by Beth Gray

Last week, several American Public University System (APUS) staff members from the school’s Instructional Design and Development office and the Office of the President presented at the 16th Annual Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning in Orlando, Florida.  The Sloan Consortium (often called simply “Sloan-C”) “is an institutional and professional leadership organization dedicated to integrating online education into the mainstream of higher education, helping institutions and individual educators improve the quality, scale, and breadth of education.” More than 1,400 individuals attended (some virtually via Sloan’s live streaming feature) this year’s conference.  Attendees included representatives from other fully online institutions, ground-based colleges and universities, and schools with blended programs. 

The presentation, titled “Going Green Online,” detailed the ways in which APUS has capitalized on its online format to make significant progress in mitigating its carbon footprint.  The theme for this year’s conference was “The Power of Online Learning: Stimulating New Possibilities” and the group discussed the ways in which online universities can make a tremendous impact in combating climate change, a practice that is still relatively new to the online learning community.  To date, APUS is the only fully online school to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.  Stressing the effectiveness of online instruction in helping to reduce a school’s carbon footprint, the presenting group provided best practices to help interested schools of all formats (online, blended, or on-ground) get started with their own sustainability programs.  The unique session topic was well-attended and was a great fit for the conference theme of “stimulating new possibilities.”

by Ashley Adams

When shopping, for food, clothes, furniture, or other products, there are a few terms used frequently that are sometimes misunderstood. As the trend of purchasing green products as alternatives to the more traditional products becomes more poplar, so too do the marketing ideas to draw consumers’ attention.  There are many signs and labels that say “organic” or “all natural.” Some believe these are the same thing but they are not.

Organic, when applied to food, means that the products have passed standards set by a state or private entity that is accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The USDA has a sub-program that develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards of organic products called the National Organic Program (NOP). There are several different organic labels to look for when shopping. The labels can be directly on the products or on a sign displayed with the products.  There is a civil penalty of up to $11,000 for each offense to any person who knowingly sells or labels a product incorrectly.

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by Jennifer Lefebvre

One of our favorite green websites is thedailygreen.com.  This month they have some great articles for homemade Halloween goodies, recycled costumes and great information about safe face paint for the kiddos.

Their face painting report comes from recommendations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which has warned parents to be careful of Halloween face paint.  Since masks can obscure the vision of little ones, face painting is a great alternative.  However, the FDA warns parents to be sure the face paint they purchase is safe, avoiding allergic reactions.  Luna Organics provides a non-toxic, hypoallergenic line of children’s face paint that is also very cost effective. 

They also have fun information if you are looking for homemade Halloween costume ideas or information about recycled costumes and where to find them.

Some of their ideas for going green this Halloween include reusing Halloween costumes and giving out different types of items, like recycled pencils and erasers, instead of candy.  Using pillowcases for trick or treating instead of plastic bags is another way to green your Halloween – plus, the kids will have a ton of fun trying to fill it up!

However you choose to celebrate this fun holiday, there are many options for going green.

by Jennifer Lefebvre

Fall has definitely arrived for most of us and fast on its heels is winter which means it’s time to think of ways to reduce energy wastes in your home.  As temperatures begin to fall, your home needs additional care to make sure it’s ready for winter.

In our homes, energy is lost during every season, but a lot can be lost during the winter months.  Energy escapes through the walls, roofs, and cracks you may or may not know you have.  The US Department of Energy states that drafts under doors or in windows can account for up to 30% of energy loss.

A few ideas to help save energy in your home this winter are:
Check your furnace.  A good idea is to have an HVAC professional inspect your furnace and clean your ducts at least once a year.  Be sure to change your filters on a monthly basis to insure that your air flow is optimal.  Many utility companies even provide this service for free.

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by Shawn Skinner 

With gas topping four dollars a gallon in many parts of the country, there has been little obvious reduction in full size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on US highways.  Could that change within the next decade?  Could rising gas prices or more stringent government fuel economy regulations cause automotive companies to abandon full-size truck manufacturing for consumer sales?  One thing is for certain: change is on the horizon.

On April 1, 2010, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released their rules for fuel economy standards for the years 2012 to 2016.  According to Car and Driver, “Under the new rules, combined fleet fuel economy will have to increase to 29.7 mpg for the 2012 model year, ramping up to 34.1 mpg by 2016. The passenger-car slice of that number goes from 33.3 (2012) to 37.8 mpg (2016) while light trucks increase from 25.4 to 28.8 mpg. The current standard is 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.5 mpg for light trucks.”  These figures are for a manufacturer’s entire fleet, not individual models and vary by the vehicle’s “footprint.”  The Tundra Headquarters website explains: “If a vehicle is small, it will have a higher than average requirement. If it is big (like a full-size pickup) it will be lower.”  If a vehicle has a footprint larger than 66 square feet, it no longer receives any additional reductions in the fuel economy requirement—this means that auto manufacturers will probably no longer be motivated to increase the length of full-size trucks.  This is contrary to the trend of larger, longer trucks in recent years.

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