News
Vanderbilt Power Plant Conversion Highlighted in AASHE 2013 Higher Education Sustainability Review
May. 7, 2014—The Vanderbilt power plant’s natural gas conversion was highlighted as a high-impact energy initiative in the 2013 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)’s Higher Education Sustainability Review, released April 15, 2014. Vanderbilt was profiled by AASHE because of the announcement in spring 2013 that the University planned to convert the coal-fueled...
Learn about air quality at Walking Wednesdays event
Apr. 28, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] Join Health Plus, the Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness Center and the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) on Wednesday, April 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for the weekly Walking Wednesdays event. Steve Gild with SEMO will lead the walk and discuss air quality as part of National Air Quality...
Diamond named Udall Scholar
Apr. 28, 2014—[Originally published by MyVU] The Office of Honor Scholarships is pleased to announce that Michael Diamond, a junior in the College of Arts and Science, has been named a 2014 Udall Scholar. The Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency that was established by Congress in 1992 to provide federally funded scholarships for college students...
The Kefi Project is taking art to unexpected places
Apr. 23, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] Can art help define our public spaces? Who gets to make this art, and does it have value beyond its aesthetic appeal? These are questions senior Kion Sawney wanted to explore when he won a 2013 Creative Campus Innovation Grant to start a public art initiative at Vanderbilt. The result is...
Vanderbilt again included in ‘Princeton Review’ green colleges guide
Apr. 22, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] For the third year in a row, Vanderbilt University has been included in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges: 2014. The book is available as a free download. Schools were chosen for the guide according to their course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment...
SEMO Celebrates Earth Day with No Impact Week
Apr. 22, 2014—Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) celebrated Earth Day a little early by organizing a “No Impact Week” April 14-18 on campus. SEMO staffers converged on the Rand Wall to encourage the Vanderbilt community to improve their conservation efforts—including eating locally, conserving water and using only items that can be recycled—and then talk about...
Don’t Toss it!—Vanderbilt’s Earth Friendly Move Out Tips
Apr. 22, 2014—With the hustle and bustle of finishing up the semester, moving out can be a hectic process of trying to fit a year’s worth of items into cars, suitcases, and storage. For all the items that don’t fit, Vanderbilt’s Earth Friendly Move Out provides opportunities to keep a large volume of material out of the...
‘If You Stay, Use a Tray’: A Dining debate over convenience
Apr. 10, 2014—[Originally published by InsideVandy] Since Vanderbilt Campus Dining unveiled an HOD group’s “If You Stay, Use a Tray” campaign in Rand, which began March 24, 687 fewer to-go boxes were taken out of Rand Dining Center on weekdays during breakfast and lunch hours, a decrease of about 137 boxes per day. Through posters, social media, stickers,...
Changes made to VU office supply procurement policy promote sustainability
Mar. 31, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] Vanderbilt Procurement recently announced several changes to Vanderbilt’s office supply procurement policy through Guy Brown, with two focusing on further aligning procurement with VU’s committment to sustainability. Automatic substitutions for selected products Beginning Tuesday, April 1, Guy Brown orders for many brand-name printer toner cartridges and various general office supplies will...
Follow these tips to make your spring garden grow
Mar. 27, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] One of the best things about spring is the amazing assortment of flowers, trees and plants that bloom on Vanderbilt’s campus and in our area. Vanderbilt landscapers and groundskeepers take care to ensure that the products and practices they use to keep campus grounds healthy and vibrant do not have a...
SEMO Sustainability Intern Position for Summer 2014
Mar. 24, 2014—A student intern position in the VU Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) will be available full-time from mid-May through mid-August. Funding for this position is provided by Waste Management, Inc. Objective: The sustainability intern will assist SEMO in coordinating and promoting sustainability programs across campus and the medical center. The sustainability intern will assist...
Climate Connections: Bridging the Gap Between Students and Sustainability
Mar. 19, 2014—Join SPEAR and VSG on Thursday, March 20, from 5-7 PM in Sarratt Cinema for an inspiring and informative discussion of the intersection of the environment with society. Through two TED Talks and an open panel, how climate change is intertwined with nearly everything that influences daily life, including economics, entrepreneurship, policy, food, health, and faith,...
Practice these tips for World Water Day 2014
Mar. 19, 2014—“Water and Energy” is the theme of this year’s World Water Day, recognized on March 22, which aims to promote water and energy conservation. Water is required for almost all energy production, and energy is used during water extraction, purification and distribution. This relationship is commonly called the water-energy nexus. At Vanderbilt, energy is used...
In Class and Across Campus, Vanderbilt Helps Future Generations Find Relief for an Overstressed Planet
Mar. 18, 2014—[Originally published in Vanderbilt Magazine] Written by Joanne Lamphere Beckham From corporate boardrooms to statehouse chambers to the halls of academe, sustainability is one of this century’s biggest challenges. Although defined in many ways, sustainability is generally understood as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet...
Did you know? Ride to work at Vanderbilt for free on an MTA bus
Mar. 3, 2014—[Originally posted by MyVU] All full-time Vanderbilt employees, graduate students and Vanderbilt University Medical Center volunteers are eligible to ride to and from work for free on an MTA bus. Simply swipe your ID card upon boarding the bus. The ID should be used only for rides to and from work. Contractors, former employees and...