Webinar: Incorporating Sustainability into the Curriculum

Tue, May 28, 2013 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CDT
Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/631415746

This webinar is for all educators who are considering sustainability and higher education curriculum. Maybe you are unsure of the benefits of including sustainability topics in courses. Or maybe you are planning to incorporate sustainability issues in the fall but aren’t sure how they will fit into your course themes.

AASHE has invited educators from Algonquin College (Canada), Luther College (Iowa), and Northern Arizona University to discuss how sustainability topics can be integrated into any type of course.  You will learn about the history of sustainability pedagogy and gain an understanding of best practices related to incorporating sustainability concepts into undergraduate and graduate level courses at your institution.

 

Survey of Green Initiatives Associated With College Varsity, Campus Recreation, and Club Sports Programs, Events, and Facilities

Along with AASHE, Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Sports Alliance and NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, the University of Arizona invites colleges and universities in the U.S. to take a survey regarding green sports initiatives on their campus. The 10-15 minute survey aims to determine which campus groups are primarily responsible for implementing green initiatives; understand how students and fans are involved in green initiatives, and promote successes. The deadline is May 31.

 

AASHE Sustainability Professionals’ Retreat

This workshop is designed to help sustainability staff and directors identify and engage their unique professional strengths to move their campus toward meaningful sustainability goals. Taking place July 15-17 in a small group setting at the Pendle Hill Retreat Center in Philadelphia, the workshop will provide participants with a customized Personal Leadership Plan that includes: a map that identifies allies, resources, assets and opportunities for sustainability leadership; planning and management tools to apply to daily work; and a clear set of professional outcomes moving forward. Only 30 spots are open and registration ends May 31.

 

McGill launches tool to make green building easier

Read the full story in the McGill Reporter.

McGill has launched an online tool to help in the selection of more environmentally friendly materials for new construction and renovation projects. The Material Analysis Tool (MAT) is an online ranking system that distills manufacturer information to assist users in the selection of building products that are healthy and environmentally responsible. Designed to help McGill staff and contractors, the MAT is also available to the public.

 

Webinar: Comparing Non-Traditional Water Treatment in Cooling Towers

May 28 at 12 P.M. CDT
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/133134529

Learn How New Cooling Tower Treatment Systems Can Save Water, Money and Support Climate Change Resilience

Sponsored by:

• Council on Environmental Quality
• Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
• GreenGov Initiative focused on Federal collaboration across the United States

Comparing Non-Traditional Water Treatment in Cooling Towers

 

Hear about how GSA, Region 8, and DOE/NREL are finding ways to dramatically reduce cooling tower water usage and treatment chemicals, which saves money and can support climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

 

Cooling towers, which are installed in many federal buildings, consume large amounts of potable water and contribute greatly to annual utility, maintenance and operation costs. Conventional cooling towers require that chemicals and fresh water is periodically added to the cooling tower system to prevent scale formulation, hinder biological growth, and inhibit corrosion in the chillers and piping systems. GSA and DOE/NREL analyzed several non-chemical cooling tower water treatment systems to identify systems that reduce building operation costs through reduced water and chemical use, and improved chiller energy efficiency.

 

Hear Their Story

 

GSA has a story to share on how new cooling tower treatment systems can help agencies save water and money, and support resiliency in drought-prone locations. Join us and hear this story.

 

What is a GreenGov Spotlight Community? 

When multiple federal partners located near each other work together to leverage regional resources and help achieve the goals of President Obama’s Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance.  Spotlight Communities help cut government costs, increase efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, leverage resources among different agencies, and show us what is possible when we work together.

 

A Wild New Way to Make Money Off of Urban Trees

Read the full story at Atlantic Cities.

Urban trees in the U.S. absorb 25.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and help lower energy costs by shading the asphalt and concrete jungle. The US Forest Service estimates all that carbon storage is worth $50.5 billion and growing by $2 billion a year, according to a new study from the agency.

That’s a lot of green. Just one problem—how do you profit from all that photosynthesis?

 

Campus survey promotes new Green Office Certification Program

The University of Toledo will use the results of a new Green Office Survey to determine which campus offices are conserving energy, recycling and reducing waste. Results from the survey will be used to create tiers for their Green Office Certification program, which will offer incentives to become eco-friendly.

 

University of Arizona Recognized in EPA’s First-Ever Campus RainWorks Challenge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the four winners of the Campus RainWorks Challenge, a new design challenge created to inspire the next generation of landscape architects, planners and engineers to develop innovative green infrastructure systems that reduce stormwater pollution and support sustainable communities. The University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., was named 2^nd place winner for large institutions.

The Campus RainWorks Challenge engages students and faculty members at colleges and universities to apply green infrastructure principles and design, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and increase the use of green infrastructure on campuses across the nation. Teams of undergraduate and graduate students, working with a faculty advisor, developed innovative green infrastructure designs for a site on their campus showing how managing stormwater at its source can benefit the campus community and the environment.

Stormwater is one of the most widespread challenges to water quality in the nation. Large volumes of stormwater pollute our nation’s streams, rivers and lakes, posing a threat to human health and the environment and contributing to downstream flooding.

