The UNC Board of Trustees unanimously adopted the Sierra Student Coalition’s proposal to target clean energy in future investments for the University’s $2.1 billion endowment. The Board resolution encourages the UNC Management Company, which handles the endowment funds, to research investments that advance environmentally-friendly, clean energy strategies. The resolution will not affect current investments in coal-related energy companies. The Sierra Student Coalition led a coal divestment campaign last year that was supported by 77% of voting students.
Friday, September 26, 2014
New Rankings Showcase Sustainability Initiatives at Carolina
The Sierra Club’s 2014 “Cool Schools” annual sustainability report ranked Carolina 15th out of 173 participating colleges and universities. Carolina was recognized for water reduction and energy savings, and overall, placed first in the state. The University of California Irvine was rated the Number 1 coolest school in the country thanks to its water-recycling program, on-site solar power projects, and summer institute for sustainability leadership. The “Cool Schools” ranking serves as a guide for prospective students to compare schools' commitment to sustainability.
Best College Rankings published an online list of “100 Colleges Doing Green Right,” which showcases how sustainability-focused college websites communicate with students. The report recognized Carolina’s interactive sustainability map and Climate Action Plan as notable campus sustainability initiatives.
SaveOnEnergy.com reviewed the sustainability efforts of top football universities, with Carolina ranking 6th out of 25. The review highlights the Rameses Recycles Program for providing recycling to tailgaters, educating fans, composting food waste, and separating trash and recyclables during clean-up.
Learn to Lead Staff Sustainability Efforts
“Making the Workplace More Sustainable,” an interactive staff sustainability workshop, helps participants identify, measure and promote sustainable change opportunities in their work areas. Participants learn about sustainability goals and initiatives at UNC, become “green events” certified, and learn how to conduct a Workplace Sustainability Assessment. The upcoming, two-day training will be held Tuesday, October 14, and Thursday, October 16, from 8:30 am - 12:30 pm, at the Administrative Office Building on Airport Drive. Register soon, space is limited.
UNC-Led Team Receives $2.2 Million to Develop Water Strategies for Southeast
The Southeastern United States, an area generally accustomed to abundant water supply, faces unprecedented water scarcity caused by global climate change, population growth, and limited new sources. An interdisciplinary team led by Greg Characklis, professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the Center for Watershed Science and Management at the UNC Institute for the Environment, was recently awarded a $2.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Characklis and his team will develop innovative, sustainable strategies for meeting future water demands in the Southeastern United States.
Carolina Recognizes Planning Professor
Daniel A. Rodriguez has been named Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Community Design in the Department of City and Regional Planning and will also join the UNC Institute for the Environment as the director of the Center for Sustainable Community Design. His research focuses on transportation planning and policy, public transit, and the relationship between transportation and the built environment. The professorship was established to support cutting-edge research in sustainable development.
Register Now for “Future Vision: Survival Tactics for Our Changing Environment”
Throughout October, UNC-Chapel Hill researchers will present their findings on urbanization, climate change, water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship. The “What’s the Big Idea?” lecture series will be held every Thursday evening in October from 7–8:30 pm at the Friday Center. Each course is $10, or you can register for all four lectures for only $30.
Volunteer Abroad for Sustainability Projects
Help international communities drive sustainable change while earning academic credit with Growth International Volunteer Excursions (GIVE). UNC students can volunteer abroad in Northern Thailand, Nicaragua, and Tanzania for service learning in education, sustainable infrastructure projects, and environmental conservation.
Northside Elementary Becomes NC’s First LEED Platinum Elementary School
Northside Elementary School in Chapel Hill, NC, has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. The three-story, 100,000-square-foot school opened in the fall of 2013. The design incorporates a garden roof area, a comprehensive stormwater management plan, permeable pavers, porous playground surfaces, and light shelves to maximize daylight in classrooms and reduce the energy spent for lighting. Northside Elementary is one of only twenty LEED Platinum public schools in the nation, and one of only four elementary schools.
New Community for Student Sustainability Leaders
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recently launched the EcoLeaders Initiative – an online community for student sustainability leaders to create personal profiles, share current projects, and connect with other student leaders. NWF Campus Ecology works with students to create greener campuses and communities.
