Harvard U Creates Multi-Disciplinary Global Institute
Called the Harvard Global Institute, the new, multi-disciplinary collaborative provides large grants to teams of established faculty members and smaller grants to faculty members exploring more experimental topics. The grants are intended to foster research in topics that transcend disciplinary and regional boundaries, such as climate change, urbanization, education, water, and migration.
Indiana State U Creates Solar Art Installation
In honor of the university's 25th anniversary of its Recycle Center, two local arts organizations designed and constructed the Solar Sycamore, a leaf-shaped sculpture that includes grid-tied solar panels that power LED lights. Additionally, the surrounding grounds will be planted with native prairie grasses, include a water retention system and sidewalks will be completed using a porous surface.
Johns Hopkins U Commits to Reduce Local Economic Disparities
In an effort to reduce economic divisions in the Baltimore area, the university recently announced a commitment to direct 17 percent of construction projects to minority and women-owned or disadvantaged businesses, and hire 60 people each year from ZIP codes with high unemployment or poverty rates.
Ten Institutions Top AASHE's 2015 Sustainable Campus Index
The AASHE 2015 Sustainable Campus Index highlights top-performing colleges and universities in 17 areas, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). The report also highlights best practices from over 50 U.S., Canadian and Mexican institutions that have submitted a STARS report in the last 12 months.
Renewable Energy on the Rise Says Energy Dept.
The recently released article from the U.S. Department of Energy cites an increasing number of higher education schools pursuing renewable energy projects. The Energy Department mentions Vermont Law School, Goddard College, Elizabethtown College, Bristol Community College and Metropolitan Community College with a combined total of over 6.8-megawatts installed.
Utah State U Wins 'National Bike Challenge'
Placing first in the university division of the National Bike Challenge, 220 university members that registered for the competition rode 76,157 miles, burned over four-million Calories, averted 28,604 pounds of carbon dioxide and saved $17,957.
North Carolina State U to Offer Scholarship for Employees' Dependents
Chancellor Randy Woodson recently announced the creation of a tuition scholarship for the children of full-time staff and faculty, beginning in the fall of 2016. The benefit will begin as a minimum $2,000 annual scholarship for the dependents of full-time employees who qualify for admission to the university, a discount of about 25 percent of annual tuition and fees.
U Illinois Chicago Internship Raises Monarch Butterflies on Campus
Student interns at the university's UIC Heritage Garden, funded via the university's sustainability fee, recently released the last of the monarch butterflies they raised this summer and fall. The UIC Heritage Garden an ecology and sustainability-focused internship program that creates and maintains gardens on campus. Photo credit: UICheritagegarden.org
Maharishi U Building Case Study Earns Place in U.N. Book
A two-page case study of the university's Sustainable Living Center is being included in a new 160-page electronic book published by the U.N. that seeks to inspire, encourage and support universities to develop and implement their own transformative strategies for establishing green, resource-efficient, and low carbon campuses.
U District Columbia Builds Urban Farm Food Hub
This fall, over 1,000 volunteers united to build the East Capitol Urban Farm as part of a D.C community improvement day. A model for temporary use of vacant lots, the transformed, three-acre parcel of land will provide local residents with a food production, food preparation and distribution, water management and targeted community education programs.
Harvard U Funds Students Conducting Sustainability Research
The university's Center for the Environment provides funding each summer to students who have an interest in working with faculty and their research groups. With topics ranging from growth limitation in New England’s forest trees to housing and air pollution, the program draws undergraduates in concentrations from environmental science and public policy to East Asian studies.
AASHE Signs Open Letter to COP21 Senior Officers
Supporting its members and the role of higher education, AASHE recently signed onto the open letter to senior government officials of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) that urges decision-makers to acknowledge and support the vital role that universities and colleges play in addressing climate change and resiliency.
U Washington Collaborates on Renewable Energy Partnership
A new two-and-a-half year partnership will provide funding for renewable energy work, allowing the university to develop renewable energy projects, produce educational outreach materials and create opportunities for faculty and student collaboration.
U California System Creates Competition for Carbon Neutrality
The new Cool Campus Challenge encourages students, faculty and staff to help make its campuses and medical centers carbon neutral by 2025 by asking university members to take specific steps, outlined in weekly sustainability themes, that result in lower carbon output. Accumulated points during the competition will reveal the "Coolest UC Campus".
U Edinburgh Launches Climate Change Campaign
(U.K.): In support of the university's climate strategy, the new campaign, Edinburgh Action for the Climate, harnesses the expertise of academics researching climate-related topics to influence and inform the global climate change debate.
