climate change
Sustainability, transportation and environmental efforts highlighted in FutureVU FY2023 Progress Report
Mar. 22, 2024—What you need to know: FutureVU is the overarching campus planning process in support of Vanderbilt’s Academic Strategic Plan. The annual report provides an overview of progress around the core themes of connectivity and community enhancement, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, environmental sustainability and the preservation of the university’s historic, park-like setting. Highlights of the report...
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...
Vanderbilt highlights smart mobility research, innovative solutions at Nashville expo
Dec. 5, 2023—Over the next two days, leaders from across the state will convene at Nashville’s Music City Center, where the latest advancements in smart mobility will be experienced firsthand. Vanderbilt is a sponsor and a participant in the event, where faculty and students will exhibit the latest in their smart mobility research and innovation work. The...
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 researchers explore new science education approach to build youths’ agency amid climate anxiety
Nov. 29, 2023—By Jenna Somers Heidi Carlone A three-year, nearly $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation supports a trans-institutional research team at Vanderbilt University investigating an innovative approach to STEM education that could help young people develop STEM identities and agency amidst climate anxiety. Children around the world experience growing levels of climate anxiety as they witness the worsening...
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...
Vanderbilt welcomes ORNL researchers for collaborative climate and justice workshop
Oct. 30, 2023—Vanderbilt hosted the Vanderbilt University–Oak Ridge National Laboratory Workshop on Climate Change and Environmental Justice on Oct. 9, welcoming ORNL researchers for a dynamic discussion on the climate change research the organizations are undertaking and to explore potential collaborations. The workshop, sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation, was the...