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Table of Contents for 4/13/09:
NEWS
Buildings
1. Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Opens Green Building
Co-Curricular Education
2. Unity College to Hold Green Commencement
3. U Colorado Begins Green Pledge Program
4. U Central Oklahoma Launches Green Initiative
5. U Rhode Island Completes Conservation Campaign
6. Kansas State U Completes Greek Sustainability Competition
Dining Services
7. U Minnesota Opens Green Cafe
Energy
8. Lynchburg College to Install Energy Upgrades
Funding
9. U Georgia Students Approve Sustainability Fee
Grounds
10. Furman U Golf Club Goes Green
11. U Idaho Adopts Natural Landscaping Approach
12. Maharishi U Mgmt Restores Native Prairie on Campus
Research
13. Universities at Shady Grove to Host Maryland Clean Energy Ctr
14. U Idaho Awards $80K for Sustainability & Climate Change Research
15. U Wisconsin Madison Partners for Opportunities in Wind Energy
Sustainability Institutionalization
16. U Victoria Adopts Sustainability Policy
Transportation
17. Zipcar Partners with Zimride at Stanford U
18. U Rhode Island Begins Carpooling Challenge
19. U Wisconsin Madison Recognized as Bike-Friendly Campus
Waste
20. Virginia Tech Begins Composting Program
21. Ohio State U Expands Recycling Program to Greek Houses
Other News
22. 66% of High Schoolers Value Info on Colleges' Env'l Commitment
NEW RESOURCES
23. Recorded Webcast: Sustainable IT at Stanford
24. A Beginners Guide to On-Campus Solar Development
25. New Issue of 'Sustainability: The Journal of Record'
OPPORTUNITIES
26. 8 Week Summer Program in Renewable Energy
JOBS & INTERNSHIPS
27. Director of Energy Initiatives, Stevens Institute of Technology
28. Energy Manager, Chapman U
29. Operations Manager, Georgian Court U
30. Assoc Prof, Sustainability & Business Mgmt, St. Petersburg College
31. Program Asst, Env'l Studies, Colgate U
EVENTS
32. Understanding Sustainable Dining Options Webcast
33. The Role of the System Office in Sustainability Conf Call
34. CFP: Greening of the Campus VIII: Embracing Change
35. Webinar: Achieving Grid Neutral Schools Today
36. Local Carbon Offsets 101 Webcast
37. Lean and Green: The Sustainability Path in a Tough Economy
38. ACPA Institute on Sustainability
News
Buildings
1. Mass College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences Opens Green Building
The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has opened its Richard E. Griffin Academic Center, a new six-story academic building. Construction of the facility began in September 2007 and was completed in January 2009. Green features include white roof, a rainwater collection system, low VOC carpeting and paint, and natural lighting. The College says the structure is consistent with LEED certification standards.
See also: Boston Globe story
Co-Curricular Education
2. Unity College to Hold Green Commencement
Unity College (ME) has announced plans to hold a green commencement ceremony. Officials believe that the ceremony will be the greenest commencement in the US. Diplomas and programs will be printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, plates and silverware will be cleaned with environmentally friendly products, and energy efficiency lighting will be generated from 100 percent renewable sources. In addition, graduates will receive a sapling tree as a symbol of their lifelong commitment to the environment and will take a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and champion sustainability efforts. The College will serve local foods and compost waste at the graduate banquet.
3. U Colorado Begins Green Pledge Program
The University of Colorado Environmental Center, and the CU administration have partnered to promote sustainability on campus through the Live Green program. Live Green supports environmentally friendly habits through the Live Green Pledge, which members of CU community can sign to indicate an area where they will change their lifestyle to become more sustainable. Live Green is designed to encourage and educate members of the community about changes they can make to their life. After signing the pledge, and indicating three areas where they can live more sustainably, participants receive a monthly newsletter with tips and idea about what they can do in their everyday life. For every person who pledges to live green before Earth Day, the University will donate $5 towards sustainability programs on campus.
