Campus Climate Solutions

Launch of the GHG Protocol Product Life Cycle and Corporate Value Chain Standards

Alison Erlenbach — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:39:08 +0000

On Tuesday, October 4th the GHG Protocol launched the new Product Life Cycle and Corporate Value Chain Standards with events in New York City and London. The standards were developed through a three year global multi-stakeholders process that included more than 2,300 participants and were road-tested by 60 companies in 17 countries. The Corporate Value Chain [...]

Barriers to completing STARS Reports

Alison Erlenbach — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:51:55 +0000

According to a post by Jillian Buckholz on AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums:A recent survey of institutions that were unable to complete their STARS® Report revealed the following barriers: Lack of time Too many other priorities The primary point of contact changed during the submission process Institution was not confident in data collected by campus staff [...]

Beta testers wanted for sustainability management software

Alison Erlenbach — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:32:13 +0000

We are currently developing new higher education specific features for our Sustainability Management Software, and are looking for a limited number of colleges and universities to act as beta users. Learn more about our software solutions.

Student Engagement in Climate Action Planning

Alison Erlenbach — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:52:54 +0000

Here is an excerpt from a recent post by Georges Dyer at Second Nature on the importance and subsequent benefits of engaging students in the climate action planning process on campus: Engaging students in the process of fulfilling the ACUPCC is a great way to get things done – completing greenhouse gas inventories, creating a climate action [...]

4 Benefits of Campus Sustainability Reporting

Alison Erlenbach — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:51:25 +0000

Setting goals, tracking progress and reporting results are standard business practices for any organization, business or initiative — and sustainability efforts in higher education are no exception. Public reporting on progress towards sustainability is a key driver for long-term success, and provides several benefits.

10 Institutions Removed from the ACUPCC

Alison Erlenbach — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 17:25:47 +0000

On July 1, 2011, ten institutions were removed from the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) network after missing three consecutive reporting requirements. As a consequence of their inactive status, they have been removed from the ACUPCC website and the online Reporting System. ACUPCC institutions agree to ongoing public reporting on their progress, [...]

Frustration With Green Rankings Pushes Colleges and Universities to Develop Their Own

Alison Erlenbach — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:36:38 +0000

Colleges have been subjected to all sorts of ratings, rankings, and grades on their green sensibilities in recent years—and not all of them have been welcome. Sustainability directors increasingly find themselves filling out surveys from organizations like the Sustainable Endowments Institute, Sierra magazine, and the Princeton Review Inc., each with its own twist on questions [...]

Campus Climate Solutions now offers Sustainability Management Software

Alison Erlenbach — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:01:48 +0000

Campus Climate Solutions now offers web-based sustainability management software through a strategic partnership with CarbonSolve, Inc. Our Sustainability Management Suite provides solutions to help colleges and universities: Measure, manage and mitigate carbon, energy and environmental impacts; Implement campus sustainability initiatives Improve sustainability performance while achieving cost savings Visit our software page to learn more.

University of Florida is No. 1 in sustainability reporting

Alison Erlenbach — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:57:11 +0000

The University of Florida is used to being ranked #1, and an analysis of Sustainability Reporting of the Top U.S. Universities [PDF] recently published by Claremont McKenna College’s Roberts Environmental Center ranks UF first in campus sustainability reporting. According to an article in The Independent Florida Alligator, researchers at Claremont McKenna found that UF’s website had about 800 [...]

UC San Diego Saves $900,000 with Energy Dashboard

Alison Erlenbach — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:32:49 +0000

The University of California, San Diego has installed an energy dashboard to help the school improve the efficiency of their operations, reduce energy use, and combat climate change. The dashboard provides updated energy information for the university’s facilities and equipment, helping the them to save $900,000 a year, reducing energy consumption by 19 million kilowatt hours, and reducing 9,600 metric tons of greenhouse gases.

