Connecting the Dots...By Anamarija Frankic Academia is slowly getting back into the driving seat to lead the sustainable development movement, together with local communities. This issue shares a number of good examples of this leadership globally, including the Big Y Foods at UMass Amherst, the LEED certified buildings at U of North Dakota and U Mass Medical School, new solar panel installations at Thomas College, Manipal U and Rajiv Gandhi Technical U, and U Nottingham’s new sustainable energy research facility.
Using academic facilities as “living labs” and “demos” for sustainable solutions is not just a need but a must in order to lead innovative education, and build the power of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). Campuses are becoming places where students, faculty, staff and the community can learn, teach, work and play together, and apply science in practical ways to address emerging and exacerbating environmental and social issues. Read more  | |
Education & Research
Curriculum
Co-Curricular Education & Student Organizing
Campus Operations
Buildings
Climate
Energy
Grounds
Transportation
Waste
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Assessments & Ratings
Funding
Public Engagement
New Resources
Jobs & Internships
Events
Education & Research
Curriculum
(Australia): The new bachelor’s degree program features three majors that aim to build capacity and encourage competence for sustainable development. Students will have the opportunity to choose a ‘sustainability core’ of subjects that demonstrate the theoretical, philosophical and practical attributes of sustainability, or a ‘disciplinary core’ comprising subjects from a disciplinary major.
See also: AASHE Resource: Baccalaureate Degree Programs in Sustainability
(U.S.): The university’s Costa Rica study abroad campus has announced a new Sustainability in Action semester leading to a sustainability certificate. The program includes an international field experience with coursework intended to directly feed into the University’s Local Food Systems, Environmental Ethics, Organic Agriculture and Sustainability certificate programs.
Co-Curricular Education & Student Organizing
(U.S.): The university’s Student Farm Enterprise class has partnered with Big Y Foods, a local supermarket, to sell locally grown produce. The partnership will allow students to learn how to manage their own farms and work with a mainstream retail market.
(U.S.): The university’s Sustainability Committee has asked students, faculty and staff to sign a pledge in an effort to encourage the campus community to think about the environmental impact of everyday decisions. Every month, one person who takes the pledge will be selected to receive a gift.
Campus Operations
Buildings
(U.S.): Designed to meet LEED Platinum requirements, the new center features solar photovoltaic panels, a geothermal system, native landscaping, and a designated room for the collection and storage of recyclables.
See also: AASHE Resources on Campus Green Buildings
(U.S.): The 253,000-square-foot facility features a white roof to diminish the heat island effect, low-flow plumbing fixtures and recycled construction materials.
(U.K.): The new Energy Technologies Building features laboratory space for low-carbon research, a demonstration roof for solar panels and a prototyping facility in which researchers will be able to create full-scale building exteriors to test their energy efficiency. A newly installed hydrogen vehicle refueling station will be used for a small fleet of hydrogen-powered cars that will run in connection with research based projects at the building.
Climate
(Egypt): The university has conducted a comprehensive study of its own impact on climate change. The report, prepared by the Desert Development Center and the Office of Sustainability, is the result of campus-wide efforts incorporating the work of faculty, students and staff. It identifies many strategies for reducing the university’s carbon footprint and energy expenditures.
Energy
(India): Thirty-nine solar water heater units have been installed to provide hot water to the university’s hostels, medical colleges, and hospital. The university has also announced plans to install solar panels alongside its coastal community.
(India): The university has announced plans to construct a power plant that will feature cross linear concentrated solar power as part of the Jawahar Lal National Solar Mission, an effort to produce 10,000 megawatts of solar thermal power by 2022. The 30-kilowatt plant will be used for air-conditioning on campus.
(U.S.): The college has announced a new partnership with ReVision Energy for a solar energy project. The 170-kilowatt, 700-panel solar photovoltaic array will be mounted on the athletic center and is expected to produce about 11 percent of the college’s energy needs. The project is being financed through a Power Purchase Agreement.
See also: AASHE Resource: Campus Solar Photovoltaic Installations
Grounds
(U.S.): A student-designed and installed garden has achieved certification by the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), a comprehensive national rating system for assessing the sustainability of built landscapes. The garden features healthy soils, recycled materials, and site-appropriate plants, and incorporates a design that promotes water conservation.
