Check out the recent media coverage of sustainability-related programs and practices at UNC:
Students Pressure University of North Carolina to Abandon Coal
Bloomberg News
Student environmental activists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won a commitment from administrators to stop using coal for campus heat and power within a decade. The university will begin testing alternative fuels such as biomass to help switch away from coal by May 1, 2020, Chancellor Holden Thorp announced today. The campus generator is among the most efficient in the country and could run for an additional 30 years to 40 years, Thorp said.
Click here to read more.
Biodiversity Loss Continues Unabated Despite International Efforts
The Huffington Post
Betting on biodiversity loss is a pretty sure thing. The earth's plant and animal species are disappearing at a sobering rate due to pressures including habitat loss, climate change, pollution and over-harvesting. Despite a few success stories and steps in the right direction, we are falling far short of stemming these losses. (John F. Bruno, marine ecologist; associate professor, UNC Chapel Hill)
Click here to read more.
UNC to phase out coal
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill today announced plans to phase out the use of coal by 2020. As a first step, the university’s cogeneration plant will soon start testing the co-firing of coal with biomass in the form of dried wood pellets. The university hopes to replace 20 percent of its coal with biomass by 2015. “Universities must lead the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy,” said Chancellor Holden Thorp. “Today, Carolina takes another big step in that direction.”
Click here to read more.
Planning for a more urban Raleigh
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Last year, Raleigh adopted a new Comprehensive Plan to guide planning decisions through 2030. This year, the city is in the midst of drafting a new code, known as the Uniform Development Ordinance or UDO. ...Like so many other reasons for the region's success, the answer lies with our human capital. It includes enlightened local developers, intensely engaged neighborhood groups and many talented professionals who came out of N.C. State's Design and Engineering Colleges and UNC-Chapel Hill's Department of City and Regional Planning.
Click here to read more.
-Thanks to UNC News Services for finding these great stories AND compiling the summaries! You can find more UNC media coverage and stories online at http://uncnews.unc.edu
