uesiet's blog
College Planning & Management – The Green Issue
Submitted by uesiet on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 10:45
by Georges Dyer, Second Nature
The April issue of College Planning & Management magazine is once again focused on sustainability this year and provides a wealth of information and examples on green building and sustainable campus planning.
Topics covered include education for sustainability at UC San Diego (“Learning Green” by Rex Graham); repurposed materials for buildings at Johnson State College (“A New Use for Old Wood Bleachers” by Tonya West); and green IT at campuses across the country (“IT Is Easy Being Green” by Rhonda Morin).
Tony Cortese and I also had the opportunity to submit an article titled “The Commitment to Change” on the importance of leadership from senior administrators (in addition to all of the tremendous and necessary leadership from students, faculty, and staff) in really embedding a sustainability perspective into the culture of the institution.
Continue reading at Advancing Education for Sustainability, the Second Nature blog.
2nd Building Green Learning Institute in Minneapolis, 6-8 May
Submitted by uesiet on Mon, 05/03/2010 - 09:46
By Marya McQuirter, PhD
chocolate & arugula
Photo Credit: LLTB on Facebook
This week, the United Negro College Fund Institute for Capacity Building, in partnership with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and Second Nature, will host the 2nd Building Green Learning Institute in Minneapolis, 6-8 May 2010.
The conference is open to administrators and faculty at colleges and universities that primarily serve students of color. For more more information, contact Felicia Davis, Program Director, UNCF Facilities and Infrastructure Enhancement Program, via phone 404-302-8607, ext. 8531 or via email to Felicia.Davis@uncf.org. To register, click here.
Photo Credit: FDLTCC on Facebook
Minneapolis was selected for the 2nd institute because of its central proximity to many of the 38 colleges and universities that primarily serve Native American students. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Leech Lake Tribal College, and White Earth Tribal and Community College are located in Minnesota. I'm eager to learn about the sustainability initiatives taking place at these institutions.
As I've written in an earlier post, the goals of the Building Green Learning Institutes are to increase the number of ACUPCC signatories and to increase the number of LEED®-certified buildings.
Photo Credit: WETCC on Facebook
ACUPCC Signatories:
- College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin)
Dr. Verna Fowler, President - Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development (New Mexico)
Robert Martin, President
I am working on the list of LEED® buildings.
As I did with the Atlanta institute, I will have a play-by-play of the Minneapolis institute next week.
fyi: The 2010 eduWeb Conference Program is now online. Interesting in learning how to add value using technology throughout your institution, click here for more information.
Marya McQuirter, PhD is a sustainability consultant, scholar and blogger based in Washington, DC. She works with universities, businesses and non-profits on researching, writing and marketing their sustainability portfolios. She also lectures widely on sustainability and writes about sustainability on her blog, chocolate & arugula.
My Perspective on the Atlanta UNCF Building Green Learning Institute
Submitted by uesiet on Wed, 04/28/2010 - 09:30by Ukeme Esiet, on behalf of Second Nature team
Photo Credit: Ukeme Esiet, Second Nature
From April 8-10, 2010, the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building hosted its first Building Green Learning Institute at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta, GA. This institute convened decision-makers from over 50 minority serving institutions, primarily historically black colleges and universities, to advance sustainability and green infrastructural practices on their campuses. This was the first Learning Institute in the series of 3, within UNCF’s newly launched Building Green at Minority Serving Institutions Initiative.
Promoting Sustainable Campus Infrastructure
As a member of Second Nature’s Advancing Green Building in Higher Education Initiative, I had the opportunity to meet with the vice presidents, facilities directors and sustainability coordinators who have taken on important work of making their campuses models of sustainability. During the course of the institute, these administrators engaged in working sessions on financing green building, preservation of historic green buildings, energy efficiency and building retrofits, and the role of audits, certifications and assessments in promoting campus sustainability.
You can view excerpts of one of the panel sessions below.
I got the sense that the participants in the institute appreciated the content of the working sessions and the opportunity to learn from other institutions’ campus sustainability efforts. One participant remarked that the Atlanta Learning Institute was an opportunity for him to meet other facilities directors from his state to discuss their successes and challenges.
Photo Credit: Ukeme Esiet, Second Nature
From the Campus and Into the Community
As a student who is beginning his career, the Building Green Learning Institute was a great opportunity to meet with the professionals involved in the important work of promoting sustainability in higher education. Students from local institutions, such as Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University, also used the learning institute to explore future careers in the area of sustainability and higher education.
Young activists such as Illai Kenney, Tony Anderson, and Daniel Blackman were also in attendance. Ms. Kenney, a student at Howard University and Southeast Student Organizer at the Responsible Endowments Coalition, interviewed Majora Carter on the Green Carpet and promoted student involvement in campus sustainability efforts. Mr. Anderson, a graduate of Morehouse College and a lead coordinator of Let’s Raise A Million, served as one of the MCs during the Institute and introduced Majora Carter’s keynote presentation. Mr. Blackman of GeorgiaPlanet.com promoted the work that was already being done in the local community and helped to connect the UNCF’s efforts to larger movement of healthy and sustainable communities.
The Learning Institute also did a good job of connecting the work of minority serving institutions to the larger community. Community representatives such as Rev. Gerald Durley of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Lynette Young of Sustainable Atlanta, and Ira Blumenthal of the Captain Planet Foundation asserted the importance of campus sustainability efforts and their potential to energize the larger community. During her keynote presentation, Majora Carter focused on the environmental issues affecting communities and the potential for sustainability efforts at higher education institutions to create green collar jobs and healthier communities.
