AASHE Blog: Campus Sustainability Perspectives

Columbus State Community College Takes First Step to Developing a Climate Action Plan, Tackling Energy Efficiency First

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 01/04/2009
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by Paul Goggin, Interim Director, Facilities Services, Columbus State Community College

350: A New Year's Resolution for the Planet

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 01/04/2009

by Kelly Blynn, 350.org

Last year around this time, America's most recognized climate scientist, Jim Hansen, drew a new line in the sand for our climate: 350 parts per million CO2 -- as graphically illustrated in the animation linked to at left.  What's new and different about this number is that we have already passed it at our current 387 ppm, and that number is rising 2 ppm per year on average. The melting of the Arctic fifty years ahead of schedule and other accelerating impacts prompted climate scientists to rethink our climate's sensitivity to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  

AASHE Website Improvements

Submitted by Julia Kulla-Mader on Sat, 01/03/2009
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I am pleased to announce that the AASHE website is now powered by the Drupal content management system.

Moving the site to Drupal has a number of advantages for our members and staff. First of all, we were able to redo our login system. Anyone with an account can now set their own password, create a professional profile, contact other members, and post comments on the AASHE Blog. We've tried to make the new login system as clear and easy to follow as possible, but please let us know if you run into any difficulties.

Moving to Drupal is the first step in a number of improvements to the AASHE site that we plan on launching this year.  Here are just a few of the things we are planning:

Block Grants for Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/02/2009
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This is a guest post by Amy Hattan, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Second Nature.

National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions Engages Community in Discussion of Goals and Solutions

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 01/02/2009
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by Eban Goodstein, Professor of Economics, Lewis & Clark College and Project Director, National Teach-in on Global Warming

Campus outreach and education is a key part of the President's Climate Commitment, but it is not always easy.  The National Teach-In on Global Warming Solutions is a terrific opportunity to highlight the progress of your campus towards meeting the obligations of the President's Climate Commitment and engage the broader community in a discussion of goals and solutions.  Set for Thursday, February 5th, close to 500 colleges, universities, and other institutions are already participating: see if your school has a team already signed up.

Guest blogging roundup

Submitted by Niles Barnes on Fri, 12/12/2008
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I spent the month of November (and a bit of December) guest blogging for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Buildings & Grounds blog. This particular blog regularly features many stories on sustainability in higher education (I'd recommend the archive of previous guest bloggers for some excellent articles).

Podcast: Debra Rowe on How to Understand What the Sustainability Movement Means

Submitted by Niles Barnes on Thu, 12/11/2008
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Scott Carlson, a writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education sat down with Debra Rowe, (President of the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development) after the annual meeting of the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) meeting in D.C. to get her thoughts on the sustainability movement in higher ed.

Clean Renewable Energy Bonds Used to Fund Wind Turbines at the University of Minnesota-Morris

Submitted by Toni Nelson on Tue, 12/02/2008
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by Toni Nelson, Climate Program Manager, AASHE

The University of Minnesota-Morris received funding for three projects in 2007 from the Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) program managed by the Internal Revenue Service.  First created under the federal Energy Tax Incentive Act of 2005, the CREBs program allows electric cooperatives and government entities to issue

FAQs on Climate Action Planning

Submitted by Niles Barnes on Tue, 12/02/2008
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For ACUPCC Charter Signatories (all Presidents that signed the Commitment prior to September 15, 2007) the comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CAP) for your campus is due September 15, 2009. Fortunately, there is a good deal of existing guidance and examples from other campuses on how to complete a CAP.

ACUPCC Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol Launched

Submitted by Niles Barnes on Mon, 12/01/2008
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by Georges Dyer, Senior Fellow, Second Nature As many of you know, the ACUPCC Voluntary Carbon Offset Protocol and accompanying guidelines document was released at the AASHE conference. The Protocol was developed under the leadership of three ACUPCC presidents - David Hales of College of the Atlantic, Judith Ramaley of Winona State University, and David Shi of Furman University - with the help and support of representatives from other ACUPCC institutions, experts from the carbon markets, and Second Nature.