Conservation
Vanderbilt University launches sustainable lab program
Apr. 18, 2024—The new Vanderbilt Sustainable Labs program, an initiative from Environmental Health, Safety, and Sustainability in the Division of Administration, provides guidance and a voluntary certification designation for laboratory members to reduce the environmental impact of their lab activities. Laboratory spaces traditionally consume about five times more energy per square foot than standard office spaces, making them a crucial...
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...
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...
Vanderbilt Campus Dining launches ReusePass reusable container program
Aug. 21, 2023—Vanderbilt University Campus Dining is introducing the ReusePass program, its latest effort toward integrating sustainability into daily campus life. Launching at the start of the fall 2023 semester, ReusePass offers a straightforward process that empowers participants to effortlessly make eco-conscious dining choices and help curb single-use plastic waste. ReusePass replaces the Fill it Forward program...
Vanderbilt preserves history through the salvaged remains of the Bicentennial Oak
Jun. 29, 2023—The Bicentennial Oak, the only tree on Vanderbilt’s campus known to predate the founding of the university, fell in November due to age-related decay. Estimated to be about 250 years old, the bur oak was one of the most recognizable trees on campus, and it served as a landmark near Garland Hall for generations of Vanderbilt...
Philips and Vanderbilt University Medical Center unite to define roadmap for decarbonizing radiology
Jun. 16, 2023—From the VUMC Reporter Amsterdam-based Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have announced a collaboration that aims to reduce the health system’s carbon footprint while determining a blueprint to guide industry efforts. The project is with VUMC’s Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, where efforts will focus on...
New Sesquicentennial Oak Tree joins Vanderbilt’s green canopy
Apr. 26, 2023—As Vanderbilt University dares to grow while observing its Sesquicentennial this year, the campus welcomes a new tree to mark the occasion. Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and members of the Vanderbilt community gathered for a small ceremony on April 24 to commemorate the planting of the Sesquicentennial Oak Tree, which is located near Garland Hall and Buttrick Hall. The tree planting follows the recent loss of the Bicentennial Oak,...
LIVING LABORATORY
Apr. 26, 2023—Educational as well as beautiful, Vanderbilt’s arboretum is 150 years in the making In March of 1873, Bishop Holland McTyeire convinced Cornelius Vanderbilt to contribute an initial $500,000 to found Vanderbilt University. By May, McTyeire had negotiated the purchase of several tracts of farmland on a small hill west of Nashville to become the campus....
Vanderbilt to further offset carbon footprint by investing in solar energy projects through Clearloop
Apr. 19, 2023—Vanderbilt University will further offset its carbon footprint by investing in the development of solar energy projects that will expand access to clean energy in the Southeast. A new, multiyear collaboration with Clearloop, a Silicon Ranch company, builds on Vanderbilt’s commitment to powering its campus entirely through renewable energy and maintaining carbon neutrality. Vanderbilt’s investment...
Environmental writer Cal Flyn to discuss ‘Islands of Abandonment’ as Warren Center’s Howard Lecturer
Mar. 30, 2023—Cal Flyn, an award-winning author and journalist who has written extensively on nature and environmental issues, will deliver the 2023 Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture on April 4. Flyn will discuss her latest book, Islands of Abandonment, during the annual lecture, which begins at 4 p.m. in the Central Library Community Room. Focusing on the ecology...