In the last five or six years, the prevalence of workplace wellness programs and sustainability initiatives has increased tremendously. A 2012 RAND report sponsored by the US Department of Labor and the US Department of Health and Human Services notes that “92 percent of employers with 200 or more employees reported offering [health and wellness programs] in 2009.” A 2011 KPMG report notes that “sustainability has moved up the corporate agenda over the past three years.” According to the report, “sixty-two percent of companies surveyed have a strategy for corporate sustainability, up from just over half in February 2008…” The American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) now has nearly 700 signatories (including APUS), indicating the increasing environmental consciousness within the educational community. … Read the rest
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Voices of Sustainability at APUS: Green Living in Everyday Life
APUS Sustainability Committee member and German native, Gabi Gimbel, shares practical information to help us be more sustainable in our everyday lives in the podcast below. From composting to recycling and beyond, Gabi lives sustainably everyday! There is great information here – check it out!
Green Living in Everyday Life by APUS
… Images of Sustainability at APUS – Telecommuting
As a fully online university, American Public University System (APUS) is able to keep its carbon footprint comparatively low. Because students are able to study from anywhere around the world, they are never required to travel to our campus in Charles Town, West Virginia. By the same token, APUS has a telecommuting program for most employees. Many of our employees work from home at least once a week and some, depending on their job functions, work exclusively from home. Just as our 100,000 students are studying in all 50 states and more than 100 countries, our faculty are also working remotely. … Read the rest
Images of Sustainability at APUS – Porous Pavers
At American Public University System (APUS), environmental consciousness can be seen across our campus buildings. From recycling bins in every building to green cleaning products and from solar power to parking lots, our dedication to sustainable practices is evident. Because most of our campus buildings are historic and most were previously used as private residences, there was a general lack of parking available. Asphalt parking lots are not very environmentally friendly particularly because of the process required to refine it to a usable state. … Read the rest
National Climate Assessment
by Ryan Harding
Years ago, I sat across the table from a good family friend, a (doctoral-level) professional meteorologist and researcher. Talks about weather are usually what we reserve for new acquaintances, and coworkers with whom we have trouble finding common intellectual ground. It is the sort of indifferent congenial nattering in which you unwittingly thrust yourself as you, and the person standing opposite you, search, frantically, through your mental rolodex for a topic of discussion with greater staying power than one whose sole purpose is to–like a news anchor ‘winging it’ to fill empty airtime–serve as short-lasting alternative to apocalyptic awkward silence.… Read the rest
APUS is a Finalist for a Climate Leadership Award
Second Nature recently notified American Public University System (APUS) that the school is a finalist for a Climate Leadership Award. “The annual Second Nature Climate Leadership awards recognize innovative and advanced leadership in education for sustainability, climate mitigation and adaptation and institutionalized sustainability at signatory campuses of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment [ACUPCC].”
Each finalist was asked to create a 1-3 minute video highlighting sustainability efforts at their school. During the month of April, the public may vote on these videos. … Read the rest
APUS Opens New Green Finance Center
In the latest addition to its headquarters in Charles Town, West Virginia, American Public University System (a fully online university serving more than 100,000 students) is celebrating the opening of its 105,000 square foot environmentally-friendly Finance Center. The building sits adjacent to the school’s Academic Center which opened in November 2010. Both buildings were built to US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Gold standards, a level above the Silver standard required of APUS as a charter signatory of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).… Read the rest
The Environmental Sustainability Herd
by Ryan Harding
Coined by Thomas Friedman, the phrase “electronic herd,†perhaps, may elicit in your mind an image of cattle, furiously stampeding through the vast web of crisscrossing fiber optic cables which comprise the mortar upon which we have built our Information Society. A miniature herd of cattle which could, if not for the thin sheet of liquid crystal and glass before you, come pouring out of your computer monitor surrounded by a great plume of dust and dirt.… Read the rest
The Progress and Promise of the ACUPCC
by Beth Gray
As mentioned in a recent article on this blog, the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. Our previous article explores the background of the ACUPCC and the progress the commitment has made in gaining support and membership. Beginning with only twelve founding members, the ACUPCC now boasts nearly 700 signatories from across the country. At the ACUPCC’s 6th Annual Climate Leadership Summit held in Washington, DC last month, participants were treated to a chronicling of the tangible progress made by those nearly 700 schools to date. The quantitative progress made is significant and worth noting.… Read the rest
- Composting in the Work Place and at Home
- Adopt-A-Highway
- Reverse Vending Machines – The Future of Recycling
- SS Credit 4.1- 4.4: Alternative Transportation
- SS Credit 6.2: Stormwater Design—Quality Control
- Exploring the Psychology of Behavior Change
- Hydro-Fracturing News
- Hazardous Waste Management and Liability
- APUS Celebrates Earth Day and Wellness
- College Campuses Celebrate Earth Day
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