Green College Spotlight: University of New Hampshire

The University of New Hampshire is home to the oldest endowed sustainability program in higher education in the United States. Its sustainability efforts center around four key systems: the Biodiversity Education Initiative, the Climate Education Initiative, the Food & Society Initiative and the Culture & Sustainability Initiative. All four of these systems aim to unite the spirit of discovery with the challenge of sustainability.

UNH is a signatory of the Talloires Declaration, which commits the university to being world leaders in developing, creating, supporting and maintaining sustainability    . President Huddleston also signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. So far, UNH is going a great job lowering its carbon footprint – it fuels its cogeneration heat and power plant with landfill gas, significantly lowering energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Curious about all the different areas where sustainability has been implemented on campus? Check out UNH’s sustainability map, which is literally covered with little green dots indicating green projects and initiatives. You can click on each dot to learn more about each project, from transportation to the ‘Farm to School’ program. It really gives you an idea of just how serious the University of New Hampshire is about being green, helping to further the cause and spreading the message of sustainability to the community.

Some highlights of UNH’s sustainable efforts include its Climate Change Research Center, which studies the chemical and dynamic properties of the Earth’s atmosphere to better understand how our activities affect it as well as an Energy Task Force , made up of students, faculty and staff who guide UNH’s energy conservation and emissions reduction policies.

Students are heavily involved in sustainability at the University of New Hampshire. Among the student groups are ‘Ecological Advocates’, which promotes environmentally sustainable behaviors on campus. This group leads popular campaigns and competitions focused on waste reduction, recycling, food waste minimization, energy use, Earth Day and more.

The UNH campus is pedestrian- and bike-friendly, with a Cat Cycles bicycle program that allows students to sign out a bike and accessories for up to a week at a time. The campus itself is getting greener, too, having committed to seek LEED silver certification on all new construction projects.

Great job, UNH – we can’t wait to see all the new ways in which you continue to be a leader in college sustainability!

Link [UNH] + [Green College Report Card]

Green College Spotlight: Stanford University

Stanford is among the crème de la crème of American colleges and universities, with an incredibly impressive roster of scholars including 18 Nobel laureates, 4 Pulitzer prize winners and 21 recipients of the National Medal of Science. But, despite the praise heaped upon Stanford for its exceptional quality, this university doesn’t throw all of its efforts into academics. It apparently has plenty of energy left over to be a leader in sustainability, as well.

Granted an A- by the College Sustainability Report Card (the highest grade awarded), Stanford University excels in nearly every category rated from administration to transportation. 13 full-time employees are dedicated to sustainability, including those who work in the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management.

The university’s commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy consumption has produced some notable results. After energy-saving retrofits, the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment + Energy Building uses 56 percent less energy and 50 percent less total water than a similar building with traditional fixtures and systems, and that’s just one example. Stanford’s Energy Retrofit Program has saved over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993, and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Free public transit and train passes are available to students and employees, and the shuttle system on campus serves the campus and parts of the surrounding community. In the dining halls, students enjoy local grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs and milk from a local dairy as well as fresh produce from Stanford’s community farm. The university composts food waste and converts thousands of gallons of waste oil into biodiesel.

Stanford University has a lot to be proud of. Congratulations for all you’ve achieved – keep it up!

Link [Stanford University]

Green College Spotlight: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sustainability has quickly become a big priority and a major source of pride for students, faculty and staff. UNC-Chapel Hill is a ‘Campus Sustainability Leader’, meaning they scored among the top colleges and universities in the U.S. on the Green College Report Card.

UNC-Chapel Hill has launched a variety of sustainability initiatives in recent years, including making a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050 and enacting a number of campus-wide energy efficiency efforts. Recently, the university began generating renewable energy thanks to a push by environmentally conscious students.

Check out the cool interactive energy efficiency map at the UNC-Chapel Hill Sustainability website. It allows you to view where major energy efficiency features are located on campus, and click on them to learn more. They include a thermal storage tank, a cogeneration plant and buildings with major energy efficiency upgrades. Similar maps are available for water management, sustainable food and dining and green buildings.

Every single building project at UNC must meet LEED silver standards, requiring 31 of the LEED points as mandatory. There is one completed LEED building on campus – the NC Botanical Garden Education Center, which is striving for platinum – and five more in the planning stages. Green features proliferate on many other buildings including green roofs on the Carrington Hall addition and solar panels on the rooftop of the Morrison Residence Hall.

In the UNC-Chapel Hill dining facilities, students enjoy locally produced foods that come from 28 North Carolina producers. Dining services composts food waste from Lenoir Dining Hall, Rams Head Dining Hall and the Friday Center. Used frying oil goes to a local biofuel producer. 48% of campus waste is recycled.

Many of the university’s 28,000+ students get around on a fare-free bus service that provides over 6 million rides annually, and a car sharing service is available as well. Three hybrid vehicles are available for rent, and a community bike-loan program offers bike rentals for use both around campus and the city.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is setting a great example for other schools across the nation, and we can’t wait to see how far they come in 2009.

Link [UNC Chapel Hill]

College Students Demand Higher Tuition to Pay for Green Projects

When college students rally in support of tuition changes, they’re usually looking for lower fees. But a growing number of college students are actually asking to pay more, as long as that extra money goes toward green projects on campus. Green Inc. reports that ‘green fees’ are on the rise, helping colleges and universities achieve sustainability goals like LEED-certified campus buildings and solar panel arrays.