Saint Joseph’s College Partners With EcoMotion to Advance Sustainability
EcoMotion’s tasks will include conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, developing a climate action and sustainability plan, advising on Saint Joseph’s newly established green revolving fund, formalizing campus engagement, along with providing strategic marketing and communications to document sustainability progress and foster community awareness.
Biomimicry Global Design Challenge Announces Finalists
The first food system-focused Biomimicry Global Design Challenge selected University of Oregon as top finalist with a design to help keep nutrients in the soil. In the student-only competition, a team from University of Calgary claimed first, University of California second and Wageningen University won third.
Yale U Partners With MAD for New Food Institute
Drawing upon Yale's varied programming in food studies, the university and MAD, a Danish nonprofit dedicated to improving food culture, just announced a partnership to develop the new institute that will tap into chefs' influence beyond the restaurant. The intent is to allow participants to think creatively and critically about food-related issues and to explore and implement solutions.
U Winnipeg Complex Achieves LEED Gold
The new building, previously the site of a roller rink, includes an atrium featuring living fig trees and a wooden wall made from the roller rink's wood flooring, natural daylighting, a heat recovery system to aid in energy efficiency, and reclaimed materials.
Huston-Tillotson U Installs 240KW Solar Array
Initiated by an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow, the new 240-kilowatt photovoltaic array at the private, historically black university supports its sustainability efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The campus community will be able to view energy production through a web-based tracking application.
North Carolina State U Students Help Businesses Become More Sustainable
Through the Business Sustainability Collaborative of the university's Poole College of Management, the university launched the B Corp Clinic that assigns student teams to companies aiming to attain B Corp status. Students volunteer four to six hours a week evaluating their assigned company and present interim and final presentations with recommendations on how to achieve B Corp certification.
U British Columbia Volunteers Promote Zero Waste Goals
Supporting the university's zero waste action plan, volunteers and Sustainability Coordinator Program staff work with Ceremonies and Events to educate attendees about sorting their disposables. At a recent event with 4,000 participants, a desk bin-sized trash bag was remaining after composting and recycling everything else.
Shippensburg U Residence Halls Earn LEED Certification
Three university residence halls, opened in August 2014, were recently cloaked with LEED certification. Combined the halls have nearly 400 total student units with more than 900 beds. Students involved in the buildings' planning process stressed LEED as a key component.
Arizona State U Facility Earns LEED Gold
College Avenue Commons, the newest university building used primarily by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, features environmental systems monitoring, an orientation that helps minimize the western exposure and adjustable LED lighting. One major goal of the project was to provide a living and learning resource for engineering and construction education.
Drew U Center Claims LEED Silver
The university's newly redesigned Ehinger Center features a renewable energy system, low-emission paint and recycled construction materials. Other features include an indoor composting station, pervious concrete pavers that allow rainwater to be reabsorbed and waterless urinals in the men’s bathroom.
Stanford U Releases 2014-15 Year in Review
The newly released, digital edition of Sustainability at Stanford: A Year in Review highlights 14 topical areas and monthly snapshots that represent collaborative efforts across multiple campus entities. Topical areas include assessment and evaluations, behavior-based programs, collaborative governance, interdisciplinary research, student leadership and activities, and training and education.
rootAbility Earns International Accolades for University Green Office Program
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Japan (UNESCO-Japan) prize for outstanding projects related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) was recently awarded to rootAbility for its Green Office Model, which began at Maastricht University in 2010 and now has 14 green offices at 14 universities in six countries. rootAbility was awarded $50,000 for the honor.
The Guardian 'England's Universities are Losing Steam on Climate Change'
(U.K.): A recent analysis by Brite Green indicates more than three-quarters of England's universities are set to miss the 43 percent reduction by 2020, which was set by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 2010. Institutions state that significant growth in institution estates and student population were taken into account when targets were set.
Enrollment in Food-Related Courses & Degrees Rises
Civileats.com released a partial compilation of universities and colleges that offer degrees and courses in food. The article discusses the surge in demand in recent years for food as an academic subject. Among other areas, students are interested in learning about food equality issues, the local and organic food movement and food policy.
U Albany Faculty Garners Solar Society Award
University Atmospheric Scientist Richard Perez has been selected by the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) to receive the Farrington Daniels Award. Named in honor of ISES founder, the award recognizes outstanding contributions in science, technology and engineering of solar energy applications that lead to enhancing our world and the conditions of human kind.
Inside Higher Ed: 'Does Divestment Cost?'