See also: Live Green Campaign homepage
4. U Central Oklahoma Launches Green Initiative
The University of Central Oklahoma has launched Bronze+Blue=Green: UCO Lean and Green, a campaign to reduce energy use and waste on campus. As part of the month-long awareness campaign, the University has installed a power management system on all campus computer that puts monitors and computers to sleep after 15 minutes and 30 minutes of inactivity respectively. The University is also performing an analysis of all all printers, copiers, fax machines, and print machines throughout the campus to search for ways to reduce waste and energy use.
See also: UCO Lean and Green website
5. U Rhode Island Completes Conservation Campaign
The University of Rhode Island has completed the first semester of its behavior-based energy reduction campaign in the residence halls. The campaign focused on helping students remember to turn of their computers when not in use, turn the heat and/or air conditioning off when leaving a room, and take shorter showers. As a result of the initiative, the number of students who turn off their computers when not in use increased from 18 to 35 percent, the number of students who turn off their heat or air conditioning increased from 45 to 65 percent, and the number of showers students take per week decreased from 8 to 6.8. URI plans to re-run the campaign in the fall of 2009.
6. Kansas State U Completes Greek Sustainability Competition
Kansas State University has completed its first Ecolympics competition to see which Greek house could save the most water and energy, increase its recycling the most, and bring in the most guest speakers about sustainability. The average Greek house saved 7 percent of its energy in the month of March. One house reduced its energy usage by 24 percent.
Dining Services
7. U Minnesota Opens Green Cafe
The University of Minnesota has opened the CityKid Java Café. The Café serves fair trade coffee, and all profits from the Café fund athletic programming and learning labs for at-risk youth and their families.
Energy
8. Lynchburg College to Install Energy Upgrades
Lynchburg College (VA) has hired Ameresco, an energy services company to do a comprehensive energy audit of the campus and to install energy upgrades to campus buildings. Among the possible upgrades are high efficiency lighting and lighting controls, a campus-wide energy management system, new boilers, new air conditioning systems, a water conservation program, upgrade of radiator controls in dormitories, windows with solar control, computer network power management, and field house improvements.
Funding
9. U Georgia Students Approve Sustainability Fee
University of Georgia students have approved a referendum to charge students a mandatory $3 fee for the Office of Sustainability. The referendum passed with 4,698 out of 5,833 votes (81%). If the fee is approved by the Mandatory Fees Committee, the President, and the Board of Regents, it could go into effect as early as the fall of 2010.
See also: List of Student Fees for Sustainability
Grounds
10. Furman U Golf Club Goes Green
The Furman University (SC) Golf Club has begun the Sanctuary Initiative, which aims to green the Club's operations and landscaping. The Club has installed a new irrigation system that uses less water and has allowed 15 acres of previously maintained areas on the course to become natural in an effort to cut down on fertilizer and chemical applications. Integrated Pest Management practices are being employed to reduce or eliminate pesticide use and simultaneously keep pest populations at an acceptable level.
11. U Idaho Adopts Natural Landscaping Approach
The University of Idaho Facilities Services department has classified 84 acres of campus as naturalized or semi-naturalized. 57.9 acres of turf and trees have been classified as naturalized, meaning they receive no irrigation and no landscape maintenance except seasonal fringe mowing, some required noxious weed control, and removal of dead plant materials as needed. An additional 26.1 acres have been classified as semi-naturalized turf and tree areas, meaning they require no irrigation or only automatic irrigation, seasonal mowing once or twice each year to assist in controlling noxious and pest weeds, and the removal of dead plant materials as needed. The classification will help the University save water, gasoline, and oil that was previously needed for maintenance upkeep.
12. Maharishi U Mgmt Restores Native Prairie on Campus
Maharishi University of Management (IA) has begun a prairie restoration project on campus. Site preparation has already begun on the 15 acre prairie, and planting will begin in the fall of 2010. Once the prairie is complete, it will absorb rainwater, decreasing the threat of flooding during storms, and the only care it will require will be an annual controlled burn.
Research
13. Universities at Shady Grove to Host Maryland Clean Energy Ctr
The Universities at Shady Grove had announced that it will be the new home for the Maryland Clean Energy Center. The MCEC headquarters will be located at the LEED-gold Camille Kendall Academic Center at USG. The purpose of the MCEC is to promote clean energy economic development and jobs in the state; encourage deployment of clean energy technologies across Maryland; assist newly developed technologies with pilot projects; collect, analyze and disseminate industry data; and provide outreach and technical support to further the clean energy industry in Maryland.
