Alternative Energy Strategies

System-Wide University Standards

University standards for energy efficiency and clean energy are good, but system-wide standards are even better. The University of California system, where the Regents of the University system have adopted … Read more

Why Can’t We All be More like Pennsylvania?

Last month, the EPA put out a list of the Top 10 College and University Green Power Partners. These are schools replacing significant portions of the electricity they use with … Read more

Smith Cuts CO2 50 Percent

Smith College is in the process of replacing 60-year-old boilers with a single turbine engine co-generation plant. It is expected to pay for itself within six years and cut campus … Read more

Innovative Ways to Cool the Campus

Cornell University’s Cayuga Lake cuts energy needs for cooling on campus by 86 percent and reduces annual greenhouse gas emissions by almost 37 tons annually. The physical plant pumps cold … Read more

Loan Funds Boost Carbon Cuts on Campus

At least two universities—Colorado and Harvard—use loan funds as an incentive for conservation and efficiency. At Colorado University, $100,000 plus 35% of projected project savings each year help fund capitol … Read more

Alumni Earmark Support for Sustainable Campuses

By earmarking gifts for sustainability, alumni can greatly boost the environmental performance, research and teaching at their alma maters, generating many ancillary benefits for their schools and the wider society. … Read more

New NJEHPS ED Reports on Next Big Solar Installation

The New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS) has just selected its new Executive Director, John Cusack, who has written several interesting articles in the most recent edition of … Read more

Zero Net Direct Emissions: Three Scenarios at Oberlin College

With leadership from Dr. David Orr, Oberlin College worked with researchers, Richard Heede and Joel Swisher of the Rocky Mountain Institute to develop a plan for achieving net zero emissions … Read more

Electricity Emissions Offset at College of the Atlantic

College of the Atlantic (COA) in Bar Harbor, Maine has one major: human ecology. This academic commitment is reflected in its practices. On Earth Day, April 22, 2004, for example, … Read more

Green Roofs Yield Climate and Habitat Benefits on Campus

  The Ford Motor Company has enjoyed the media spotlight for installing an extensive 10.4 acre green roof atop its Dearborn, Michigan assembly plant. Less well known, however, may be … Read more