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Connecting the Dots...By Matt St.Clair Sustainability professionals on the one hand have to identify best practices and lead organizational change processes to make those best practices into common practices on our campuses. We have to juggle that type of leadership with the need to simultaneously develop new innovations for others to follow, and to ask the bigger questions about how to shape all of these trends into a coherent vision that drives and focuses our work.
A popular TED talk on leadership and how to start a movement suggests that the most important people in building a movement may be the first one or two followers who identify what others view as a risky and “crazy” idea and demonstrate that it is worth following, transforming it into a replicable best practice that attracts a crowd of followers. Read more  | |
Education & Research
Co-Curricular Education & Student Organizing
Campus Operations
Buildings
Energy
Grounds
Transportation
Waste
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Affordability & Access
Assessments & Ratings
Coordination & Planning
Funding
New Resources
Opportunities
Jobs & Internships
| 28. | Assistant Professor, Environmental Politics, Virginia Tech |
| 29. | Assistant Professor, Sustainable Food Systems, U Michigan |
| 30. | Assistant Professor, Sustainable Urban Planning, U Michigan |
| 31. | Faculty, Environmental Planning, Soka U of America |
| 32. | Program Manager, Sustainability Leadership Certificate, U Oregon |
| 33. | Sustainability Coordinator, College of Lake County |
| 34. | Sustainability Outreach Program Manager, Stanford U |
Events
Education & Research
Co-Curricular Education & Student Organizing
(India): The recently launched student chapter of the Indian Green Building Council will aim to usher a green building movement on campus. The chapter will help the institute adhere to guidelines of sustainable architecture.
Campus Operations
Buildings
(U.S.): The new Alabama Center for Excellence in Green Technology will be home to the college’s renewable energy associate degree program. Funded by a $3.47 million U.S. Department of Labor grant, the goal of the facility is to meet regional needs for certified practitioners in the areas of energy assessment and energy-efficient installation. The LEED-certified building features rainwater recycling that provides all gray water usage, a 20-kilowatt solar array, off the grid parking lights and a geothermal array.
(Australia): A student residential development has achieved a Green Star rating for sustainable construction. The residences offer students low-cost housing funded through the National Rental and Affordability Scheme. Sustainable features include a gray water treatment facility, a 155-kilowatt photovoltaic system and garden beds and orchards that enable the students to harvest their own food.
Energy
(Canada): The university has unveiled a $34 million clean energy center that produces heat and electricity for the campus entirely from renewable bioenergy. The Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility will supply up to 12 percent of the university’s heat requirements as well as reduce its natural gas consumption by 12 percent. The facility runs on tree trimmings and wood chips from local landfills.
(U.S.): Funded by its Clean Energy Fund, the university’s 134 solar panels will produce an average of 100 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, enough to supply 8.5 percent of the research farm’s electricity needs. An important aspect of the demonstration project is that farmers will have the opportunity to visit, see how the system was installed, understand its economics and the incentives that are available, and determine if the technology is feasible at their own farms.
See also: AASHE Resource: Dedicated Student Fees for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
(India): The university, with the support of local government, has announced plans to launch a wind energy project. Several windmills will be installed on campus to provide power and allow scientists to study climate change in the area and its impact on wind energy.
See also: AASHE Resource: Wind Turbine Installations on Campus (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): The institute has installed a 120-feet-tall wind turbine to help engineering students learn about alternative energy sources. The turbine, a gift from the Steel Dynamics Foundation, will provide energy to the electrical grid.
See also: AASHE Resource: Wind Turbine Installations on Campus (AASHE Member Resource)
Grounds
(U.S.): Shoemaker Green, a new green commons area, will serve as a pilot site for the Sustainable Sites initiative, which will measure the performance of the landscape and serve as a test case for other campus landscape projects. The site incorporates 100 percent native plants, reused building materials and has decreased the amount of impervious surface by 50 percent.
Transportation
(U.S.): The university has purchased three new hybrid buses to join its fleet, fulfilling a September 2011 commitment that the university would introduce seven hybrid buses in a year in an effort to be more sustainable. The buses use a roof-mounted battery system to supplement their diesel engines, allowing for reduced emissions.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Hybrid Vehicle Fleets (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): A fleet of 30 bicycles will be available to students, faculty and staff as part of a recently launched Blue Bikes checkout program. In addition to the rental program, several supporting bicycle amenities will be installed this fall including additional bike racks in high-demand areas, two public air pump stations, and a fix-it station where cyclists can access tools for quick fixes.
See also: AASHE Resource: Bicycle Sharing & Rental Programs (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): The college will provide 15 bikes for checkout over a 24-hour period to the campus community as part of a new bike share program. A grant from the Class of 1957 Green Fund kick-started the program and will also provide resources to students who already own bikes.
