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AASHE Bulletin

1. Carleton College Adopts Carbon Neutrality Value Statement
Carleton College has adopted a Carbon Neutrality Value Statement which says, “Carleton College recognizes that global warming is one of the greatest local and global challenges of our time. The college values the goal of carbon neutrality as a priority for our community, recognizing that this goal merits the consideration of allocation of resources to research and implement technological and behavioral change. The college commits to developing a framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the input of students, staff and faculty. In doing so, Carleton reaffirms its commitment to sustainability as articulated in the Environmental Statement of Principles."
http://apps.carleton.edu/campus/sustainability/carleton/goals_values/
List of campus global warming commitments: http://www.aashe.org/resources/gw_commitments.php

2. Sustainable Endowments Institute Releases Survey of Shareholder Practices in Higher Ed
The Sustainable Endowments Institute has released a survey of shareholder practices in higher education that targeted the 331 largest college and university endowments and included all schools with $100 million or more in endowment assets.  The survey looked at proxy voting, transparency of endowment holdings, and related policy questions.  Key findings about shareholder practices at the 216 colleges and universities who responded to the survey (65%) include: two-thirds of the colleges and universities do not disclose university endowment investments; nearly three-quarters of colleges and universities keep proxy voting records private; only five percent of schools include students in proxy voting decision-making; and almost half of the schools would be open to giving students and others a voice in proxy voting.
http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/survey.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-05-29-college-invest_x.htm
http://www.socialfunds.com/news/article.cgi/2020.html

3. Campus Sustainability on the AP, Reuters and UPI Wires
The Associated Press, Reuters and United Press International each published wire stories related to campus sustainability this week.  The Associated Press article focuses primarily on competition and collaboration for sustainability between Carleton College and St. Olaf College, both of Northfield, MN.  The Reuter and UPI stories highlight recent renewable energy purchases by Bowdoin College, University of California-Santa Cruz, and Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and Central Oregon Community College.
Boston Globe article
(Reuters article no longer available)
http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=20060601-052423-3293r

4. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Hires Sustainability Officer
David E. Schnabel, director of services at UCCS, announced Linda Kogan as the new sustainability officer at UCCS. Kogan, a UCCS alumna holding a master’s in geography and environmental studies, joins the Facilities Services Department with the mission of guiding the university’s sustainability initiatives and promoting the university as a leader in sustainable development.  In this new position, Kogan will: work with faculty, staff, and students to integrate sustainable leadership, curriculum, and operations to achieve the goals of the UCCS Chancellor’s Sustainability Taskforce Final Report of June 2005; manage $1.3 million in energy conservation funding provided by the UCCS administration; create a campus-wide sustainability committees to address energy management, landscape design, waste and recycling programs, transportation and green procurement; participate on the design committee of several construction projects; inspire student interest in the environment, and design a comprehensive recycling program for the campus.
http://www.uccs.edu/~webdept/CMS/getnewscontent.php?id=262
Directory of campus sustainability officers (AASHE members only): http://www.aashe.org/resources/ftdirectory.php

5. City College of San Francisco Adopts Sustainability Resolution
The City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees has passed a resolution on sustainability.  The resolution commits the Trustees to "reviewing and updating District policies on sustainability issues including, but not limited to: clean energy, green building, reduced and more efficient energy consumption and increase in renewable energy, reduced consumption of materials and supplies, increased use of sustainability-produced materials and supplies, development of educational programs on sustainability and 'green industry.'" Further, the Trustees requested that draft Sustainability Plan be prepared no later than August 31, 2006 and ultimately adopted by no later than December 31, 2006.  Finally, the resolution directs the Administration to conduct an energy audit of campus buildings and investigate how to create educational and vocational training programs for emerging green industries.
http://www.ccsf.edu/Offices/VCFA/PDF_May_25_2006/S3.pdf

6. Grinnell College Education Center Receives LEED Gold Certification
Grinell College's Conard Environmental Research Area facility has received LEED Gold Certification.  Green design features include: a geothermal heat pump system; a cistern system to collect and filter rainwater for greenhouse irrigation and bathroom flushing water; natural lighting to illuminate the building during the day; a high performance glazing curtain wall to reduce solar heat gain; building materials, paints, and adhesives low in volatile organic compounds; and extensive use of recycled and local building materials.  The College currently has three other buildings under consideration for certification.  http://www.grinnell.edu/tv/leed/

