Energy
Law professor sees progress where environmental and economic good meets
Nov. 18, 2011—by Amy Wolf [Article originally published in Vanderbilt View] Environmental law and property law expert J.B. Ruhl said he considers himself part of the “radical middle” when it comes to helping craft solutions to controversial environmental issues. “Sometimes you need to take an environmental good and pair it up with an economic good to get...
Fifteen ways to go green this holiday season
Nov. 17, 2011—by Liz Entman, Vanderbilt University News and Communications The holiday season is traditionally a time of plenty, but it can also be a time of excess. The average American household generates 25 percent more trash during the holiday season. And who has never thrown away freezer-burnt leftovers because nobody got around to eating them? Add...
Engineering seniors design a bio-inspired solar cell with EPA funding
Nov. 11, 2011—[Originally published by Vanderbilt School of Engineering] A team of Vanderbilt engineering seniors has been awarded $15,000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to design a nature inspired large-scale solar cell. The students, under the guidance of Kane Jennings, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and Amrutur Anilkumar, professor of the practice of...
Seeking game-changing energy technologies
Nov. 11, 2011—by David Salisbury “Gentlemen, we have run out of money. It’s time to start thinking.” This quote, attributed to the New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford, summarizes the main point of the presentation that the director of the newest federal research agency, the Department of Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (DARPA-e), gave on campus this week. The...
Smaller footprint leads to great strides in going green
Nov. 10, 2011—By Lauren Koenig [Article originally published on InsideVandy] Vanderbilt’s plant operations have set some big shoes to fill by substantially reducing the university’s carbon footprint this past year. According to a report released by Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Management Office, overall emissions have been reduced by 10 percent since 2008. Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions per square...
Vanderbilt University greenhouse gas emissions down 10% since 2008
Oct. 25, 2011—Report released on Campus Sustainability Day, Oct. 26 Vanderbilt University has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) per square foot by 18 percent since 2005 and has decreased its total emissions by 10 percent from an all-time high since 2008, according to a new report prepared by Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office. The GHG...
Electric vehicle charging station coming to campus
Oct. 3, 2011—By Princine Lewis [Originally published by Vanderbilt University News and Communications] Vanderbilt University has teamed with the Electric Power Research Institute and the Tennessee Valley Authority to build an integrated solar-assisted electric vehicle charging station on campus. Known as a Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal, or TVA SMART™ station, the facility will be part of...
Vanderbilt Green Fund solar installation combines student initiative, renewable energy technology
Sep. 23, 2011—An innovative solar energy installation now adorns a concrete silo at the Vanderbilt co-generation power plant. The unique, 8.16-kilowatt, student-initiated solar project – made possible by funding from the Vanderbilt Green Fund – incorporates renewable energy technologies while providing access to usable, real-time electricity generation data that will be available to the public online. Last...
Green screen film series explores environmental issues
Sep. 19, 2011—[Article originally published on InsideVandy.com] By Lauren Koenig Throughout the fall semester, the Alternative Energy Club (AEC) will be screening five documentaries on a variety of environmental topics as part of the Green Screen film series. While some of the movies focus on familiar environmental issues such as energy consumption, others present subject matter that...
A sustainable Vanderbilt
Sep. 5, 2011—by Lucas Loffredo [Article originally featured on InsideVandy] Sustainability is, as defined by Vanderbilt University’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO), “the development of a process or management system that helps to create a vibrant campus economy and high quality of life while respecting the need to sustain natural resources and protect the environment.” Opinions...