Among the schools currently charging mandatory student fees for the explicit purchase of green projects are Evergreen State College, the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, Northland College and Appalachian State University.

From Green Inc., via The Huffington Post:

Portland State University is currently voting on whether to establish this kind of fee.

In some states like Florida and Texas, students at public universities have been foiled in their efforts to impose green fees. That is because any fee increase must be approved by the state legislature. The back-and-forth process can easily take four years, according to Trevor Lovell of ReEnergize Texas, a youth coalition pushing for measures to address climate change — by which time the student body will have (hopefully) turned over.

A bill backed by ReEnergize Texas is working its way through the Texas state legislature that would allow university students to impose green fees more easily.

With fees as low as $3 per semester, it’s easy to see why students would support the increases. We’re not talking about hundreds of dollars, here. Sure, college students are poor, but skip a few trips to the residence hall vending machine or one Starbucks mocha and you’ve got the cash to contribute. Even one dollar per student, when multiplied by the number of students enrolled, can be a huge boost to important green projects on campus.

Link [Green Inc.] via [The Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Flickr user agfazzone

Green College Spotlight: Emory University

Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia stands among the nation’s top sustainable schools. This Campus Sustainability Leader has made going green a major priority – sustainability is a main component of the university’s strategic plan and mission, and Emory has a sustainability advisory committee that sets goals like reducing energy consumption.

Not only does the Emory University campus house more square feet of LEED-certified green building space than any other university in the nation, but it’s also made up of more than half protected forested greenspace. Emory has six buildings with LEED certifications, and another 11 that are LEED-registered. Among the green features in these buildings are dual-flush toilets that use collected rainwater. Two new freshman residence halls have rooftop solar arrays.

Faculty and staff at Emory enjoy free public transit passes, and the university also has a free shuttle bus that runs on alternative fuels. The Cliff shuttle system is one of the largest shuttle fleets in the Atlanta metro area. Discounts on bicycles and equipment are available through the Bike Emory program.

Emory University has set an ambitious goal to purchase 75% of their food from local or sustainable sources by 2015, and they’re already making great progress. A dining sustainability director, sustainable food educator and farmer liaison help steer food purchasing decisions and early last year, the Sustainability Committee developed sustainability guidelines for food service purchasing.

Students, faculty and staff all lend a hand in making Emory a greener university. Sustainability is integrated into orientation for all first-year students and the university sponsors energy efficiency competitions. Faculty and staff also submit green ideas for the Sustainability Incentive Awards.

Emory University is also notably home to the Piedmont Project, a curriculum development project that seeks to build an intellectual community to address global issues and local environmental awareness. It’s the longest-running faculty development program in sustainability in the country.

Link [Emory University]

Green College Spotlight: Arizona State University at Tempe

Arizona State University at Tempe is one of the nation’s greenest colleges, gaining a lot of ground since just last year. ASU has been working really hard to green up their campus and get students involved, and all their hard work has paid off – they’re on the ‘Green Honor Roll’ for their B+ grade on the College Sustainability Report Card.

ASU’s President, Dr. Michael Crow, didn’t just sign the Presidents Climate Commitment – he co-founded it. With that kind of initiative in the school’s leader, it’s only natural that ASU has become such a green college rock star.  As part of their commitment to climate neutrality, ASU recently completed the ASU Energy Conservation Project, which retrofitted nearly 80 campus buildings to increase efficiency, reducing annual carbon emissions by 70 million pounds. ASU is also installing solar panels on the roofs of Tempe campus buildings, and will soon install even more on the West campus.

All new buildings at ASU must meet LEED silver certification, and the university already has a whopping 11 LEED-certified buildings including four Gold and one Platinum. The university’s green purchasing policy means that only green cleaning products are used and Energy Star and recycled products are preferred. In the dining hall, you’ll find fresh, local food from 35 local growers and producers and from gardens on campus. ASU also has its own eco-conscious restaurant, Engrained, which features local, organic, seasonal and humanely treated ingredients on its menu.

Students, faculty and staff get around on an inter-campus shuttle, or on bicycles – ASU student government sponsors a half-price bike co-op and a bike-share program. ASU’s fleet will soon be run on alternative fuels, including two solar powered carts.

Arizona State University students are as dedicated to the green cause as the university’s leadership. ASU has seven sustainability-related organizations including a vegetarian/vegan group, and students frequently participate in recycling drives, energy efficiency competitions and other eco-friendly initatives.

ASU even teamed up with environmental site Grist.org to provide students, faculty and staff with the latest environmental news, commentary and advice through a biweekly email. The email newsletter includes not just the latest green headlines, but also news relating to ASU’s local area and coverage of issues relating to the university.

Of course, ASU is probably best known for its world-renowned Global School of Sustainability, which offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees that prepare students to become the green leaders of the future.

For the latest news on green goings-on at Arizona State University, check out ASU News.

Link [Arizona State University]

Green College Spotlight: Yale University

Yale University is one of America’s best-known institutes of higher learning, but did you know it’s also a leader in campus sustainability? Yale is among just a handful of colleges and universities that have really proven their dedication to going green, with impressive achievements in virtually every area of sustainability on campus.

Yale signed the G8 University Summit Sapporo Sustainability Declaration, and employs four full-time staff in its Office of Sustainability. The university committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and has already made quite a bit of headway, reducing emissions by 11 percent in just two years. 25% of the Environmental Science Center’s energy needs are provided by a 250-kilowatt high-efficiency fuel cell. Yale also has its own $100 million co-generation facility which has increased fuel efficiency from 35% to 60-65%.

