Spotlight on Green Schools
Schools are focusing more and more heavily on cutting back on the energy they use and trying to reduce their impact on the environment. The articles on these pages spotlight individual campus energy conservation programs, energy initiatives, solar installations, energy-related technology, HVAC, research, grants, policy, and other topics related to green campuses.
Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has announced a 50-year partnership with Eagle Energy Partners (EEP) that will enable the institution to invest $115 million in infrastructure, academic, and student enrollment and retention needs.
Purdue University and Google Cloud have partnered, using Google's BigQuery and BigQuery GIS data sets, to show where rural areas need Level 3 DC Fast Charge Stations. This information can help public and private sectors plan investments to support equitable access to electric vehicles to help reduce and eliminate carbon energy impacts.
Howard University recently announced that it will be partnering with VEIC and CustomerFirst Renewables to develop a five-year campus Sustainability Plan.
As students return to school this fall, colleges and universities must optimize campus environments while decreasing operational costs. Here are planning and funding strategies for making safe, connected and energy-efficient campuses a reality.
Bentley University has just completed construction of a new multipurpose arena that boasts the latest in sustainable design and green technology. The 76,000-square-foot facility will host the institution's hockey team as well as university events such as career fairs, high-profile speakers and concerts, according to a news release. But it will also provide students with a number of hands-on learning opportunities.
Towson University's EduCycle technology recycling program reconditions and redeploys computers that would otherwise end up in the e-waste pile. Volunteers from local schools and underserved communities help perform the refurbishing work, gaining hands-on computer skills while earning service-learning hours.
Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) has completed construction on a solar farm projected to produce 3.5 million kilowatt hours of energy in its first year of operation.
A library originally built 55 years ago at a small Colorado school has just had a $45 million renovation, turning it into what college officials are calling the largest carbon-neutral, net-zero energy academic library in the United States.
A community college in Michigan has turned to geothermal technology to reduce what it spends on heating and cooling and to shrink its carbon footprint.
The team, from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence laboratory (CSAIL), reported that it can reduce energy requirements by using flash memory — the same kind used in smartphones — for data center caching.
MIT's Office of Sustainability (MITOS) has chosen the recipients for the first round of grants from its Campus Sustainability Incubator Fund. Four multi-departmental projects will share in $200,000 as they use the campus as a lab for sustainable design, management and operations.
Clemson University has deployed a distributed energy storage system in an effort to reduce energy costs and to provide engineering students an opportunity to practice measuring and tracking energy savings.
A new report examined 18 universities with various models for studying the subject of sustainability, looking at approaches to governance, research, education, engagement, campus operations and best practices.
The university is working with energy storage firm Stem, Inc. to implement the company’s software-driven energy storage service to drive down energy costs across the university.
Representative Melanie Stambaugh, who residents on Washington State Legislature's House Higher Education Committee, has proposed a bill that would award $100,000 grants to six colleges and universities to expand their use of open educational resources (OER).