Campus Sustainability Raters Collaborate to End Survey Fatigue

Alison Erlenbach — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:44:19 +0000

Sierra and two other college evaluators—the Sustainable Endowments Institute and the Princeton Review—are now working with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education to “develop common sustainability survey language” to make green surveys less burdensome via Green Raters Work on Common Questions to Ease Burdens of Their Surveys – Buildings.

The Princeton Review’s Guide To 286 Green Colleges

Alison Erlenbach — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:32:12 +0000

The Princeton Review recently began ranking colleges and universities based on their progress towards sustainability. It is the first, free comprehensive Guidebook solely focused on institutions of higher education who have demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability in terms of campus infrastructure, activities and initiatives.

CarbonSolve, Inc. and Campus Climate Solutions partner to offer Carbon and Sustainability Management Software to U.S. Colleges and Universities

Alison Erlenbach — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:26:11 +0000

CarbonSolve, Inc. and Campus Climate Solutions today announced a partnership that will enable more U.S universities and colleges to effectively manage carbon and sustainability challenges. CarbonSolveTM provides software products and solutions for managing carbon, energy, and environmental resource impacts. CarbonSolve has strategic partnerships in the Netherlands, India, Brazil and Canada; Florida-based Campus Climate Solutions is CarbonSolve’s first partner in the United States.

Report: Campuses Tapping Into Benefits of Geothermal Energy, Cutting Costs

Alison Erlenbach — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:52:20 +0000

via Going Underground On Campus – National Wildlife Federation. U.S. Colleges and Universities Could Save Billions on Energy, Reduce Carbon Footprint The National Wildlife Federation and partners released a first-of-its kind report, Going Underground on Campus: Tapping the Earth for Clean, Efficient Heating and Cooling. Documenting more than 160 colleges and universities in 42 states, [...]

Energy Consumption Dashboard for Campuses

Alison Erlenbach — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:33:45 +0000

Do you know how much electricity your campus consumes at any minute? Probably not, but this could change if campuses implemented the use of a software that accurately measures the building’s energy usage and instantly displays results. This “cleantech software,” is from Lucid Design Group, Inc. Sam Porter has been busy organizing and installing this [...]

Universities Embrace GRI Sustainability Reporting

Alison Erlenbach — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:34:45 +0000

It has been a common practice by elite companies to provide sustainable reports to the public for the past decade, but education institutions are just stepping through the doors. This type of reporting is known by several names: sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), triple bottom line (TBL), or environmental, societal, and governance (ESG) reporting. UMass Dartmouth [...]

VIDEO–Starting a Sustainable Student Organization

Neale Mahon — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:40:44 +0000

In this video from our friends at Green Tower Sustainability you can learn hints and tips for starting a student organization, with emphasis on campus sustainability organizations. How to Start a Sustainable Student Organization from Ian Bevan on Vimeo. If you are a sustainability student leader on your campus, Green Tower Sustainability can work with you [...]

US DOE Supports Renewable Energy at ACUPCC Signatory Campuses

Alison Erlenbach — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:35:34 +0000

In an Post from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Scott Carlson describes two institutions with major renewable-energy projects either underway or about to begin on their campuses, thanks in part to grants from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Two new 1.65-megawatt turbines at Mount Wachusett Community College in Massachusetts will start generating enough energy to cover all of the [...]

2010 GHG Workforce Needs Assessment

Neale Mahon — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:32:37 +0000

Greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting is one of the fastest growing environmental markets in the United States today. GHG Professionals have expressed increasingly negative skepticism about the preparedness of the industry for the rapid growth in the carbon market. One of the industry’s biggest challenges is the lack of competence in GHG accounting and management among [...]

Sustainability Analyst joins Campus Climate Solutions

Alison Erlenbach — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:51:34 +0000

Campus Climate Solutions welcomes Neale Mahon to thier staff! Neale graduated from the University of Toledo in 2010 with a B.A in Environmental Studies and Planning. Along with his environmental degree, Neale gained considerable experience in the sustainability field becoming a intern in the civil engineering field while also becoming a leader on the University of [...]