoltaic Array
The newly signed power purchase agreement (PPA) is for a 5.1-megawatt photovoltaic system that is expected to cover approximately 6.3 percent of the campus electrical energy needs. The solar project will be installed on 25 acres off campus and is expected to be completed by Q1 2024.
White House Mandates Open Access to Government-Funded Research
Any research based on federally funded studies must be made freely available to the public without an embargo under a policy announced Thursday by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The new requirement, which is due to take effect by the end of 2025, updates an existing policy that allowed a 12-month embargo for making research freely available.
U Utah Receive $20M for New Climate Science & Policy Center
With a $20 million gift, the university recently announced the creation of the interdisciplinary Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy to study effective public policies and propose entrepreneurial business solutions to curb and combat the threats that climate change poses to human and environmental health.
Rose Bruford College to Divest From Fossil Fuels
(U.K.) The college recently signed the Fossil Free Declaration, hosted by People & Planet. By signing the declaration, the college affirms its current fossil fuel-free status, and its commitment to remain so in the future.
Raritan Valley CC Purchases Power From 314 KW Solar System
The community college signed a new agreement to purchase for 15 years the power generated from a 313.6 kilowatt, ground-mounted photovoltaic system. The power from the system will meet all of the electricity demand from the college's Workforce Training Center.
Haskell Indian Nations U Receives $20M for Indigenous Science Hub
The National Science Foundation recently announced the $20 million award for the Large Scale CoPe: Rising Voices, Changing Coasts: The National Indigenous and Earth Sciences Convergence Hub. The science hub will be a convergence of disciplines and epistemologies where Indigenous knowledge-holders from diverse coastal regions will work with university-trained social, ecosystem and physical Earth system scientists and students on transformative research to address coastal hazards in the contexts of their communities.