14. U Idaho Awards $80K for Sustainability & Climate Change Research
The University of Idaho has awarded $80,000 worth of grants to faculty research teams for projects in the areas of environment, sustainability, global change, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and related concerns. The Funds for Interdisciplinary Teams program awarded 5 grants to projects to research biodiversity conservation and sustainable community development; enhance communication in public health; study the eco-social system of an urbanizing environment; develop a comprehensive organic waste-to-commodities process; and develop programs for biofuels and bioproducts industries that are ecologically sustainable and socioeconomically beneficial to rural communities.
15. U Wisconsin Madison Partners for Opportunities in Wind Energy
The University of Wisconsin, Madison's College of Engineering has partnered with Vestas, a producer of wind-power technology, to provide student learning opportunities. Under the partnership, Vestas will begin providing funding support this year that will grow to sponsor as many as 10 graduate and undergraduate students working on wind technology projects. The company also plans to provide visiting research fellows to campus and start a small research-and-development facility near the engineering campus that will focus on technology transfer. Another stage of the partnership will support named professorships or endowed chairs with expanded focus on wind-energy research and education.
Sustainability Institutionalization
16. U Victoria Adopts Sustainability Policy
The University of Victoria (BC) Board of Governors has approved a campus sustainability policy. The policy is an overarching framework that provides a common understanding of UVic’s commitment to sustainability in teaching, research, operations and community partnerships. A comprehensive five-year sustainability action plan for campus operations has also been developed as a first step in implementing the policy. It provides goals and direction for a wide range of actions within eight inter-related topic areas: energy and climate; transportation; purchasing; governance, decision-making and sustainability resources; buildings and renovations; grounds, food and urban agriculture; waste management; and water management.
See also: UVic's University Sustainability Policy
See also: List of Campus Sustainability/Environmental Policies (AASHE members only)
Transportation
17. Zipcar Partners with Zimride at Stanford U
Zipcar, a car-sharing provider, and Zimride, a social online ride-sharing community, have launched a partnership to integrate car sharing and ride sharing services on the Stanford University (CA) campus. The partnership eliminates the need to own a car to share a ride for all faculty, staff, and students at Stanford. Both Zipcar and Zimride have offered their services on the Stanford campus since December 2007 and November 2008 respectively, but now members of the Stanford community are able to use a Zipcar to share a ride organized by Zimride.
See also: Zipcar press release
18. U Rhode Island Begins Carpooling Challenge
The University of Rhode Island has begun a carpool challenge on campus. The two week program includes free $3 coupons for carpooling participants, a free one-day parking pass, and the chance to win one of four mp3 players.
19. U Wisconsin Madison Recognized as Bike-Friendly Campus
The University of Wisconsin, Madison has been named a silver award winner in the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Business program. Bicycle Friendly Businesses are defined as corporations, organizations, and nonprofit groups that weave bicycling into their business culture and encourage their employees and constituencies to be active in cycling.
Waste
20. Virginia Tech Begins Composting Program
Virginia Tech has begun a program to compost its dining hall waste. Members of the VT community can now compost chopped vegetables, peelings, and cores. Since the program's launch in January 2009, VT has composted as much as 2.5 tons of waste per week. The initiative is the result of a partnership between VT Dining Services and a food processing center on campus.
See also: List of Campus Composting Programs (AASHE members only)
21. Ohio State U Expands Recycling Program to Greek Houses
The Ohio state University Student Government has distributed 150 recycling bins to more than 30 off-campus Greek houses. The Greek associations have agreed to pay for weekly pick-up at 24 locations near campus. The bins were provided by the Department of Facilities Operations and Development and the Office of Student Life.
Other News
22. 66% of High Schoolers Value Info on Colleges' Env'l Commitment
The Princeton Review 2009 "College Hopes and Worries Survey" has found that 66 percent, up 3 percent from 2008, of respondents would value the ability to compare college and universities based on their commitment to environmental issues. Nearly a quarter said this information would very much or strongly affect their college decision. The survey interviewed 12,715 high school students applying to college and 3,007 parents of college applicants.
