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Connecting the Dots...By Riley Neugebauer When the AASHE Bulletin is neatly delivered to me each week via my inbox, I am reminded that some of those brightly colored balls in the pit of sustainability projects are surfacing to the top and being shared for the benefit of all of us. I feel so privileged to be in a field where sharing is fundamental to the culture, particularly because I feel that it far exceeds the need for competition. Our campuses may utilize the work we do in sustainability as a part of a competitive strategy, but I feel that this movement is genuinely about doing good work, learning from it, and sharing it with others so that more people can join in. Read more  | |
Education & Research
Research
Campus Operations
Buildings
Dining Services
Energy
Grounds
Purchasing
Transportation
Waste
Water
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Assessments & Ratings
Coordination & Planning
Funding
Opportunities
Jobs & Internships
Events
Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums Highlights
Education & Research
Research
A team of researchers will receive $1.7 million over the next four years through the National Science Foundation's Sustainable Energy Pathways program to examine holistic ways to link the technological aspects of producing more energy-efficient buildings with the human parts of the equation. In addition to examining a range of techniques that potentially could provide savings in energy consumption, the project also contains an educational component that will include interactions with local high schools and a cross-disciplinary capstone course at the university.
Campus Operations
Buildings
The Cleveland campus is the first LEED Gold certification for the college. The building demonstrates the college’s effort to reduce the impact of its buildings on the environment and encourage sustainable business practices in local communities.
The first facility on campus to achieve LEED certification features a living biowall, serving as a biological air filter for the building. The plants also naturally regulate the building’s temperature by cooling the air during warmer weather and acting as a humidifier during colder months.
See also: AASHE Resource: Green Science Buildings (AASHE Member Resource)
The college’s $14.1 million classroom renovation features a reflective roof, low-flow plumbing, occupancy sensors, and wood-based products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The newly renovated student life center is designed to use 50 percent less water and over 30 percent less energy than a typical building due to the use of waterless urinals, occupancy sensors and high-efficiency mechanical systems. The renovation also reused over 98 percent of the existing roof, slab and exterior walls.
See also: AASHE Resource: Green Student Centers (AASHE Member Resource)
The house was constructed on campus to serve as an educational lab for students to learn about energy technologies used in a residential application. More than 30 monitoring and control points have been installed throughout the home to track energy consumption and help students and researchers determine the home’s efficiency.
The $14 million renovation of the university’s historic residence hall incorporates energy-efficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems as well as environmentally friendly building materials. The university plans to seek LEED certification.
See also: AASHE Resource: Green Residence Halls (AASHE Member Resource)
Dining Services
Culinary Services has introduced Eat at State On-the-Go, a food truck that will offer menu items made with local ingredients grown at the university’s organic farm, dairy store and bakery. The food truck will accept on- and off-campus dining plans.
Energy
The university is expected to save $38 million over a 15-year period through an energy performance contract with Constellation. By implementing water and energy conservation measures in 72 campus buildings, the university expects to conserve an estimated 9 million gallons of water and avoid the creation of 50,145 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
The newly installed wood boiler will provide heat to the two largest buildings on campus while replacing nearly 70 percent of the college’s fuel oil consumption with local, renewable energy. The project is expected to save more than $43,000 in utility costs annually and replace an estimated 47,000 gallons of fuel oil with local pellets.
The goal of the campaign is to reduce energy use per square foot of building space by 25 percent over the next two years. The campaign will begin with the development of a Utility Master Plan, the first phase consisting of an Energy Saving Strategies Plan to identify energy conservation strategies and develop large scale efficiency projects.
Under a 10-year Energy Services Agreement, UTC Power has installed a combined heat and power fuel cell system at the university’s Science Building. With effective use of the thermal output, overall system efficiencies of up to 90 percent are possible.
The 20-killowatt turbine has the ability to provide power to one small building and the excess energy will feed into the university’s power grid. Primarily to be used as an educational tool, students will have the opportunity to tour the project and have access to an online monitoring system.
See also: AASHE Resource: Wind Turbine Installations on Campus (AASHE Member Resource)
Grounds
Students and faculty from both colleges have harvested more than 1,300 pounds of vegetables from the first interdisciplinary vegetable garden on the Inver Hills campus. The produce will be donated to local food banks. The institutions will also plant 50 apple trees next to the garden. Two professors initiated the garden project as a way to provide students with hands-on experience.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus and Campus-Community Gardens
The garden will make its debut on [Campus Sustainability Day](http://www.aashe.org/campus-sustainability-day). Plants will be kept in 12 planters above ground and will be pesticide free. The project received funding from the Physical Planning and Development department, Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students, and the annual Farm to Fork event.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus and Campus-Community Gardens
Purchasing
The university has announced its signing of a letter of intent with Iberdrola Renewables to purchase 50 megawatts of wind energy capacity from the Blue Creek Wind Farm. The purchase equates to approximately 25 percent of the entire campus electricity load and will also create new opportunities for research.
The designation from Fair Trade Colleges & Universities recognizes the college’s commitment to using goods produced according to standards that address fair prices and wages, safe working conditions and environmental sustainability. The commitment also includes integrating fair trade educational and advocacy efforts into the school’s culture.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Fair Trade Practices and Policies (AASHE Member Resource)
Transportation
The college has introduced a Public Safety Segway Patrol Program as part of its sustainability initiative. When charging, the segway releases14 times less greenhouse gas emissions than driving the public safety vehicle and zero emissions when in use, saving an estimated ton of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere per year.