A big part of Yale’s success with lowering their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is due to changing the habits of students, faculty and staff as well as improving energy efficiency in all of its buildings. Residential energy use contests encourage students to cut back energy use as much as possible, while retrofits in Yale buildings have also had a considerable impact. All new construction projects at Yale will have to meet LEED silver certification, and the school currently has one each of Silver-, Gold- and Platinum-certified buildings.

Students at Yale definitely don’t need to bring vehicles on campus, since there are so many green transportation options. A free shuttle service will get them into town, plus there’s a commercial car-sharing service and a departmental bike program. Yale’s fleet includes seven hybrids and five electric vehicles.

Recycling is one area where Yale definitely shines. The university began recycling efforts 39 years ago, on Earth Day 1970. Recycling contests encourage mindful waste management, and Yale also has a comprehensive desk-side recycling program as well as an e-waste program. In the dining hall, where a large percentage of the food is locally grown and organic, food waste is composted and biodegradable take-out containers are available.

Student involvement in sustainability at Yale is sky-high. There are a number of green student groups on campus, and students are employed by the Office of Sustainability, the Yale Sustainable Food Project and the recycling department.

Yale has set some ambitious goals, and there’s no doubt that they’ll continue to make amazing progress toward becoming a fantastic example for colleges and universities around the world.

Link [Yale University]

Green College Spotlight: Berea College

Berea College has been celebrated as one of America’s Greenest Colleges by The Daily Green, most notably for the college’s impressive EcoVillage residential complex. But, cool as the EcoVillage is, Berea’s sustainability initiatives go far beyond that. This small private college in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains of Berea, Kentucky has spent the last dozen years implementing green practices into daily life on campus.

President Larry D. Shin has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, vowing to work toward carbon neutrality on campus. Thirteen full-time employees work on Berea’s sustainability initiatives – a big number for a college with just over 1,500 students. So far, Berea’s efforts in energy and climate have paid off. They set an admirably ambitious goal to cut emissions 65 percent by 2015 and recently upgraded its heating plant from coal to natural gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions dramatically.

Among Berea’s fleet of vehicles are 3 hybrids and 13 small electric carts. Berea operates a 12-passenger van so students, who are discouraged from bringing cars on campus, can get from the college to local towns. Priority parking is given to carpoolers, and a student-run program called Berea Bikes fixes, rents and builds bicycles for students, faculty and staff to use.

Then, of course, there’s the college’s green crown jewel: The EcoVillage. This eco-friendly complex of 50 townhouse apartments and other buildings houses more than 120 people in sustainable style. EcoVillage has set a goal to reduce water use by 75 percent and waste by 50 percent. It features eco-friendly appliances, heavy insulation, solar panels, wind power, rainwater collectors and more. Within the complex is the partial straw-bale SENS (Sustainable and Environmental Studies) House, which acts as both a residence and learning facility for four students as well as a classroom for the rest of the college community. Students living in the EcoVillage enjoy a free car-sharing program.

Berea College runs its own campus farm, which provides the school with organic produce, beef and pork. Berea also purchases food from local sources including nine farms and two co-ops through a collaboration between dining services and the Local Food Initiative. Berea serves a number of fair trade products including coffee, and 90 percent of food waste is composted at the campus farm.

As you can see in the video above, students at Berea College are pumped about sustainability, and that’s incredibly important. Students can participate in the ‘Helping the Earth and Learning’ organization as well as a number of sustainability-related work study opportunities.

Great work, Berea!

Link [Berea College]

Green College Spotlight: Syracuse University

Add Syracuse University to the ever-growing list of Northeastern colleges and universities pushing their green efforts further than ever before. Syracuse has really stepped up their efforts in the past year, earning a B- on the College Sustainability Report Card and adding many projects to their list of eco-achievements.

Chancellor Cantor signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, promising to work toward becoming climate-neutral. A University Sustainability Action Coalition, which includes students, faculty and staff, addresses sustainability issues like transportation, green purchasing and recycling. SU also has four full-time employees working in the sustainability division.

Twenty percent of SU’s energy is purchased from renewable sources, including wind and low-impact hydro power. Syracuse University is also an active member of the Green Power Partnership’s Leadership Club and was recognized as the Big East Conference Champion for the 2006-2007 College & University Green Power Challenge.

Syracuse University has pledged to meet LEED criteria for all new buildings, additions or renovations over $10 million. The university is currently seeking LEED-EB certification on 16 buildings and has four projects currently underway that are expected to receive LEED silver and platinum certification.

Carpoolers at SU get preferred parking, and the university recently launched a car sharing program. Students can also ride regional transit buses for free in addition to campus buses, and the public safety department uses bicycles and hybrid vehicles.

In the dining hall, students will find locally-sourced produce and dairy as well as organic items. Reusable food and beverage take-out containers are provided, and all post-consumer waste is composted. Kitchen fryer oil is also converted to biodiesel. In addition, SU operates a weekly farmer’s market on campus so students, faculty and staff can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

We would love to see Syracuse University students get more involved in sustainability efforts on campus and in the community. There’s a chapter of the Student Environmental Action Coalition at SU, but there is plenty of room for more green clubs. Residence hall energy and recycling contests are a fun way to green up the university, so hopefully SU will plan more in the future.

Great job, Syracuse University – keep up the good work and don’t stop the momentum you’ve been building!