See also: AASHE Resource: Alumni Sustainability Funds (AASHE Member Resource)
Waste
(U.S.): Through a collaboration among the Office of Campus Sustainability, Central Student Government, Construction Services and other campus units, more than 100 drinking fountains have been equipped with a bottle refill device. Students helped guide the university’s decision on where to install the refill stations through a survey. This fall, the university also implemented the Planet Blue Water Bottle Initiative. The three-year program will supply all first-year undergraduates with a reusable water bottle when they arrive on campus.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Bottled Water Awareness and Reduction Campaigns (AASHE Member Resource)
(India): The college has announced plans to create a paper recycling unit on campus to create solid waste management awareness. The college also plans to sell notebooks made from the recycled paper and the money will be used for conducting awareness programs on solid waste management in rural areas of the state.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Recycling and Waste Minimization Policies (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): The campus’ Dining Services has begun composting, diverting about 10 yards of waste a week from the landfill. Food scraps are collected and taken to a facility that produces nutrient-rich soil that is sold to local farmers and residents.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Composting Programs (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): The new system is expected to increase recycling rates from 20 percent to 60 percent. The university also plans to add two solar-powered compactors outside the student center.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Recycling and Waste Minimization Policies (AASHE Member Resource)
(U.S.): In an effort to increase the recycling rate on campus, the university has launched a no-sort system. The system will also result in long-term economic efficiency by allowing the Office of Waste Management to make one pass with its trucks around the campus per week instead of two.
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Affordability & Access
(India): The need-based Diversity Scholarships will be awarded to students from a broad spectrum of sectors. The scholarships are part of the school’s total scholarship outlay of about $1.8 million.
Assessments & Ratings
(U.K.): In recognition for the university’s commitment to reducing its impact on the environment and in integrating sustainability into its daily services and activities, the university’s Environmental Management System has been awarded an EcoCampus Platinum Award and ISO 14001 certification.
Coordination & Planning
(Italy): The university and institute have partnered to convert their sites into a single sustainable campus. The “Smart Campus” project will focus on four themes including residents, energy, environment and accessibility. The project intends to develop services aimed at transforming the behavior of campus users. As part of the project, dumpsters that measure the weight and volume of the material that is discarded have been installed to manage waste collection.
Funding
(U.S.): The Department of Chemistry has received $13.1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund two centers that could potentially reduce carbon emissions and make solar energy more efficient. Both centers will focus on theoretical chemistry to sequester carbon dioxide and develop programs to find better ways to capture solar energy.
(U.S.): Gifts totaling $2.2 million will help to create the Center for Sustainable Packaging, an education and research center dedicated to the development and use of sustainable packaging. The center will be a testing ground for ideas and solutions for students, researchers, faculty and corporate partners that are interested in sustainable packaging.
(U.S.): The Office of Sustainability has launched Be Spartan Green Student Project Fund, a program that will provide financial support for students to explore solutions to sustainability challenges at the university. Up to $5,000 will be awarded to each selected project.
See also: AASHE Resource: Student Fees for Sustainability
(U.S.): The $25,000 Higher Education Grant from the Dominion Foundation will be used to convert an existing dormitory into a more sustainable living environment. Initial plans call for solar panels and energy produced by a wind turbine. Students participating in the energy systems minor will be likely candidates to live in the dorm.
(U.S.): The college has received a grant of $15,000 from the Duke Energy Foundation for the college’s renewable energy and ecological design (REED) program to develop a digital fabrication laboratory called FabLab. The lab will provide students, local high school students and adults with the infrastructure to acquire skills using digital fabrication technologies.
(U.S.): The 2012 edition of this book provides updated information and resources on topics including ecological principles, food, community, consumption and the economy, along with a new session on transportation. Also new in this edition is the Iceberg, a systems thinking exercise that can be used to dive more deeply into the issues. In seven sessions, "Choices for Sustainable Living" helps participants explore the meaning and vision of sustainability from individual, societal and global perspectives.
(U.S.): The Real Food Challenge (RFC) is partnering with the Center for Science in the Public Interest to plan the second annual Food Day across campuses nationwide on Oct. 24, 2012. The event aims to bring attention to the issues of obesity, supporting sustainable farming and making real food available to everyone. RFC is seeking students, staff and faculty members to be campus coordinators for the event. Last year more than 35,000 people participated in campus-organized events at more than 225 colleges and universities nationwide.
Organized by the University of Illinois, the Third International E-Waste Design Competition invites students to explore solutions to both remediate the existing e-waste problem and prevent e-waste generation in the future. Ideas must be submitted by November 1, 2012.
Oct. 14-17, 2012; Los Angeles, CA
Host: AASHE
Oct. 24, 2012; Nationwide
Supported by multiple organizations including AASHE
Nov. 7-8th, 2012; Decatur, GA
Hosted by Agnes Scott College, this ACUPCC Regional Collaborative Symposium will focus on challenges and opportunities in the Southeast. The event aims to help all institutions in the region learn more about innovative sustainability initiatives happening on other campuses and foster peer networks to share ideas and collaborate on solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, producing sustainability-literate graduates and addressing energy issues. Early bird registration ends October 1, 2012.
Sept. 25, 2012; 2:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Host: Second Nature
Nov. 14-16, 2012; San Francisco, CA
AASHE is a sector partner for the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Greenbuild 2012 International Conference and Expo. This year's event will feature three days of speakers, networking opportunities, industry showcases, LEED workshops and tours of the host city's green buildings. USGBC Center for Green Schools and AASHE will present the Innovation in Green Building Award, recognizing a leading college or university that is transforming the built environment and creating living laboratories for sustainability.
Oct. 10-12, 2012; Karlsruhe, Germany
Host: Etech Germany
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