See also: How do campus sustainability initiatives affect college admissions?
New Resources
23. Recorded Webcast: Sustainable IT at Stanford
Educause has posted a webcast on its website entitled, "Sustainable IT at Stanford." The one hour webcast discusses Stanford University's (CA) energy- and cost-saving green IT initiatives that address desktop computing, administrative computing, research computing, and telecommuting.
See also: Original webcast announcement
24. A Beginners Guide to On-Campus Solar Development
AASHE has added a new research paper entitled, "A Beginners Guide to On-Campus Solar Development" to its list of student research papers on campus sustainability. The publication aims to help higher education institutions to "research, analyze, and plan for the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system on their campus." The guide discusses the costs of a solar PV system, available funding options, the processing of siting and sizing a system, and the process behind gathering students, faculty, and staff support. The guide was completed by Tom Nagawiecki, a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Idaho Sustainability Center.
25. New Issue of 'Sustainability: The Journal of Record'
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. has released the April 2009 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record. This month's issue includes a roundtable discussion on greening existing buildings on campus, a sustainability program profile of the University of Minnesota, Morris, an article on sustainability initiatives at community colleges, and a book review of Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture.
Opportunities
26. 8 Week Summer Program in Renewable Energy
The University of Hawaii-Maui Community College is offering an eight-week summer program focused on the principles of renewable energy. The program consists of two three-credit courses and one two-credit internship. Possible hands-on projects include a trip to Kahoolawe to check on/service ongoing solar projects, a visit to the Humane Society to check on/service ongoing solar projects, and a trip to Molokai to check on/assist with wind projects. Registration begins on April 13.
Jobs & Internships
27. Director of Energy Initiatives, Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) seeks a Director of Energy Initiatives to accelerate the growth of Stevens' research enterprise in the domain of environmentally responsible energy conversion, storage, distribution, security, and resiliency. The Director of Energy Initiatives shall manage energy and energy-related projects designated by the Provost and University Vice President and President. The scope of these energy initiatives shall include the conversion of energy resources from conventional and more environmentally responsible sources including wind, water, solar, and biomass; the storage and use of stored energy; and the control of energy and energy distribution within micro-grids and larger infrastructures. The successful candidate should have an established track record of building and directing a research enterprise of at least $50M per year of sponsored research in multiple heterogeneous research programs, either as a stand-alone enterprise or within a substantially larger corporate structure.
28. Energy Manager, Chapman U
Chapman University (CA) seeks an Energy Manager to focus on campus energy consumption and cost. The position will analyze campus energy needs and research and implement both behavioral and technological means to reduce consumption in a cost effective manner. In addition, the successful candidate will advance the Chapman recycling and sustainability programs, meeting with vendors, providers, and various campus groups to promote recycling efforts. A Bachelor's degree in a related technical, scientific, or engineering discipline or equivalent career experience is required. The position is open until filled.
29. Operations Manager, Georgian Court U
Georgian Court University (NJ) seeks an Operations Manager to direct and coordinate activities of workers engaged in the repair, maintenance, and housekeeping of the grounds and buildings at GCU. Responsibilities include regularly inspecting buildings and grounds to ensure conformance with established quality standards and applicable regulations; providing supervision, training, and evaluation of facilities supervisors and staff in accordance with the University's policies and procedures; and implementing recycling and waste minimization, energy conservation, and sustainability initiatives. A Bachelor's degree or relevant experience is required. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
30. Assoc Prof, Sustainability & Business Mgmt, St. Petersburg College
St. Petersburg College (FL) seeks an Associate Professor of Sustainability and Business Management to instruct and assist the College in developing and maintaining a quality program of instruction. Applicants should have at least 5 years of experience in Business Administration and/or Sustainability Management. A doctorate degree is strongly preferred.