Link [Syracuse University] + [Green College Report Card]

Green College Spotlight: University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado at Boulder has one of the top environmental studies programs in the country, and it’s also one of America’s greenest schools. One of few schools to achieve an A- on the College Sustainability Report Card (the highest grade given for 2009), The University of Colorado acts as a shining example of how sustainability should be integrated into curricula, campus operations and community outreach.

CU Boulder had a head start on going green: sustainability has been a priority for over three decades. Over a decade ago, in 1997, CU signed the Talloires Declaration committing itself to setting an example of environmental responsibility in teaching, research and operations – and they’ve done just that. Chancellor Peterson also signed the Presidents Climate Commitment, declaring that CU Boulder would become carbon neutral by the year 2020.

Among the efforts CU Boulder has put in place to meet that ambitious goal are the Buff Energy Star Program – which is a comprehensive competition among campus buildings to save energy and reduce waste – and a 1.5 megawatt solar array. About 10% of the university’s energy use has been offset by wind credits and local offsets since 2000.
Four of the buildings on the stunningly beautiful CU Boulder campus are LEED-certified, and the university has committed to achieving LEED status for all future construction projects. And, in fact, it was CU Boulder students who pushed for the first LEED building, the ATLAS building, to be built in 2007. Students are heavily involved in CU Boulder green initiatives, with more than 60 employed as Eco-Leaders and hundreds involved in sustainability-related student organizations.

Students get around campus on a free bus service, car sharing programs, a ride board, a carpool network and a bike rental program. The university also encourages students to go green in the dining facilities by providing each incoming freshman with a reusable shopping bag and an EcoMug. University dining facilities offer a number of local, natural and organic options and buy from five to eight local producers. A comprehensive recycling program is in place, and the university often competes in campus-wide and national recycling competitions.

As green as the University of Colorado at Boulder is, they’re not done. This College Sustainability Leader will continue to push toward excellence and we’re excited to see what they’ll do next. Maybe an A+ next year?

Link [University of Colorado at Boulder] + [Green Report Card]

Green College Spotlight: George Mason University

George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia has committed itself to integrating sustainability to as many aspects of campus operations as possible, and they’ve come a long way in the past five years. While the university doesn’t have many formal sustainability policies in place, they’ve shown quite a bit of initiative, particularly in the area of student involvement.

President Merten signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, committing George Mason University to working toward becoming carbon neutral. George Mason feels that, as one of the largest organizations in Northern Virginia, they have a responsibility to promote their own sustainable practices – not only for the benefit of their own university, but for surrounding communities, the region, the country and the world.

From President Merten’s statement on sustainability:

In pursuit of climate neutrality and organizational sustainability, Mason has appointed a Sustainability Coordinator who is responsible for assisting the university with defining and meeting its climate commitment and sustainability goals. Through a cross-functional Sustainability Council and Working Groups, we will work with all university constituents – students, faculty, and staff – and community members to promote and enable actions to reduce our impact on our local and global communities and ecosystems.

At Mason, we are committed to meeting the challenge of local and global stewardship. We see a sustainable and fruitful future for Mason as a climate-neutral and low-ecological-impact organization, but the entire community must commit.

The University is is saving more than $1 million every year in utility costs with the help of an energy-efficiency contract with Siemens Building Technologies initiated in 2004. A climate action plan is currently underway, and the campus community is deeply involved in identifying the ways in which George Mason can further reduce their emissions.

George Mason currently requires all new buildings to be designed and built to meet a minimum of LEED Silver standard, and all new office and industrial equipment purchased must be Energy Star rated, where available. Staff and faculty commuters receive commuter benefits for taking public transportation, all local bus service is free to Mason ID holders and a number of electronic courses are available so students can reduce fuel consumption and pollution.

By far, the most impressive aspect of George Mason’s sustainability efforts thus far is its student, faculty and staff participation in green efforts. Several hundred members of the George Mason community have volunteered to assist in university sustainability efforts by educating others about how they can reduce their own energy use and greenhouse gas emissions as part of the ‘Climate Champions’ program.

George Mason is also currently in the lead in the America’s Greenest Campus competition, having gathered nearly 800 participants and reduced their overall CO2 footprint by 2.77%. Other colleges and universities have a long way to go to catch up with them.

George Mason University may still be in the midst of making the kinds of changes other colleges and universities across the country have made in the name of the earth, but we’re willing to bet that they’ll soon be among the greenest of the green.

Link [George Mason Sustainability]

Is Your School America’s Greenest Campus?

Does your college or university have what it takes to be named America’s Greenest Campus? Non-profit organization SmartPower is challenging college students across the country to reduce the carbon footprints of their students, faculty and staff – and the winners will receive up to $20,000 to further green their campuses.

From Climate Culture:

Think your school is green? Well, now it’s time to walk the walk! You have until October 5 to get as many people affiliated with your school to reduce their carbon footprints as much as they can!

We’ll keep track of the number of people participating on your campus and how much they reduce in the leaderboard below. We’ll announce the two winners – the school with the most participants and the school with the most carbon reductions per participant – in October. Winning schools will be eligible for some awesome prizes!

* $5,000 to the school with the most participants (students, alumni, faculty, staff)
* $5,000 to the school with the largest percentage of carbon emissions reduced
* $10,000 to the winner of the SmartPower Energy Smart Ad Challenge

So far, George Mason University is in the lead, with the University of Maryland at College Park close behind – but you’ve still got plenty of time to catch up! Check out the America’s Greenest Campus website to sign up and get more details, and score footprint-reducing tips at ClimateCulture.com.

