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.


New Energy Institute Charged with Advancing Energy System Intelligence

The Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation is launching a new cross-school institute to advance the development of machine learning algorithms for energy systems.

California Community College District Aims To Improve Energy Efficiency with Analytics

The San Mateo County Community College District has launched an energy efficiency project designed to reduce energy waste and create a cohesive facility management system across its three colleges and 82 buildings.

Midland College To Save $4.4 Million with Efficiency Upgrades, Cloud Computing

Midland College has completed sustainability upgrades, including efforts to improve IT efficiency, projected to save $4.4 million in energy and operational expenses over the course of 15 years.

New York Community College Goes Solar

Tompkins Cortland Community College has completed a solar photovoltaic installation at its main campus designed to provide 90 percent of the college's electricity, for a savings of approximately $300,000 per year at current utility rates.

U California San Diego Boosts Sustainable Energy Research with Private Partner

The University of California, San Diego has teamed with a private partner for work on sustainable energy technology.

Campuses Compete To Reduce Power and Water Usage

In a recent conservation competition held at 125 colleges and universities, students and staff at some winning schools were able to reduce residence hall energy usage by almost 31 percent and water consumption by nearly 20 percent.

U South Florida St. Petersburg Launches Solar Battery Research Initiative

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg has launched a new research initiative aimed at exploring better ways to store energy from the sun.

MIT Holds First Clean Earth Hackathon

Massachusetts Institute of Technology held its first Clean Earth Hackathon over the Earth Day weekend.

Online Degrees Show 'Net Positive' Campus Impact

Online education is good for the planet and good for the student, according to a new study by sustainability scientists at Arizona State University and Dell.

Southwestern College To Save $600,000 Annually with Solar

Southwestern College has completed installation of a 3.2-megawatt solar power system at its Chula Vista campus.

Cornell Proposes 10-Acre Solar Farm

Cornell University plans to build its second large-scale solar farm, this one on university property in Seneca, NY, to provide electricity for its New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY.

Texas State U Adds Private Partner for Sustainability Research

Texas State University has teamed with a private partner to improve the operation and management of social infrastructure, such as resource management and water conservation.

Federal Grants Aim To Improve Efficiencies in Solar Energy

The United States Department of Energy recently awarded $14 million to 10 research institutions as part of its "SunShot" program, which aims to make solar energy as cost-competitive as traditional energy sources before the end of this decade.

Rochester Institute of Tech To Sell Carbon Credits To Fund Future Sustainability

The Rochester Institute of Technology has entered into an agreement with a private partner to sell carbon credits to fund future sustainability initiatives on campus.

Cornell U Adds Solar Farm for Energy Production, Academic Use

Cornell University has added an 11-acre solar photovoltaic installation capable of producing approximately 2 megawatts of power.