Federal Funding for Carolinas to Gauge Offshore Sand
SCNow.com
In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Carolinas are receiving $400,000 from the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management to evaluate offshore sand deposits. Knowing the locations of sand deposits will help state and local communities maintain their beaches and recover after storms. "The results of this study will help sustain our unique coastline and help to support the substantial positive economic impact the coastline has on the state," said Ken Rentiers, the deputy director of the Land, Water and Conservation Division of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Fixing Climate Change May Add No Cost, Report Says
The New York Times
A new report casts doubt on the costliness of tackling climate change, claiming that necessary fixes could wind up being effectively free. The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate found that measures to limit emissions would cost approximately $4 trillion over the next 15 years, an increase of roughly 5 percent over the amount that would likely be spent anyway on new power plants, transit systems and other infrastructure. When the secondary benefits of greener policies — like lower fuel costs, fewer premature deaths from air pollution and reduced medical bills — are taken into account, the changes might help save money. “We are proposing a way to have the same or even more economic growth, and at the same time have environmental responsibility,” said the chairman of the commission, Felipe Calderón, the former president of Mexico and an economist. “We need to fix this problem of climate change, because it’s affecting all of us.”
Carolina in the News
Check out the recent media mentions of sustainability-related programs, practices, and people at UNC:
UNC Researchers Discover “Burping Estuaries”
Public Radio East
Large bodies of water absorb and store carbon dioxide. Dr. Hans Paerl, Professor of Marine Sciences at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, and Dr. Joey Crosswell, postdoctoral researcher, discovered that tropical storms and hurricanes can cause stored carbon dioxide to be released all at one time. “Burping estuaries” could be a significant source of CO2 emissions. The only way to lessen the effect is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that humans introduce into the environment. “And so that means controlling emissions, like agricultural emissions,” says Dr. Paerl, “which generate quite a bit of CO2.”
Kenan-Flagler Business School Honored for Course Innovation
SFGate
The Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management and McGraw-Hill selected Lisa Jones Christensen, assistant professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler, to receive the 2014 Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award. Christensen’s Sustainability Leadership Capstone course uses entrepreneurship to advance leadership skills and students’ knowledge of sustainable business practices through a framework that compares local and international sustainability issues. “They leave the formal classroom behind and join partners to co-create solutions to entrepreneurial challenges using a sustainability lens,” said Jones Christensen.
Read more »
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UNC Student Research Prepares Duplin County for Waste-to-Energy Facilities
The Herald Sun
A new plant to capture gas from hog waste and turn it into usable energy has been proposed for Duplin County, NC. As part of the N.C. Strategic Economic Growth initiative, recent UNC graduate Carolyn Fryberger researched fifteen communities with waste-to-energy facilities to help officials understand the potential impacts of hog waste energy generation and address concerns about potential odors. Fryberger reports that the odors can be reduced and controlled. The N.C. Strategic Economic Growth initiative works to help distressed areas by pairing UNC-Chapel Hill MBA students with private company leaders to create economic development plans for communities.
College Campuses Commit to the Real Food Challenge
GreenBiz
UNC Chapel Hill is one of 140 universities participating in the Real Food Challenge. An online calculator helps campuses measure and report on sustainably-produced food served to students. Using the Real Food Calculator, UNC is shifting university food spending away from industrial agriculture and empty calories and towards local, fair, ecologically sound, and humanely produced food. Last semester, student researchers at Carolina found that 26% of food served on campus in February was “Real Food.” Over 600 student researchers across the U.S. have used the online tool to review 84,297 products and $71 million worth of campus food purchases.
Why Environmental Rankings Should Include Social Impact
The Guardian
While everybody loves a good top-10 list, sustainability rankings often fail to include social metrics that provide a more complete picture of a company's societal impact. Carol Hee, director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, says that if we define sustainability as the “triple bottom line” – measuring business performance in terms of its effects on people, the planet and profit –corporate executives and stakeholders are provided with a comprehensive lens through which to assess sustainability. To determine whether a company is authentically sustainable, Hee seeks information on the management team, the firm’s corporate governance and the culture. “I’d also want to know whether the firm was socially responsible,” she said. “How does the firm treat its employees, retirees and job applicants? Does the firm have non-discriminatory practices, pay a fair wage, offer safe working conditions and benefits like health care and paid time off?” Hee argues that social responsibility stretches beyond a company’s walls, extending to its interactions with overseas workers and the local community.
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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 uncnews.unc.edu.
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 uncnews.unc.edu.
Green Tip
September is National Wilderness Month. Consider taking a day trip to one of North Carolina’s beautiful and historic wilderness areas. Be sure to stay on designated paths, pack-in, pack-out, and bring plenty of water. Read more »
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