Link [Climate Culture] + [America’s Greenest Campus]

Green College Spotlight: Macquarie University

Here at EarthFirst we have covered dozens of sustainable-minded colleges and universities across Canada and the United States, but this week’s green college spotlight is a first: we’re headed all the way across the Pacific Ocean to highlight Sydney, Australia’s Macquarie University.

Macquarie University has dedicated itself to being ecologically sound, and spreading the message of sustainability across the campus and into the community. Macquarie functions as a sustainable community itself, serving as a model example for responsible consumption of water, energy, food, products and transport.

The university engages students and staff in a number of ways, including the Macquarie Enviro Collective, a group of students for sustainability who undertake educational campaigns and participate in Macquarie University committees like the Sustainability Working Group and the Sustainability Action Groups. The university’s Bike Club helps students find ‘bike buddies’ who help new riders gain confidence in traffic and learn the best ways to get around campus. Students also take part in bushwalks to experience Australia’s unique environment firsthand, and tend an organic community garden that serves as a learning opportunity and a source of chemical-free food.

Macquarie has committed to purchasing green power, with an additional purchase of 5%, which will increase by 1% annually. Macquarie University currently uses cogeneration and geothermal technology to supply energy for various areas on campus and is actively working toward lowering its carbon footprint through energy conservation efforts. As a large university with over 20,000 students, water and energy consumption is still high, but Macquarie is taking important steps to address these issues, including the implementation of innovative water-saving technology.

One of Macquarie’s most prominent green features is its large areas of natural space. The university grounds contain a number of threatened ecological vegetation communities, which are being managed responsibly to preserve them for future generations. It’s part of Macquarie’s dedication to biodiversity, which includes a Biodiversity Action Group that helps ensure that self-sustaining natural systems are maintained on campus.

Macquarie University has also infused sustainability into its ‘Learning and Teaching Plan’.  It’s now a guiding principle within which the curriculum is developed. Macquarie hopes to send graduates forth into the world who are socially and environmentally active and responsible, engaged and ethical local and global citizens who are capable of professional and personal judgment and initiative.

EarthFirst will be highlighting more international universities in the coming weeks. If you’d like to nominate a college or university for our Green College Spotlight, please contact us!

Link [Macquarie University]

Green College Spotlight: Amherst College

New England is home to a lot of impressively green colleges and universities. That makes for some healthy competition between schools, which we love, because it gets everybody fired up to do everything they can to improve. One example of a college that has been working hard at sustainability – and making tons of awesome achievements – is Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Amherst College has committed itself deeply to sustainability, viewing it as a core principle to guide its operations. They conserve and support sustainable use of natural resources through their policies, programs and practices, setting an example for responsible environmental stewardship. Amherst has a Green Campus Advisory Committee made up of mostly students, faculty and staff that helps identify areas where they can improve and plan ways to get it done.

Many of Amherst’s green programs and projects were started in 2008, so they’ve made lots of progress in a fairly short time. ABC covered some of the most notable ones last September, including the creation of a new cogen plant which captures heat and turns it into steam energy to cook, cool and heat.

From ABC:

“Using the fuel twice, once to spin the turbine to generate electricity, and then the waste heat from that to boil water for steam, is a very efficent way of using that energy of fuel,” explained Aaron Hayden, the campus Utilities Manager.

“We feel it’s very important for us to lead by example,” said Director of Facilities Jim Brassord. “When perspective students are looking at schools, I think they look to our lead and that we’re good global citizens.”

Amherst also purchases enough renewable energy credits to offset the emissions from student computer use, and some facilities have solar hot water systems. The Mayo-Smith House, a residence hall, gets 60% of its hot water heat from solar panels perched on the roof. And this is one school that isn’t trying to get brownie points by creating new LEED facilities: they go the even greener route, by adapting older existing buildings to comply with their High Performance Building Guidelines, which highly value energy efficiency and sustainability.

Locally grown products are a big attraction in the campus dining facilities, with about 10% of dining services food purchases, which include chicken, eggs, honey, and fresh produce, coming from local vendors. A comprehensive composting program ensures that nothing goes to waste, and all to-go materials are biodegradable. Amherst’s recycling program is also impressive, processing most materials including electronic waste.

Students, faculty and staff can get around on free buses and through car-share programs. The school has three hybrid vehicles in its fleet and all heavy trucks, ground vehicles and delivery trucks use biodiesel. Campus police use bikes and a zero-emissions vehicle.

Of course, there’s much more to Amherst’s green efforts. Check it all out at the Green Amherst website!

Link [Amherst College]

Green College Spotlight: University of Maryland

The University of Maryland is among the many colleges and universities that have really ramped up their sustainability efforts in the past year, earning a full letter grade higher on The College Sustainability Report Card in 2009 than they did in 2008. UM gives students the chance to address environmental challenges through coursework, research and community involvement – and they’re cleaning up their own campus, too.

President Mote signed the Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007, and UM has established a University Strategic Plan that has woven sustainability into the mission of the University. UM is striving to become a “national model for a Green university”, and they’re doing it by identifying areas where they can improve and taking swift action.

UM’s heat and power are provided by an Energy Star cogeneration plant, and the university has also made a number of efficiency upgrades. A thermal energy system cools water at night and stores it for daytime cooling of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Stamp Student Union and Riggs Alumni Center. Carbon dioxide monitors have been installed to ventilate buildings only when necessary.

