Energy
Power down before leaving for the holidays
Dec. 11, 2011—If you are going to be away from your office or home for an extended period of time over the holidays, remember to power down before you leave. This is a great opportunity to reduce your energy consumption and environmental impact. If permitted in your area, turn off and unplug your computer, monitor, printer, microwaves,...
Fauchet named dean at Vanderbilt School of Engineering
Dec. 8, 2011—by Jim Patterson, Vanderbilt News and Communications Philippe Fauchet (University of Rochester) Philippe Fauchet will be the new dean of the school of engineering at Vanderbilt University. Fauchet, currently chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Rochester, begins work at Vanderbilt July 1, pending approval by the Vanderbilt Board...
Dec. 7 Green Bag Luncheon to focus utility savings at work and at home
Nov. 23, 2011—The Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) and the American Studies Sustainability Project will sponsor the fourth installment of the Green Bag Luncheon Series on Wednesday, December 7 from noon to 1 pm in Sarratt 189. Join Dave Parker, green building consultant and LEED AP, for a presentation and discussion on easy and efficient ways...
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...
Electric vehicle charging stations now available on campus
Oct. 31, 2011—by Liz Entman, Vanderbilt University News and Communications Nine electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are now open to the Vanderbilt community and general public. The stations are a joint project of Vanderbilt University’s Office of Traffic and Parking, Plant Operations, and Sustainability and Environmental Management, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Parking and Transportation Services. Vanderbilt...
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...