News
Podcast: GreenVU Informational Panel Discussion
Jan. 28, 2008—[Originally published by Vanderbilt News Service] The GreenVU organization arranged a Jan. 24 panel presentation to discuss sustainability projects at Vanderbilt University. Listen to podcasts of the presenters: Andrea George, PhD, Director, Sustainability and Environmental Management Office Jack Barkenbus, Research Fellow, Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies Jennifer Hackett, Vanderbilt University Recycling Coordinator Keith Loiseau,...
Vanderbilt discovers the ‘black gold’ of composting
Jan. 25, 2008—[Originally published in MyVU] Vanderbilt’s park-like setting that garnered it the designation of a national arboretum also means a lot of trees: more than 7,500. And all those trees produce a massive amount of leaves that, until recently, were just stockpiled at Natchez Triangle. “The Grounds Department wanted to try to incorporate green principles to...
Green effort at Vanderbilt extends into virtual world
Jan. 2, 2008—[Originally published in MyVU] The computing revolution comes with a not-often acknowledged environmental cost. Computers – and the servers which allow them to run – use energy and give off heat. Then they have to be cooled down, using more energy. At Vanderbilt, officials with Information Technology Services are using a “server virtualization” strategy to...
Recycling gathers momentum at VUMC
Oct. 26, 2007—[Originally published in The VUMC Employee Quarterly] Over the years, any number of offices and work groups at VUMC have launched independent recycling efforts. Now a more coordinated program is taking shape. In August 2006, a medical student group called VUMC C.A.R.E.S. (Campaign for Awareness, Recycling, and Environmental Sustainability) started a pilot recycling program, waging...
Vanderbilt First University in Tennessee Recognized for “Green” Building
Aug. 27, 2007—By Princine Lewis, Vanderbilt News Vanderbilt University is the first university in the state to be recognized for environmentally friendly construction by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings....
New coordinator to boost campus recycling efforts
Aug. 20, 2007—[Originally published in The Vanderbilt Register] By Kara Furlong Green efforts on campus are getting a boost with the hiring of Vanderbilt’s first full-time recycling coordinator. Jennifer Hackett, whose longtime advocacy for recycling was in part shaped by her experience as a Vanderbilt divinity student, was named to the position in July. Though Vanderbilt has...
VU initiates power curtailment due to record heat
Aug. 10, 2007—[Originally published in The Vanderbilt Register] With record heat over the past several days and high temperatures forecast for the weeks to come, Nashville Electric Service is anticipating a significant increase in power consumption across the Nashville community, leading it to issue a Power Supply Alert to its customers. In response, Vanderbilt has initiated a...
The New Wal-Mart Effect
Aug. 6, 2007—[Originally published in The Vanderbilt Register] American companies and consumers can encourage foreign suppliers to follow environmental rules, researcher finds By Amy Wolf Most of America’s low-cost stores have much of their merchandise made in foreign countries, such as China. What’s become better known, because of recent news reports, are the serious safety and environmental...
From French Fries to Clean Fuel: Using recycled vegetable oil, biodiesel inititative seeks to improve air quality on campus
Jul. 9, 2007—[Originally published in The Vanderbilt Register] By Kara Furlong A Vanderbilt student group’s love of nature and desire to conserve natural resources has led to a project that will produce cleaner-burning fuel for use on campus. The Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative, started by participants of Vanderbilt’s Wilskills program, will take used vegetable oil – the stuff...
Campus asked to conserve electricity in anticipation of long, hot summer
Jun. 25, 2007—[Originally published in The Vanderbilt Register] By Kara Furlong June 21 marked the official start of summer, and though the daylight hours have begun their slow but steady decline toward fall, summer – and its heat – are far from over. That has some Vanderbilt administrators thinking about the university’s energy consumption, and they are...