31. Program Asst, Env'l Studies, Colgate U
Colgate University (NY) seeks applications for the position of Program Assistant to the Environmental Studies (ENST) Program for the 2009-2010 academic year. Job responsibilities include organizing the Environmental Studies brownbag lecture series, designing the semiannual newsletter, keeping the ENST web site up to date, compiling and disseminating information for ENST majors, and assisting the Program Director with the day-to-day running of the program. The Program Assistant will serve as the liaison with the campus sustainability coordinator and other related campus organizations. Review of resumes will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
Events
32. Understanding Sustainable Dining Options Webcast
April 15, 2009; 1 – 3pm Eastern
Academic Impressions will host "Understanding Sustainable Dining Options, a webcast that will teach participants how a dining services manager can begin to assess opportunities and implement change to become more sustainable. Topics to be discussed include defining sustainable dining, understanding the key categories of sustainable Food Service, evaluating the levels of sustainable food to decide what is right for your campus, and developing a test site for better execution. Instructors include John Turenne, President and Founder of Sustainable Food Systems, and Owen Moore, the New York University Dining Services Director.
33. The Role of the System Office in Sustainability Conf Call
April 16, 2009; 3:30 – 5pm EST, AASHE Open Space Conference Call Line
Corey Hawkey, the Sustainability Projects Coordinator for the Ohio Board of Regents, and Sonia Marcus, the Sustainability Coordinator at Ohio University, will host an open space conference call entitled, "The Role of the System in Sustainability: An Introduction to the Concept of Sustainability in the Systems Office." The call will serve as a mechanism for individuals working on or interested in working on sustainability at the systems level to meet one another and to address the question, "What is the role of the system in sustainability"? Participants will hear from Corey Hawkey; Matt St. Clair, Sustainability Manager for the University of California System; and Bridget Burns, Policy and Research Associate for the Oregon University System.
34. CFP: Greening of the Campus VIII: Embracing Change
September 20 -23; 2009; Indianapolis, IN
Ball State University (IN), in partnership with AASHE, announces a Call for Papers for Greening of the Campus VIII: Embracing Change. Abstracts for conference papers, posters, workshops, panels, forums, special activities, and pre- or post-conference events are invited. Topics may range from the practical day-to-day management of the physical plant to green curriculum development and green utilization of campus resources. The deadline for submissions has been extended to April 24, 2009.
35. Webinar: Achieving Grid Neutral Schools Today
May 21, 2009; 2 – 3pm EDT
Project FROG will host "Achieving Grid Neutral Schools Today," a webinar intended for Facilities Managers, operation roles, and decision makers in Public and Private schools, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities. Speakers will include Adam Tibbs, President of Project FROG, and Mark Miller, Founder of Project FROG.
36. Local Carbon Offsets 101 Webcast
June 30, 2009; 1 -2:30pm EDT
Academic Impressions will host "Local Carbon Offsets 101," a webcast that will teach participants how to evaluate the quality of local offsets, find and use local offsets, expand the benefits of local offsets for maximum added value, and integrate local offsets into a broader campus sustainability initiative. The instructor, Dave Newport, is the Director of the Environmental Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Early bird registration will June 12, 2009.
37. Lean and Green: The Sustainability Path in a Tough Economy
May 27-29, 2009; Boston, MA
Academic Impressions will host "Lean and Green: The Sustainability Path in a Tough Economy," a conference that will offer sustainability coordinators and those charged with organizing sustainability efforts across campus the skills to create a roadmap for promoting a culture of sustainability on campus. The conference will teach participants how to develop and increase sustainability efforts, think and plan strategically for carbon neutrality, develop creative financing strategies for sustainability initiatives, implement innovative strategies for engaging students, faculty, and staff, and track the progress of sustainability efforts on campus.
38. ACPA Institute on Sustainability
June 11-13, 2009; Harvard University; Cambridge, MA
The second annual ACPA Institute on Sustainability will again bring together students, staff, and faculty from colleges and universities across the country who are committed to sustainability. The goal of the institute is to provide individuals and institution teams with a plethora of knowledge about sustainability so that they can return to their campuses prepared to contribute to the development of sustainable policies and practices and the education of campus community members. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from some of the leading sustainability scholars and practitioners; explore practices from campuses across the country; and develop a framework and actionable goals that can be taken back to campus and integrated into the core of the institution. Topics will include renewable energy technologies; creating regional consortiums; green building and renovation; integrating sustainability into the fabric of campus; assessing student learning; and sustainability and student activism. Regular registration ends June 4, 2009.
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