Transportation Services has announced plans to launch Borrow-a-Bike, a short-term bike lease program. MaroonBike provided locally handmade bicycles for the project.
See also: AASHE Resource: Bicycle Sharing & Rental Programs (AASHE Member Resource)
Two electric vehicle charging stations are now open to the public, installed by local renewable energy company Sullivan Solar Power. The station infrastructure was fully paid for through the EV Project, a U.S. Department of Energy funded program administered by ECOtality.
Waste
The college has partnered with Waste Management to introduce a no-sort system. Nine industrial-sized containers will be placed on campus and faculty will receive designated recycling bins.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Recycling and Waste Minimization Policies (AASHE Member Resource)
Water
In its first three weeks, the university’s Million Gallon Challenge has saved 7.3 million gallons of water. The campus launched the challenge to not only reduce water usage on campus but also raise awareness of the City of Bloomington's emergency water restriction order.
Students have installed a 3,000-square-foot green roof as part of a living laboratory for civil and environmental engineering classes. Research will be conducted on the differences between the native and non-native plants.
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Assessments & Ratings
The American Association of Community Colleges' Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) Center has presented five inaugural Green Genome Awards to exemplary community colleges nationwide that have taken a strategic leadership role in green economic and workforce development and sustainability. The winning colleges include Butte College (California), Central Carolina Community College (North Carolina), Delta College (Michigan), Hillsborough Community College (Florida) and West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
Coordination & Planning
The annual staff appreciation barbeque has achieved gold certification by the university’s Green Events program. Staff Council organizers implemented sustainable measures including the distribution of electronic agendas, encouraging the use of alternative transportation, avoiding Styrofoam with eco-friendly service ware, and enlisting the Green Team to inform attendees about sustainability and proper recycling practices.
The college’s new sustainability coordinator has announced plans for a yearlong comprehensive sustainability assessment of the campus. Following the completion of the assessment, open forums will be held to facilitate the creation of a sustainability plan.
Funding
The Syracuse Center of Excellence Center for Sustainable Community Solutions will use the $130,000 grant to award approximately 30 grants to schools and community organizations to support projects to reduce the run-off of polluted rainwater and promote municipal waste reduction, recycling and composting. The program is designed to improve connections between organizations and school districts, encourage development of community-based projects and provide career development for students.
In an effort to promote small sustainability projects on campus, the Green Fund Committee has set up a new mini-grants program intended to fund small-scale projects led by students and faculty. Each project has a funding cap of $1,500. The Green Fund Committee has allocated a total of $20,000 per fiscal year to be used for these projects.
See also: AASHE Resource: Student Fees for Sustainability
AASHE's latest Sustainability Across the Curriculum workshops are slated for Jan. 7-8, 2013 at Emory University (Georgia) and Jan. 14-15, 2013 at San Diego State University (California). These workshops are for faculty leaders of all disciplines who wish to develop curriculum change programs around sustainability on their campuses. Through an intensive two days of presentations, exercises, discussions, reflection and planning, participants will become familiar with the philosophy of change in higher education developed through the Ponderosa Project at Northern Arizona University and adapted at Emory in the Piedmont Project. The deadline to apply is October 29.
The STARS 2.0 Public Comment Period will take place from Monday, October 8 through Friday, November 30. Feedback may be submitted on behalf of an individual, institution, organization or business through the Public Comment Form on the STARS website.
As part of a new college outreach initiative, the Rainforest Alliance is hosting the 2012 “So Practical, It’s Radical” College Video Contest, which invites U.S. college students to submit a short video about what they are doing to make their campus more sustainable such as recycling programs, school gardens, sustainable food sourcing and more. The deadline to submit is October 28.
Oct. 24, 2012; Nationwide
Supported by multiple organizations including AASHE
Oct. 19-21, 2012; San Rafael, CA
As part of an alliance between AASHE and Bioneers’ Education for Action Program, groups of 6-10 AASHE-associated educators, students or allies will receive a group discount of $150 per person to attend the entire conference.
Nov. 7-8th, 2012; Decatur, GA
Host: Agnes Scott College
Oct. 23, 2012; 3:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Host: Johnson County Community College
| Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums Highlights |
Click on the titles below to view the full discussion thread.
I'm writing from NYU, where the administration is preparing to launch the use of rat poison to control a growing rat problem. We're hoping to find better, safer alternatives that have been used in the past - particularly in urban campuses. Any input?
In order to reach Colgate University's goal of carbon neutrality, undergraduate students are conducting a research project of waste management and recycling procedures at home athletic events. We plan to perform waste audits and potentially conduct a behavior study at hockey games in particular. Does anyone have any experience or insight in to developing an effective recycling plan for athletic games? Do you have any other general suggestions or tips for how we might perform this research?
Are any schools out there banking and/or selling carbon credits they are generating from energy efficiency improvements? I am getting a really hard push from a consultant who swears we have hundreds of millions of dollars laying around in potential carbon credit opportunities. However, I am skeptical since the carbon market in America is not very strong. Is anyone doing this?
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