Archive | 2011

Higher Education’s Role in Adapting to a Changing Climate

By on December 5, 2011 in Book/Resource Reviews, Sustainability in Higher Education, Sustainability Resources

by Kelly Wenner

A recent report developed by the Higher Education Climate Adaptation Committee, convened by the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), evaluated how colleges and universities are preparing for a changing climate through a variety of components. The report, Higher Education’s Role in Adapting to a Changing Climate, released in March 2011, looked at characteristics of colleges including their curricula and education, research, operations, and community engagement activities. The report provided an overview and examples on what colleges should be doing to engage students and manage risks in their own campus communities to become more resilient in the face of current and future climate change.… Read the rest

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Achieving a Sustainable Supply Chain

By on November 28, 2011 in Sustainability in Business, Sustainability in Higher Education

by Beth Gray

Supply chain management is an important element of any business.  Dr. Robert Handfield, Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management, notes that until recently, “few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer.”  It is more common in recent years, however, that businesses are paying much more attention to their supply chains.  With the increasing awareness of the importance of corporate social responsibility initiatives, supply chains are not only being “managed,” but are also becoming more environmentally friendly. 

Institutions of higher education are incredible consumers of goods.  In most cases, these “goods” – everything from toilet paper to food and from ink cartridges to dorm furniture – come from outside vendors.  The environmentally-conscious university has to consider the methods used to create these products and the environmental impact of transporting them from manufacturer to end user when evaluating its own environmental impact.  In addition, the waste created from these goods must be considered.  Many colleges and universities are addressing the entire life-cycle of goods and services in order to create more sustainable supply chains.  Rutgers University, for example, has developed a comprehensive, “holistic” approach to supply chain management that is driven by both good and effective use of university funds and the university’s stated responsibility to the environment. 

… Read the rest

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Reverse Vending Machines – The Future of Recycling

By on August 24, 2011 in Recycling, Sustainability General, Sustainability in Business

by Kelly Wenner

Imagine a vending machine that pays you for your product. For those readers living in a state with a bottle deposit law Reverse Vending Machines, or RVMs, may already be commonplace at your local public spaces.  An RVM is a device that accepts empty beverage containers and returns payment – either in money or another form of currency such as coupons or gift cards – to the user.  Businesses that are looking for ways to increase their sustainability initiatives may have found one in this incarnation of recycling.… Read the rest

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Keep Out the Heat

By on August 8, 2011 in Sustainability General

by Shawn Skinner

Last year more people were killed worldwide by natural disasters than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.  If 2010 was the year the earth struck back, what will 2011 be known as? So far in the U.S., the year 2011 has been a year of climatic record breakers blizzards, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and most recently, heat waves.  There are few areas throughout the nation that have not been affected by intense heat this summer. … Read the rest

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APUS Sustainability Summit

By on August 4, 2011 in APUS Sustainability Efforts, Current Events, Green-Building, Sustainability in Higher Education

On July 21st, the APUS Sustainability Committee held the First Annual Sustainability Summit.  Attended by key stakeholders and decision makers within the community, including representatives from local institutions of higher education and local government, the Summit provided a forum for these individuals to discuss ways in which they can promote sustainability.  APUS President, Dr. Wallace E. Boston, welcomed the group.  He discussed the history of sustainability at APUS and provided a chronological examination of the university system’s renovations of several historic buildings in Charles Town, West Virginia.  Mr.… Read the rest

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Life in the Academic Center, 7 months later.

By on July 27, 2011 in Green Building, Uncategorized

By: Wesley Holmes

APU employees moved into the Academic Center in December of 2010. The new 45,000 sqft high efficiency building offers substantial changes from most employees’ previous accommodations, many of whom were relocated from one of APU’s many historic properties across Charles Town. When APU began operations in Charles Town, these preserved and restored historic properties offered unique and sustainable alternatives to new construction. Initially designed as homes and commercial properties they also offered a distinctly different work environment than modern office facilities.… Read the rest

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The Story of Stuff Project

By on June 30, 2011 in APUS Sustainability Efforts, Book/Resource Reviews, Sustainability General, Sustainability in Business, Sustainability Resources

by Beth Gray

Recently, a coworker who is also an American Public University (APU) student (as many of our employees are) sent me a link to a YouTube video that her professor posted as part of that week’s assignment.  The video, produced by The Story of Stuff Project and narrated by Annie Leonard, is 20 minutes in length and provides a somewhat scathing look at the life cycle of our “stuff.” 

Through the use of basic yet effective animations, Leonard describes in accessible terms how all of our stuff comes to be and what happens when we are finished with it.  Through the five steps of the materials economy (extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal), our stuff requires tremendous resources, natural and human.  Along the way, the process harms many of the parties involved.  During the extraction process, for example, people living in the places where the first resources are culled often lose the lands and natural materials on which they have relied for generations.  Because their resources are lost, some 200,000 people a day (worldwide) move from environments that had previously sustained them for generations to cities in search of work, often finding it in the factories that are making stuff from the resources taken from their lands.  During the production process, workers are subjected to many harmful chemicals that are used to create the stuff.  At the same time, working conditions in many of the factories producing our stuff leave much to be desired. 

Even the consumer, who is the driving force behind the manufacturing of this stuff is harmed.  The toxins that go into making the stuff impact those who buy and use these items.  Leonard uses the phrase, “toxins in, toxics out” to make the point that many of our products are actually toxic to us.  Through all of this, the environment takes the most consistent abuse, however.  The loss of vast quantities of natural resources, toxins emitted into the environment, and the irresponsible disposal of most items leaves our planet quite vulnerable, according to Leonard.… Read the rest

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American Muscle: On the Road to Sustainability?

By on June 27, 2011 in Sustainability General, Sustainability in Business

by Shawn Skinner

Many people often do not equate auto performance with efficiency.  This is often true of many early American performance cars.  The first performance engine available to the masses was the Ford Flathead V-8 introduced in 1932.  It is often associated with bootlegging and hot rodding, but it was compact and fuel efficient when compared to larger inline six or eight cylinder engines.  Road tests were even able to achieve 20mpg fuel economy, quite remarkable for the times.… Read the rest

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Environmentally Friendly Father’s Day Gifts

By on June 16, 2011 in Sustainability General

by Jennifer Lefebvre

Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 19th. If you are looking for an environmentally friendly gift for your dad, there are many items available.

Earthtec offers functional apparel while keeping green thinking at the forefront.  In fact, all of their products are made from recycled or renewable materials.  They focus on materials like organic cotton and wool and work with eco-textiles, as well.  Some of these new materials include recycled nylon, corn and coffee beans.

For the hungry dad, Hearst Ranch offers grass-fed meat products for shipping.  Hearst Ranch’s cattle live as foragers and grazers.  The rancher believes that this “enhances a complex and balanced mosaic of native grasslands which in turn maintains vigor and distribution of these habitats, ensuring a sustainable food system.”

… Read the rest

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Safe Sprouts?

By on June 13, 2011 in Current Events

by Shawn Skinner

In recent years, organic produce has increasingly become part of the diet of health-conscious consumers.  Various bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts are found in many salads and sandwiches at cafes and restaurants.  Despite the surge in popularity, some consumers are beginning to feel uneasy about eating sprouts due to the recent European E. coli outbreak.

According to a Reuters article, the outbreak has primarily centered in Germany, and has resulted in about 2,300 infections and 23 deaths.  German officials originally pointed to Spanish cucumbers as the source, but further investigation led to the possibility of bean sprouts from a German farm in Lower Saxony being the culprit.  Two previous outbreaks, one in Japan in 1996 and the other in the U.S.… Read the rest

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