The University of Maryland is pushing forward on green building, promising to meet at least LEED silver certification for all new construction projects and major renovations.  The Camille Kendall Academic Center, built in 2007, was the first University System of Maryland building to achieve LEED gold and the UM campus itself will soon get its own LEED-rated building, Knight Hall.

In the dining hall, locally grown food is in and non-biodegradable disposables are out. Polystyrene foam containers have been replaced with products that will break down, and bottled water is no longer sold – students can refill reusable containers at triple-filtered water stations. All pre- and post-consumer waste is composted, and the recycling program diverts more than 50 percent of the waste stream.

When it comes to getting around campus, individual vehicles are largely unnecessary as UM provides biodiesel-fueled shuttle buses. The ZipCar program also allows students, faculty and staff without parking permits to borrow vehicles for free when they need to run errands and other tasks. For those who must bring their own cars, the Department of Transportation Services offers “Green Permits” at a 20 percent discount to people who commute to campus in cars that meet EPA’s Green Vehicle Standard.

One of the University of Maryland’s strongest points is student involvement in green programs and initiatives. UM students overwhelmingly voted in favor of increasing student fees by $12 per year in order to fund the purchase of clean energy in 2007. PowerShift 2007 hosted over 6,000 student participants here, and Student Sustainability Advisors have begun presenting lessons to sections of the freshman seminar class.

With so many colleges and universities putting an emphasis on sustainability, competition to be among the greenest colleges in the U.S. is definitely intensifying. It’s gonna get tougher and that means everybody’s gonna have to work harder at being the greenest – great news for the planet and the future of environmental activism!

Link [University of Maryland] + [Green College Report Card]

Becoming Tomorrow’s Green Leaders: Top Environmental Undergrad Programs

Inevitably, somewhere around your junior year in high school, you start facing that all-important question: what do you want to do with your life? After all, your career choice will likely have a big influence on which college or university you choose to attend – and though it may seem like you’ve got ages before you’re going to graduate and finally set out on your own, it’s coming up faster than you think.

If you’re considering pursuing a career related to the environment, you’re in luck, because there are lots of great environmental undergraduate programs to choose from all over North America. Agricultural science, conservation biology, ecological design, environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental law and sustainable development are just a few of the undergrad majors available.

You’re also in good company. The New York Times reported in January that students are flocking to environmental programs in record numbers, inspired both by their own growing desire to protect and preserve the environment as well as the rosy projections about the future availability of green jobs. As these programs become more popular, more and more schools are starting to offer them and take a hard look at how sustainability can be incorporated into the programs that are already in place.

It’s no surprise that the colleges and universities with the best environmental programs are also among North America’s greenest. We’ve featured many of these schools on our weekly Green College Spotlight, honoring all of the steps they’ve taken to infuse sustainability into all aspects of campus operations. Here are some of North America’s top colleges and universities with stellar environmental programs, in no particular order.

Middlebury College

Middlebury College, well known for its vibrant and diverse student body, has been named among America’s greenest schools by Forbes, Grist, Alternet and The Daily Green and was one of just 6 colleges to receive a grade of ‘A-‘ on the College Sustainability Report Card in 2008.

Middlebury established its Environmental Studies major in 1965, making it the first of its kind in the nation. The ES program is an interdisciplinary, nondepartmental major. Environmental Studies is one of Middlebury College’s most popular academic programs. Students get to experience hands-on training in top-notch science facilities. The departments are small, so you get plenty of one-on-one time with professors.

Highly selective, this Vermont college is ranked #5 among liberal arts colleges in the nation by US News & World Report.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Private
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 20.6%,
2008-2009 Tuition: $49,210
Setting: Rural
Total # of Undergraduates: 2500

University of Oregon

Located in the beautiful “Emerald City” of Eugene, The University of Oregon offers an interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program that provides students with opportunities to work alongside world-class scholars and researchers and gain hands-on experience relevant to a number of fields. Undergraduate alumni from this program have gone on to hold positions in environmental planning, environmental education, green investment planning, wildlife biology and many other fields.

The Environmental Studies Program offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Environmental Studies (ENVS) or Environmental Science (ESCI). A minor is offered in Environmental Studies. Some of the courses offered include Avian Conservation, Wetland Ecology and Management, Political Ecology and Environmental Leadership.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Public
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 86.9%
Tuition for 2008-2009: $6,291 in-state, $19,428 out-of-state
Setting: Urban
Total # of Undergraduates: 16,674

College of the Atlantic

Maine’s College of the Atlantic has been called the greenest in the world for its strong achievements in sustainability. It’s also one of the most unique: students design their own majors. There’s no defined list of majors or even departments. COA takes a holistic approach to learning, requiring every student to engineer their own education. Environmental and social problems are at the heart of COA curriculum.

The College of the Atlantic simply calls its academic program ‘Human Ecology’ and asks students to learn creativity, critical thinking, community engagement, communication, integrative thinking and interdisciplinarity. Environmental sciences is one of COA’s ‘Resource Areas’, with Field Ecology & Conservation Biology, Ecological Policy and Planning and Marine Studies among its six loosely defined ‘focus areas’.