The recent article from Inside Higher Ed offers two opposing analyses of divestment from fossil fuels. The article goes on to discuss different strategies and reasons that some universities and colleges have for divestment and investment.
Penn State U Names First Transportation Coordinator
Cecily Zhu recently took the helm as the university's first transportation coordinator. Before coming to Penn State, she most recently worked as a transportation policy and planning fellow for the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. Editorial Photo Credit: Lilyana Vynogradova / Shutterstock.com
U Colorado Boulder Expands Pollinator-Friendly Landscaping
The specialized landscaping across campus, totaling about 10,000-square-feet of land, is pollinator-friendly, can withstand heavy heat and minimal water, and enables pesticide-free practices to continue. The project was funded by the campus' sustainability fund and involved students from the university's Environmental Center and permaculture class.
U Colorado Boulder Expands Recycling Center With New Building
Designed to get the university closer to its goal of diverting 90 percent of campus waste from landfills, the new two-story, 19,500-square-foot building includes designated space for waste composition analysis and educational outreach and collaboration with students. An intent of the new facility is to more easily accommodate changing waste streams and difficult-to-recycle items.
Energy Department Defines Zero Energy Buildings
After leading a stakeholder engagement process over the past year and a half, the Energy Department states a Zero Energy Building is “an energy-efficient building where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual delivered energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable exported energy." The findings were released in the recently published A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings.
Insight Into Diversity Magazine Recognizes 92 Colleges and Universities with Award
The Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion through initiatives, programs and outreach; student recruitment, retention and completion; and hiring practices for faculty and staff. This year, 92 schools were acknowledged.
University Business 'Inside Look: Sustainable Campus Buildings'
The recent article from University Business highlights the upward trend of colleges and universities that incorporate sustainability into new construction and renovations including energy and water efficiency, aesthetics, monitoring systems and learning opportunities for students.
U Maryland Sustainability Fund Reaches $1M Milestone
This semester marks a significant milestone for the university's Sustainability Fund. Since 2011, more than $1 million has been granted to 72 projects that promote environmental sustainability and positively impact the student experience.
Eastern Connecticut State U Enters $2M Built Environment Agreement
The new $2 million cooperative agreement involving the university's Institute for Sustainable Energy will launch a pilot program called Accelerate Performance that integrates performance-based procurement into new construction or major renovation projects. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and includes Seventhwave and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
NY Times: 'Top Colleges Doing the Most for Low-Income Students'
The NY Times' The Upshot recently indexed colleges' efforts on economic diversity. The College Access Index is a combination of a colleges' Pell graduates and net price, compared with the average school. The table also shows the colleges' endowment per student, which is a measure of the resources available to colleges.
Williams College to Invest $50M in Carbon Reduction Activities
In response to a petition from alumni, faculty, staff and students calling for endowment divestment from fossil fuels, the college's board of trustees recently announced a $50 million investment effort to address climate change through a comprehensive set of initiatives targeted at reducing carbon emissions, obtaining carbon neutrality by 2020, and educational efforts related to climate change.
Frostburg State U Building Obtains LEED Gold
The university's newest LEED Gold-certified building utilizes recycled materials, conserves energy and water, manages storm water quality, minimizes the heat island effect and automatically adjusts temperature and lighting to fit the environment outside.
Vassar College Announces Two Major Clean Energy Initiatives
Vassar College closes two renewable energy power purchase agreement deals. A 2MW solar array will be built in Spring 2016 at a nearby decommissioned landfill. A small scale run-of-river hydro plant will provide the college with 1.9 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year starting this Fall. The two projects will cover more than 20% of the College's electricity needs.
Georgia Tech Receives $30M Grant for Education & Research Building
With $30 million from The Kendeda Fund, the university plans to construct a zero net energy and water consumption, education and research facility that will integrate into the university's Eco-Commons, a series of spaces designed to conserve natural resources and provide educational and recreational amenities. The project is slated to become a Living Building Challenge 3.0-certified facility.
U Utah Launches Ride Sharing Service
Partnering with Zimride by Enterprise, the university now offers an online ride-matching service that leverages the power of social media. By integrating with Facebook, Zimride connects drivers and passengers within a private university network heading to the same area.
U Utah Offers Graduate Certificate in Sustainability
Launched in January 2015, the university's Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Sustainability is open to any University of Utah graduate student or non-degree seeking student with a bachelor's degree. The intent of the certificate is to expand career opportunities and increase students' capabilities to be agents of transformational change within their communities and institutions.
