featured
Vanderbilt University Native Meadow flourishing with collaborative research projects
Apr. 29, 2024—Tucked behind the 6 Magnolia Building on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus is what might look to some like a lush garden of weeds. In reality, it’s a strategic Native Meadow full of pollinator-friendly plants. Funded by the Vanderbilt Green Fund in 2021, students proposed filling a meadow with plants native to the Tennessee/Nashville area to increase...
Tapping into the past
Apr. 29, 2024—With a prestigious new grant, archaeologist Ari Caramanica will explore what ancient people can teach us about dealing with the most pressing environmental issue of our time. By Michael Blanding Among the dry hills of the north coast of Peru are massive earth mounds that appear to be natural features. Archaeologist Ari Caramanica has revealed them...
Vanderbilt creates Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate
Apr. 1, 2024—Vanderbilt University will harness its global expertise in scientific discovery, technological innovation, public policy, law and education to launch the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate (VSEC). The multimillion-dollar investment follows a recommendation by an interdisciplinary working group to address the crucial societal challenge of ensuring a sustainable world. It is the latest center...
Vanderbilt to participate in Earth Hour to raise awareness of climate change
Mar. 22, 2024—Things to Know: Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 when more than 2.2 million people turned off their lights for one hour. In 2023, Earth Hour saw over 410,000 hours pledged to the Hour Bank. Vanderbilt University, and many Nashville businesses and organizations, participate annually in Earth Hour to raise awareness about climate change. Anyone can participate by...
Voluntary Household Actions Contribute 40% of Cumulative Emissions Reductions under the IIJA and IRA
Mar. 4, 2024—The role of household actions in reducing carbon emissions worldwide has been hotly debated, but the United States data confirm their significance. In 2021, households accounted for roughly one third of U.S. CO2 emissions, with the residential sector representing over 19% and passenger and light duty vehicles representing another 22%. A new paper from Vanderbilt...
Climate storytelling at Vanderbilt: Mary Annaïse Heglar highlights “The Highs and Lows of Climate Grief”
Feb. 20, 2024—Writers, artists and scholars of the environmental humanities have opened a parallel discussion about climate change—one that examines not just what the climate crisis is, but how it feels—that has grown steadily louder. A leading voice in this discourse is Mary Annaïse Heglar, whose work uses storytelling in fiction and nonfiction to depict the emotional landscape of the...
Vanderbilt greenhouse gas emissions drop 11 percent since last year and 35 percent since 2016, sustainability report shows
Jan. 31, 2024—What you need to know: Vanderbilt University’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 11 percent overall since fiscal year 2022. Emissions have dropped 35 percent since 2016 (the first year Vanderbilt reported emissions separately from VUMC). Commuting emissions decreased 64 percent between FY22 and FY23 due to increases in telecommuting and greater insights into commuting behaviors. ...
Curb Center launches Vanderbilt Eco-Grief Initiative
Jan. 29, 2024—The Curb Center is pleased to announce the Vanderbilt Eco-Grief Initiative, a yearlong collaborative project that will use art as a tool to investigate the complex set of emotions—sorrow, guilt, terror, complicity and a range of others—that come to mind as we contemplate our changing climate and witness its effects on earthly life. By engaging artists...
Wond’ry Commodore Cup Unleashes Student Innovation for Sustainable Campus Transformation
Dec. 4, 2023—This year, the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Center for Innovation, launched their first ever Commodore Cup, a design thinking challenge that was funded through one of Vanderbilt’s Sesquicentennial Grants, which resulted in teams showcasing their ingenuity with proposed sustainability improvements for Vanderbilt’s campus. We were elated to embark on the journey of creating a groundbreaking program centered...
Vanderbilt sophomore attends release of National Climate Assessment at the White House
Nov. 27, 2023—Gabrielle Beck, a sophomore studying neuroscience and environmental policy, attended the release of the fifth annual National Climate Assessment on Nov. 14 after receiving an all-expense-paid invitation from program Director Allison Crimmins. The National Climate Assessment, a congressionally mandated report released by the White House every four years, provides scientific information about climate change risks, impacts and responses...