Photo Credit: Ukeme Esiet, Second Nature
Representatives from the business sector were also involved in the conversation. HOK and Woodline Solutions showcased their sustainable infrastructure projects during the institute, and HOK gave a detailed presentation on King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. George Bandy, Jr., VP of Sustainable Strategy and Diversity of InterfaceFLOR participated in a panel discussion on green building at colleges and universities, and expressed his hope for the future of sustainability among minority serving higher education institutions.
The Atlanta UNCF Building Green Learning Institute made a strong case for minority serving institutions to embrace sustainability in their infrastructure and campus operations. The facilities directors, vice presidents, and administrators in attendance embraced the opportunity to learn from the programs and share their experiences. In the forthcoming Learning Institutes, UNCF and Second Nature will continue to increase the capacity of minority serving higher education institutions to build green and become models of sustainability.
I invite you to participate in the May 6-8 Minneapolis and June 10-12 San Antonio Institutes, and learn more about the Building Green at MSIs Initiative and other programs within Second Nature’s Advancing Green Building in Higher Education Initiative.
More articles on the Atlanta Green Learning Institute:
The Princeton Review & USGBC's 286 Green Colleges Guide
Submitted by uesiet on Mon, 04/26/2010 - 08:51
By Marya McQuirter, PhD
chocolate & arugula
Photo Credit: The Princeton Review
Last week, The Princeton Review, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council released The Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges, 2010-2011. It is being marketed as “the first free comprehensive college guide book focused solely on colleges & universities that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to sustainability both in the classroom as well as around campus.” It is available as a free download on The Princeton Review's website and on the USGBC's website.
How were the 286 selected?
The Princeton Review invited 2,000 schools to complete a survey in 2008-2009 for their 2nd annual Green Ratings of colleges published in July 2009. Out of 2,000 schools, 697 completed surveys. Based on the survey data & criteria, each of the 697 schools was given a rating from 60 to 99. For the current guide book, all 286 schools receiving Green Ratings in the 80s and 90s.
Are there any hbcus in the 286?
There are no hbcus in this guide book. For my blog, chocolate & arugula, I wrote extensively about the 2nd annual Green Rating. For a list of the ratings that all hbcus received, click here. For a list of the schools that received ratings higher than 60, click here. Clark Atlanta University received the only rating in the 80s and 90s—83. Yet, it is not part of the 286. Therefore, while all 286 schools received ratings in the 80s and 90s, it is clear that all schools who received high ratings were not selected.
So what are my thoughts?
- I am concerned that prospective students and families who read the guide book may conclude that hbcus are not engaged in sustainability in meaningful and significant ways.
- Despite The Princeton Review's vigorous assertions that this is not a list of the 286 greenest colleges, it is being interpreted that way. And that's a problem.
- I'd like to know how many other high scoring schools were not included.
- What an incredible & free marketing opportunity for the 286 schools. And I wonder how much each school paid for the full-page ads in the guide book.
- There seemed to be a concerted effort to include a wide range of schools—large, small, public, private, rural, and urban. So, it's surprising that Clark Atlanta University wasn't included.
What are your thoughts?
Marya McQuirter, PhD is a sustainability consultant, scholar and blogger based in Washington, DC. She works with universities, businesses and non-profits on researching, writing and marketing their sustainability portfolios. She also lectures widely on sustainability and writes about sustainability on her blog, chocolate & arugula.
Renewable Energy Initiatives @Claflin University & @Texas Southern University
Submitted by uesiet on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 09:37
By Marya McQuirter, PhD
chocolate & arugula
Claflin University
Photo Credit: Claflin University
Claflin University recently received a $500,000 grant from the South Carolina Energy Office to install the state's first solar absorption system. With an additional federal grant, Claflin will purchase and install the system on its campus.
The solar absorption system will use new and innovative solar technologies to heat water and to cool water for air conditioning. This system is expected to comply with LEED® standards for HVAC systems.
Claflin will also collaborate with Organic Bio Energy, Inc., a local company, to create the Orangeburg Collaborative Renewable Energy Center, which will be the university's new Bio-Energy Park and Research Campus. This addition will enable Claflin to provide professors, researchers and students an optimal space to engage in biofuels and alternative energy research.
The university anticipates close to $1 million dollars in energy cost savings over the course of the system's use.
Sources:
- Carter, “Claflin Receives $500k Alternative Energy Grant,” HBCU Digest, March 8, 2010.
- T&D Staff, “Claflin receives energy grant,” The Times and Democrat, March 4, 2010.
Texas Southern University
Photo Credit: Texas Southern University, Houston
Texas Southern University is poised to develop a Center for Solar Technology. A partnership with Evolution Solar, an alternative energy company, brokered in February, will help bring the center to fruition.
More immediately, the Engineering Technology Department will work directly with Evolution Solar to begin to develop a solar production and demonstration installation project on the campus. This project will provide the facilities and tools to demonstrate to students, professors and stakeholders the power of renewable energy.
This past week the demonstration project received an enthusiastic endorsement from the National Black Chamber of Commerce's Energy Committee. The NBCC, located in Washington, DC, supports enterprises in the U.S. and abroad.
Sources:
- Carter “National Black Chamber of Commerce Endorses Texas Southern Solar Energy Research Project,” HBCU Digest, March 10, 2010.
- Vo, Danny, “Solar energy project underway at Texas Southern University receives national endorsement,” CoolerPlanet.com, March 10, 2010.
Marya McQuirter, PhD is a sustainability consultant, scholar and blogger based in Washington, DC. She works with universities, businesses and non-profits on researching, writing and marketing their sustainability portfolios. She also lectures widely on sustainability and writes about sustainability on her blog, chocolate & arugula.