The college’s location, adjacent to the Gulf of Maine and Acadia National Park, provides a rich setting for field research. Students don’t have to wait years to get out in the field – they often begin fieldwork in their first term.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Private
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 77%
2008-2009 Tuition: $31,470
Setting: Rural
Total # of Undergraduates: 341

Warren Wilson College

Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina offers an Environmental Studies program that gives students a balance of theory, first-hand knowledge and field experience with six concentrations available: Conservation Biology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Education, Sustainable Forestry, Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Policy. The standard degree in Environmental Studies is Bachelor of Arts, but Bachelor of Science can be earned as an alternative.

Warren Wilson has been named the greenest college in the southeast and has made a number of ‘top 10 greenest colleges’ lists. This college puts an emphasis on learning outside the box, with opportunities to get hands-on experience on its 300-acre working farm and 600-acre forest, which operate as research laboratories for sustainable practices.

Sustainability plays a big role at Warren Wilson. The college has a number of environmental student organizations and initiatives, and is also home to an Environmental Leadership Center, which aims to raise awareness of local, national and global environmental realities and to inspire caring citizens to reflect, to communicate and to act as responsible caretakers of the earth.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Private
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 80.6%
2008-2009 Tuition: $22,666
Setting: Rural
Total # of Undergraduates: 873

Northland College

Northland College of Ashland, Wisconsin offers three environment-related majors: Environmental Sciences, Natural Resources and Nature and Culture. Focus areas include environmental geosciences, biology, ecological restoration and environmental humanities. But even if you don’t choose one of these majors, your course studies at Northland will be heavily influenced by sustainability. For example, you might take an art class that uses entirely environmentally-friendly materials. That’s what Northland is all about: liberal arts with an emphasis on the environment.

Sustainability is woven into the fabric of Northland College. Students can join environmental organizations like Environmental Council, which works to further the college’s environmental dedication, or Green Fire, which focuses on increasing the health of the Chequamegon bioregion. In the lush environment of the Lake Superior watershed, students are inspired to learn more about the environment and how they can help preserve it.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Private
Fall 2007 acceptance rate: 71%
2008-2009 Tuition: $23,101.
Setting: Rural
Total # of Undergraduates: 676

SUNY-ESF

The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry offers students a vast selection of undergraduate majors including aquatic and fisheries science, biotechnology, conservation biology, environmental biology, environmental studies and wildlife science. With so many programs of study available and a focus on the environment, SUNY-ESF draws students to Syracuse, New York from all over the world.

Students at SUNY-ESF get hands-on experience in diverse ecosystems such as the Great Lakes, the Adirondack Mountains, the Finger Lakes and the urban environment of Syracuse. The university features a state-of-the-art green building and laboratory, the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems, as well as other outstanding research facilities. Students with environmental interests get the opportunity to work with leaders in such fields as ecology, environmental chemistry and natural resource management among many others.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Private
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 50.8%
2008-2009 Tuition: $5,136 in-state, $11,396 out-of-state
Setting: Urban
Total # of Undergraduates: 1545

University of Colorado at Boulder

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder emphasizes the interconnections of environmental science and decision-making, drawing from curricula in the earth and natural sciences as well as the social sciences. The program’s purpose is to train students in the cause, scale and remediation strategies of the major environmental problems in the U.S. and the world.

Students get to take classes in a wide range of disciplines, allowing for a well-rounded education that stresses the connection between environmental issues and virtually every other aspect of the world. Courses are intensive and thorough, exploring each subject in a depth that helps transform students into the environmental experts of the future.

The internship program at the University of Colorado at Boulder allows students to learn in the field and is sponsored by the Sierra Club, the Center for Resource Conservation and Eco-Cycle, among other companies and organizations. Students also get hands-on experience during field work at the school’s various research facilities, including the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research and the Mountain Research Station.

U.S. News & World Report Stats:
Public
Fall 2007 Acceptance Rate: 81.5%
2008-2009 Tuition: $7,278 in-state, $24,936 out-of-state
Setting: Urban
Total # of Undergraduates: 26,155

Of course, this is by no means a comprehensive list. North America is brimming with great environmental undergraduate programs and they’re growing every year. When seeking out the college or university that’s best for your needs, there are a lot of considerations to keep in mind including selectivity, cost and location. Start your search at EnviroEducation.com, where you can enter in your state and the subject you desire to study and get a list of matching schools along with links to their respective websites.

Green College Spotlight: Williams College

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts is ramping up their efforts to be environmentally responsible, putting lots of new sustainability projects in place and challenging students, faculty and staff to reduce their energy consumption and help the entire campus go green. Williams College committed itself to sustainability in 2007, announcing a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

So far, they’re doing pretty well. The college’s emissions for 2007-2008 were 23% below 2006, thanks to efforts like switching to a hydro-generated electricity provider and conducting energy efficiency improvements in the central heating plant. Williams College has also installed a new solar hot water system on Fort Hoosac, a dormitory that houses 13 graduate students from the History of Art program. Solar panels are also in place at the Morley Science Center and the Library Offsite Shelving Facility.

Williams College has been lauded for their food and waste management efforts in particular, thanks to their emphasis on local, organic food and a comprehensive recycling program. The college spends about 12 percent of their annual food budget on products from local farms, including grass-fed beef and organic produce. They serve fair-trade coffee, use reusable dishware for outdoor picnics and offer only biodegradable to-go containers. The college composts food waste and keeps 20% of its waste stream from heading to the landfill.

LEED certification is being sought for all of Williams College’s current construction projects. When renovating and retrofitting buildings on campus, Williams College has incorporated green building practices.

