Stocked with unnecessary school supplies? Trade them in for items you really need! Come out to the School Supply Reuse Swap Shop in the Pit on Thursday, August 23, from 11 AM- 2 PM, to recycle and swap pens, pencils, notebooks, binders and more. This event is sponsored by the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Sustainability Social this Thursday, August 23, from 5 – 7 PM at the FPG Student Union Art Gallery
Are you Carolina Green? Get involved, find your niche, and help make UNC a more sustainable campus! This is your opportunity to mingle with students and employees from across the University. Learn about Carolina’s many student organizations, departments, academic offerings, and internship opportunities.
WHO: All new and returning students and employees interested in environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
WHAT: Representatives from sustainability-related student groups and campus departments will briefly describe their activities and priorities to help you decide where you want to focus your efforts. Sustainable refreshments will be served while you mingle.
WHEN: 5 – 7 PM on Thursday, August 23, 2012
WHERE: FPG Student Union Art Gallery (catch the bus)
SPONSORS: The UNC Sustainability Office and the Environmental Affairs Committee of Student Government.
You don’t need to wait until the Sustainability Social to be Carolina Green. View the full schedule of Carolina Green events during Week of Welcome.
EcoReps Information Fair this Tuesday, August 21, from 4 – 7 PM at Rams Head Plaza
Join the fun with EcoReps, Carolina’s trained peer-to-peer sustainability outreach team. Come learn about campus sustainability initiatives through games and trivia. Be part of a campus-wide student movement to promote ecological integrity, economic prosperity, and social equity. EcoReps training, scheduled for September 15, counts as a Public Service Scholars Skills Training. Learn more at the Information Fair, Tuesday, August 21, from 4 – 7PM at Rams Head Plaza. Read more »
Sustainability Training Now Available for Staff
Sustainability is a core value and top-level priority at Carolina. Learn about sustainability goals and initiatives at UNC and how you and your department can contribute. “Making the Workplace More Sustainable” will help participants identify, measure, and promote sustainable change opportunities in their area. Participants will become “green events” certified and learn how to assess sustainability practices within their departments. Training is scheduled for Thursday, September 20, from 8:30 AM-12:30 PM, at the Administrative Office Building. Registration is now open. Read more »
Greenest Colleges and Universities in the US
The Sierra Club’s 2012 Cool Schools report rated the University of California – Davis, with its zero-net-energy residence halls and 20,000 bikes, the Number 1 coolest school in the country. Two North Carolina schools made the top ten – Duke University ranked #7 and Appalachian State University #10. Other large research schools on the list include Georgia Tech #2, the University of Washington #4, the University of Connecticut #5, the University of California – Irvine #9, the University of California – Berkeley #20, the University of Virginia #21, the University of Arizona #24, and Penn State #25. In North Carolina, Warren Wilson ranked #19, Elon #29, UNC – Chapel Hill #33, and UNC – Greensboro #39. To see complete rankings and a slide show on the top ten schools, read more »
It’s Easy Being Carolina Green
Fall into the semester with a quick refresher on how you can help Carolina have the greenest year yet. Get an A in Sustainability by:
- Recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic and glass bottles, #2 and #5 plastic tubs, phone books, card stock, junk mail, magazines, newspaper, cereal boxes, frozen food boxes, and softcover books. Carolina separates recycling so bottles, cans, and plastics go in one container, mixed paper in another. Learn more »
- Saving energy. Turn off lights and appliances when leaving the room, close the sash on fume hoods in the lab, and dress appropriately for the season. Set the thermostat to 76 degrees in air-conditioned spaces and 68 degrees in the winter. Learn more »
- Conserving water. Take five minute showers and turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
- Getting on board with alternative transportation. Take the bus, ride a bike, walk or carpool.
- Reporting energy and water inefficiencies. Three Carolina buildings are competing in the EPA’s 2012 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition -- Tarrson Hall, the Neurosciences Research Building, and the NC Area Health Education Center Building. Let Energy Management know if you see energy inefficiencies in these buildings and others across campus by emailing Save-energy@unc.edu.
NC Generates More than 1 Million Tons of Food Waste Annually
A new NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) study found that food makes up at least 12% of municipal solid waste (MSW) in North Carolina. The residential contribution is 673,362 tons annually, or just over seven pounds of food waste per household, per week. Initiatives to divert food waste from landfills will be discussed at a Food Waste Reduction Conference in Charlotte in November. Read more »
UNC-Affiliated Foundation and Non-Profit to Study Northside Neighborhood
Chapel Hill Foundation Real Estate Holdings will work with the Center for Community Self-Help to study and make recommendations for Chapel Hill’s Northside neighborhood. Northside is a short walk from campus and the proposed redevelopment of University Square. UNC students are estimated to live in half the single-family homes. Preserving the unique culture and history of the neighborhood is a priority of UNC’s Jackson Center for Saving and Making History. Read more »
UNC Journalism School Launches “100 Gallons”
“100 Gallons,” named for the amount of water the average American uses on a daily basis, examines water topics across the United States, including the New York sewer system, natural gas drilling in Ohio, and bottling rainwater in Texas. The interactive film is a continuation of the school’s award-winning Powering a Nation project that provides energy news through innovative storytelling. The launch of “100 Gallons” coincides with “Water in Our World,” a two-year academic initiative to encourage the interdisciplinary study of water. Read more »
Funding Available to Reduce Diesel Emissions
The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is funding projects to reduce diesel emissions. Applications must be received by September 10, 2012. Read more »
Carolina in the News
Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, and people at UNC:
UNC Unit Appoints New Director and Launches New Center
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Chapel Hill has appointed Joseph DeSimone as its new director. DeSimone is a world-renowned chemist and entrepreneur with more than 130 patents. His research focuses on applying lithographic fabrication technologies from the computer industry for the design and synthesis of new medicines and vaccines. Speaking of his new role in the Kenan-Flagler Business School, DeSimone said, “We are uniquely positioned to leverage the intellectual capital we have right here on campus, join it with some of the best and brightest minds from around the globe, and develop innovative market-based solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges of our time, including poverty, health, education, energy, sustainable development and economic growth." Read more »
The Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise will also launch a $1.6 million center to promote business growth and job creation in eastern North Carolina. The Center for Jobs and Innovative Business Development, led by Thomas Stith, will be funded with a five-year, $642,949 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and $1 million in matching funds from the Kenan Institute. The US EDA also provided grants to Fayetteville State University and Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Read more »
Carrboro Start-Up Receives Investment through Green-Tech Accelerator
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Sanitation Creations, a company launched by Liz Morris, a UNC School of Public Health alumna, is one of three companies chosen for a green technology accelerator program funded by Cherokee Investment Partners. The waterless, portable toilet in the research and development phase at Sanitation Creations is intended for use in suburban areas of developing countries. Morris turned her thesis research into a business plan by participating in the University’s “Launching the Venture” program. Read more »
EPA Announces Funding for Research
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded UNC $250,000 to design, demonstrate and evaluate a dynamic management system for managing daily air quality. The $2 million in grants awarded to five academic institutions are focused on generating better data and tools to enable regulatory authorities to more effectively ensure that the air we breathe is healthy. Read more »
Protecting Mills River Watershed
The Times-News (Hendersonville)
Efforts to protect the Mills River, a source of drinking water for 90,000 users in Henderson and Buncombe counties, have run into funding challenges. A study by the Environmental Finance Center at UNC showed one way to find sustained funding would be for all water users to contribute a small amount. Jeff Hughes, director of the center, said the need to find other funding sources comes because past sources, including grants from trust funds, are less accessible than in the past. 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.
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