7. University of Wisconsin-Madison Announces Energy Conservation Campaign
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has begun a drive to slash campus energy consumption by 20 percent by 2010 called “We Conserve.”  The chancellor has asked students, faculty and staff to make energy consumption part of their daily lives, as a way to achieve the 20 percent reduction on a per-square-foot basis. 
http://www.news.wisc.edu/12528.html
http://www.conserve.wisc.edu/

8. Mixed Fleet Soon to Fill up at Hydrogen Fueling Station at Penn State
The only hydrogen fueling station currently located in Pennsylvania is on Penn State's University Park campus, where efforts also are under way to develop a mixed-vehicle fleet, including two cars, a bus and vans, to demonstrate hydrogen's potential.  By the end of the summer, Penn State’s Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Center (HHVRC) will have a transit bus and a University maintenance van operating on a hydrogen/natural gas blend along with a fuel cell car operating on pure hydrogen.
http://live.psu.edu/story/18174

9. Rice University Producing and Using Biodiesel on Campus
Students in the Rice University Biodiesel Initiative are producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil generated on campus.  Rice's maintenance workers are using a 20% biodiesel blend in their mowers.  The group is working to expand biodiesel use on campus to Rice shuttles and other vehicles.
http://www.westuexaminer.com/articles/2006/05/26/memorial/community/comm18.txt
http://cohesion.rice.edu/CentersAndInst/EESI/emplibrary/RUBIs_Real_Theory_2.mov
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou060511_cd_ricebiodesel.30f79dbf.html

10. Bates College to Heat Residential Houses with Biodiesel
Bates College has begun heating 12 of its student residences with B5 a blend of petroleum heating oil with 5 percent biodiesel.  Bates has started with B5 because of warranty issues on its burner equipment.  The biodiesel, which comes from American Alternative Energy will cost the college roughly the same as straight No. 2 heating oil.  In related news, a group of students and faculty is exploring producing biodiesel from cooking oil discarded by the college's dining services.  Colby College and the University of Southern Maine are also heating biodiesel.
http://www.bates.edu/x117462.xml

11. Furman University's Duke Library Wins Interior Design Award
Furman University’s James B. Duke Library has been awarded the 2006 Sustainable Design Award from the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Designers Association. Furman completed a $25 million expansion and renovation of the library in 2004.  The project, which has applied for LEED Silver certification, was designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott of Boston and Neal Prince + Partners Architects, Inc., of Greenville.
http://www.iida-carolinas.org/news.html
http://library.furman.edu/leed/
Annotated listing of 7 Green Libraries (AASHE members only): http://www.aashe.org/resources/libraries.php

12. Vanderbilt University Wins Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award
Vanderbilt University has been selected as the winner of the 2006 Tennessee Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award in Pollution Prevention Category for being designated a Best Workplaces for Commuters by the EPA.  Under the University's "Free Ride to Work" Program, University staff and faculty can ride the city bus to work for free.  This new partnership between Vanderbilt and the Metro Transit Authority eliminates the commuting and parking of over 1,000 employees on campus every day.  Other commuter benefits offered by Vanderbilt and recognized by the EPA include a FlexPool parking payment program to encourage carpooling and vanpooling to work, an Alternative Work Arrangements policy encouraging flextime work arrangements and telecommuting, and other programs such as the Vanderbilt Valet, on-campus bike racks and showers, and mentoring local business in air pollution reduction strategies as a Clean Air Partnership Air Alert Partner.  Vanderbilt was nominated for the award by the Clean Air Partnership.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/register/articles?id=22392
http://www.state.tn.us/environment/awards/

13. East Carolina University To Use Ethanol in Campus Vehicles
This summer, East Carolina University will begin fueling campus vehicles with gasohol, a mixture of 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol.  The change will result in a reduction of almost 11,000 gallons of petroleum per year. Other changes that are planned to further reduce petroleum usage include switching to remanufactured lubricating oil for university vehicles and switching the Student Transit System busses to biodiesel.
http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/news/releases/2006/05/053106ethanol.cfm

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