Students are heavily involved in all sustainability efforts at Williams. Sustainability is built right into the student orientation, and and Zilkha Center hires Eco-Reps during the school year to work on green projects. Students also engage in dorm energy competitions.

On December 24th, 2008, Williams College began an experiment called ‘The Great Shutdown of ‘09’ to see how much money and energy they could save by turning off equipment and lowering the thermostat in campus buildings while students were away for the holidays. The results were quite impressive: they saved nearly $90,000 and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 287 metric tons, over 1% of their annual total.

All of these efforts earned Williams College a B+ on the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card. We’d like to see Williams College push that score up to an A for 2010 by focusing on their one weakness: transportation. Let’s get some more green transit programs in place, and you’ll really be getting somewhere!  Thanks, Williams College, for all your hard work – it’s clearly paying off.

Link [Williams College]

Green College Spotlight: University of Vermont

The University of Vermont is located on a 451-acre campus in Burlington, which includes the historic University Green and the Dudley H. Davis Center, which was the first student center in the nation to receive LEED gold certification. This public research university, which has an enrollment of just over 10,000, is currently developing a proposal for the Lewis Foundation to transform the University into “a driving force that leads society by design to a sustainable and desirable future.”

UVM, as it’s often referred to by the abbreviation of its Latin name Universitas Viridis Montis, has an active environmental council and employs several full-time sustainability staff members including an environmental coordinator and a green building coordinator. President Fogel signed the Presidents Climate Commitment and in 2008, the President’s Commission on Sustainability was created to support the university’s efforts in sustainability. The University’s recent accomplishments earned it an A- on the 2009 College Sustainability Report Card.

UVM is committed to green building. President Fogel signed a green building policy in 2005 that requires all new buildings to be certified LEED silver or higher. The university has also implemented several measures to improve energy efficiency in existing buildings. Staff have been tracking emissions since 2002, and a clean energy fund financed by student fees uses $200,000 annually to fund renewable energy projects recommended by a committee made up mostly of students.

The University of Vermont is a member of the Farm-to-College program and the Vermont Fresh network. UVM purchases 30% of its food from Vermont-based companies and diverts about 35% of its solid waste through a recycling and composting program. Dining services offers biodegradable to-go packaging and turns kitchen waste into biofuel. A student-run farm grows organic produce both for the dining hall and for research, a local CSA and donating food for hunger relief.

UVM’s six shuttles run on biodiesel or compressed natural gas and several fleet vehicles are electric or hybrid. Students, faculty and staff at UVM are also encouraged to use public transit through a commuter incentive program that provides free bus passes. The UVM campus is also bike- and pedestrian-friendly.

Student involvement in sustainability iniatives and programs at UVM is also impressive. The Eco-Reps program employes more than 30 students to promote environmental stewardship on campus, and there are several student organizations that focus on sustainability. Students have driven some of the most successful green projects at UVM, including influencing university policy so that all copier paper is 100% recycled and chlorine-free.

It won’t take much to push the University of Vermont’s green report card score to an A or A+ for 2010. Great job, guys – keep the momentum going!

Link [University of Vermont]

Green College Spotlight: Augustana College

Augustana College is a private liberal arts college located on a 115-acre wooded campus near the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Illinois.  Augustana has been striving toward sustainability for a while, but creating an action plan to reduce the college’s carbon footprint in 2007 has really sharpened their commitment to meeting these goals.

Students at Augustana College can choose from a range of environmental academic programs, including a new major in Environmental Studies as well as majors and minors in Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Geology, all of which feature some focus on sustainability. Eco-activist students can also join “Global Affect”, an organization that works toward environmental preservation in a sustainable ecosystem, through education and non-violent action.

A new Campus Sustainability Committee is directing Augustana’s green efforts, implementing new programs and identifiying ways in which the school can improve. Among the new programs is a single-stream recycling effort, which has won awards for the past 2 years, earning Augustana first place among all participating Illinois colleges and universities in the Recyclemania competition. Augustana has also committed to seeking LEED silver certification for all new building projects.

Augustana College President Steven Bahls has signed a commitment to reduce campus energy use annually by 2%, and a number of conservation efforts are underway. The college has been working for several years to improve the efficiency of light fixtures, heating and cooling elements and appliances and have managed to decrease natural gas use by 1.5% from ‘04-’05 to ‘06-’07 despite increased enrollment and a larger faculty.

Local produce and meats are available at Augustana dining facilities as part of the Farm-to-Fork program, in an effort to reduce the amount of fossil fuels required for food transport while also supporting local businesses. Augustana donates leftover food products from catering events to local agencies, and partners with local growers to convert used oil into biodiesel. The college is also composts food waste and uses biodegradable containers in all food service operations.

First-year students at Augustana are given bicycles as part of ‘Project Pedal’, an effort to reduce the number of cars in use on campus. All students, faculty and staff are given free bus passes for the natural gas-run ‘MetroLink’ system that runs throughout the Quad Cities area.

‘Local Culture House’ is a sustainable living project created by Augustana Environmental Literature & Landscape learning Committee students. The retrofitted house features a geothermal heating system, low-flush toilet, energy-efficient windows, 100% recycled insulation, Energy Star appliances, two rain gardens, non-toxic paint and bamboo flooring. The students who live there are asked to recycle, compost, maintain a garden and purchase food from local farmers’ markets.

We hope to see expansion of these awesome green programs at Augustana in the year to come. Keep it up, Augustana College!

Link [Augustana College]

Next Page »