Transportation
(Thailand): The university has launched a Walk and Bike Society to help promote walking and the use of bicycles on campus.
(U.S.): To show support for the university’s sustainability efforts, the Unclassified Staff Senate has begun promoting ride sharing. Staff will be able to use a shared Zimbra to find others with corresponding campus commutes.
(Canada): The university has partnered with VRTUCAR to offer a new car sharing program that will provide the campus community with an alternative transportation option and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative will include one shared car and the car-sharing company will cover the cost of insurance, gas, maintenance and snow tires.
(U.S.): The do-it-yourself repair station is the first of three planned by the university’s Office of Parking and Transportation as part of a wider effort to accommodate increasing demand for bicycle services on campus. The station is equipped with screwdrivers, a tire pump and a reference code to access detailed repair instructions on Internet-enabled phones.
(U.S.): The university’s Alternative Transportation Program has implemented the Bicycle Ambassador Program in an effort to encourage safe, responsible bicycle usage among students and faculty. Student ambassadors volunteer their time each week in order to teach cyclists of all skill levels about appropriate bicycling behavior. The ambassadors plan to hold bicycle repair workshops and registration drives, and gather feedback regarding what students want out of biking services on campus.
Waste
(U.S.): The university has received a $10,000 grant that will go toward purchasing 1,000 recycling bins to boost recycling efforts during campus events. Campus Recycling also purchased a recycling dumpster to provide a convenient drop-off site for off-campus students.
Planning, Administration & Engagement
Assessments & Ratings
(Australia): Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS) has announced the winners of the 2012 Green Gown Awards Australasia. This year there were 6 categories of recognition in addition to the ACTS Award of Excellence which was won by the University of Tasmania. In each category, one winning institution and several “highly commended” institutions were recognized.
See also: Green Gown Awards Australasia Winner’s Brochure (pdf)
Funding
(U.S.): A $600,000 renewable energy grant has been awarded to help fund the institution’s wind turbine project that will meet 25 percent of the campus’s energy needs annually. The grant is one of three awarded to state community colleges through the Department of Energy Resources’ Leading by Example program.
(U.S.): The college has received a $25,000 Dominion Foundation Higher Education Partnership Grant to implement sustainability and green practices on campus. The grant will enable Student Environmental Sustainability Committees to implement features such as rain barrels, solar panels, motion detection lighting, recycling bins, and other projects identified by the students, faculty and staff. The students will also hold community events such as fluorescent bulb recycling, community shred events, and workshops.
(U.S.): The university has received a $50 million private donation to support energy efficiency research and engineering programs. About half the money will be used to construct a building to house the Institute for Energy Efficiency, an interdisciplinary research center.
Public Engagement
(U.S.): More than 2,500 volunteers from the university’s international community of students, alumni, faculty and staff led more than 150 service projects in 700 cities during the seventh annual Global Day of Service. Projects included the sustainability of a multigenerational neighborhood, health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; working in food banks; cleaning and cooking in Ronald McDonald Houses; holding drives to donate food, clothing, infant and maternity items and coats for veterans; and cleaning up roads, beaches and parks.
This compilation of Tweets, Facebook posts and images provides an overview of the AASHE 2012 experience through the lens of attendees and AASHE staff.
AASHE talks to Nurit Katz, University of California, Los Angeles's first Chief Sustainability Officer, to discuss her work on campus and involvement in the AASHE 2012 conference.
The latest issue of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.'s Sustainability: The Journal of Record features “Laura’s Lean Beef and Beyond: A Sustainable Ag Journey,” an editorial by Laura Freeman; “On the Record” with Jam Attari, general manager of AMSOLAR; and a program profile: “Sheridan College: Building Foundations for Sustainability through Creativity and Innovation,” among other articles.
Oct. 30, 2012; 2:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Host: AASHE
Oct. 24, 2012; Nationwide
Supported by multiple organizations including AASHE
Oct. 26, 2012; 11:00 a.m. Pacific; Online
Host: AASHE
Dec. 2 – 5, 2012; Amelia Island, FL
Co-produced by members of the Council for Higher Education Management Associations
Oct. 25, 2012; 1:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Host: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Nov. 7, 2012; 1:00 p.m. Eastern; Online
Host: Spheres of Influence
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