The University of Arizona team’s design plan centers on the redevelopment of a 70,000-square-foot parking lot located within a cluster of academic buildings. The design will replace the parking lot with a campus common area featuring two rings of retention basins to infiltrate stormwater runoff, five underground cisterns to harvest runoff and HVAC condensate from the adjacent buildings, and a translucent shade structure with an ephemeral water feature. Water collected in the underground cisterns is used to irrigate the landscape, reducing potable water use from 700,000 to 90,000 gallons/year.

The other challenge winners were the University of Florida, Gainesville (1^st prize, large institution), the – Illinois Institute of Technology (1^st prize, small institution), and the Missouri University of Science and Technology (2^nd prize, small institution). Teams from Kansas State University, Columbia University, California State Polytechnic University, and University of Texas-Arlington were recognized as honorable mentions for their entries.

The challenge received submissions from 218 teams, which were reviewed by more than 30 expert judges from EPA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Water Environment Federation, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Many of the submissions proposed transformative additions to the campus landscape that would reduce stormwater impacts while educating students about the movement of water through the urban environment. The winning teams were selected based on six criteria: analysis and planning; preservation or restoration of natural features; integrated water management; soil and vegetation management; value to campus; and likelihood of implementation.

Green infrastructure helps communities to maintain healthy waters, support sustainable communities, and provide multiple environmental benefits. Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Example of effective green infrastructure include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems.

More information: http://www.epa.gov/campusrainworks

 

2012-2013 College and University Green Power Challenge

Throughout the 2012-13 academic year, EPA’s Green Power Partnership tracked the collegiate athletic conferences with the highest combined green power usage in the nation. The Green Power Challenge is open to all U.S. colleges, universities, and conferences. To join the Partnership, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/join/index.htm.

On April 17, 2013, EPA concluded the Green Power Challenge and recognized a Champion Green Power Conference as well as the largest single green power users within each participating conference as 2012-13 EPA Green Power Challenge conference champions. The Champion Green Power Conference and individual conference champions are listed here. To be listed, a conference must have at least one Green Power Partner and an aggregate green power purchase of at least 10,000,000 kWh across the conference.

The Big 10 Conference was the Collective Conference Champion. The Ohio State University was individual champion. 23.5% of Ohio State’s power comes from green power sources.

 

23 New England Colleges Join Effort to Reduce Food Waste

Twenty-three colleges and universities in New England have joined an EPA effort to cut the amount of food that goes to waste. This doubles the participation of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge in 2013, since eleven New England colleges and universities were already participating in the challenge. In 2011, these schools recovered a total of 4,538 tons of food.

The partnership, which was announced in honor of Earth Day, aims to reduce the 1.64 million tons of food wasted each year in the six New England states. EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge, encourages organizations to reduce, donate, and recycle as much of their excess food as possible, which saves money, feeds the needy, and helps protect the environment-the triple bottom line. By joining the Challenge, participating schools pledge to reduce food waste going to disposal on their campuses.

The colleges and universities who joined the program this year are:

Massachusetts
College of the Holy Cross, Worcester
Lesley University, Cambridge
Salem State University, Salem
Westfield State University, Westfield
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Boston College, Chestnut Hill
Worcester State University, Worcester
Tufts University, Medford
Assumption College, Worcester
Wellesley College, Wellesley
Bentley University, Waltham

Rhode Island
Johnson & Wales University, Providence
Roger Williams University, Bristol
University of Rhode Island, Kingston

Maine
University of Maine, Farmington
University of Maine, Orono
College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor

Vermont
Lyndon State College in Lyndon
Johnson State College, Johnson
Vermont Technical College, Randolph

New Hampshire
Plymouth State University, Plymouth

Connecticut
University of Connecticut, Storrs
Wesleyan University, Middletown

Sodexo, CompassUSA, Aramark dining hall operators also participate in the Food Recovery Challenge as dining hall contractors. The National Association of College and University Dining Services, who represents this food service industry, formally endorsed the Challenge as part of its sustainability mission. There is a growing recognition in the College and University Sector of the importance of sustainable food management.

The Food Recovery Network, a group of 19 colleges and universities that volunteer to recover surplus food from their campuses and donated to those in need, also formally endorsed EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge. The Network was started at the University of Maryland in 2011 and in 2012 became a not-for-profit. The organization recovered more than 130,000 pounds of food in its first year of operation, and continues to promote the connection between wasted food on college campuses and opportunities to aid in local hunger relief. More than 14 percent of households in the U.S. were food insecure, in 2009, meaning they did not know where their next meal would come from.

Food waste generated by local institutions, hospitals, colleges, universities and restaurants is often actually safe, wholesome food that could feed millions of Americans, according to both the US Department of Agriculture and EPA. EPA is working with institutions and hunger-relief organizations to increase food donations. Composting food waste also leads to important environmental outcomes. Composted food waste creates a valuable soil product that can be used to enhance the quality of soils.

Diverting food waste from landfills also reduces the generation of harmful gases that contribute to climate change. When food is disposed of in a landfill, it decomposes rapidly and become a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. After paper, food waste comprises the greatest volume of waste going into our nation’s landfills. In 2010, 34 million tons of food waste was generated but only 3 percent of this waste stream was diverted to composting.

The Food Recovery Challenge is part of the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, which seeks to reduce the environmental impact of food and other widely-used everyday items through their entire life cycle, including how they are extracted, manufactured, distributed, used, reused, recycled, and disposed.

More information:

• EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge: http://www.epa.gov/foodrecoverychallenge/
• EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/smm/index.htm