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Exploring the Psychology of Behavior Change

By on May 20, 2013 in Sustainability General, Sustainability Resources

by Beth Gray

Behavior change can be one of the most difficult elements of any initiative but particularly for one like sustainability which has only in the last decade or so come to the forefront of strategic planning initiatives for businesses and universities.  In 2009, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency commissioned a report titled, “The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior: Tips for Empowering People to Take Environmentally Positive Action.”  Author Christie Manning explores ways in which we can “make sustainability the social default” in order to make significant progress in our sustainability efforts. … Read the rest

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Hazardous Waste Management and Liability

By on May 3, 2013 in Environmental Protection, Sustainability General

by Krystle McClain
Faculty Member, Environmental Science at American Public University

In the wake of tragic accidents such as the recent West Fertilizer Plant explosion in Texas, the media initiated conversations about the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) community. News stories use key phrases such as risk management, hazard and safety violations, and environmental compliance, thereby enabling the public to become familiar with EHS topics.

When one mentions hazardous waste management and liability, what are the first images that come to mind?… Read the rest

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Voices of Sustainability at APUS: Green Living in Everyday Life

By on April 25, 2013 in American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, APUS Sustainability Efforts, Earth Day, Environmental Protection, Sustainability General, Sustainability in Higher Education

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

… Read the rest

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Upcycling Pallets for Outdoor Projects: Pros and Cons

By on April 17, 2013 in Adaptive Reuse, APUS Sustainability Efforts, Sustainability General

by Sarah Myers

American Public University System is no stranger to adaptive reuse (or “upcycling” on a rather large scale).  Etter Hall, the Samuel Washington House, and Gray Hall are three excellent examples of the university lovingly and efficiently renovating older buildings into office space.  On a smaller scale, APUS supported my tiny house project for my Master’s thesis where I was able to upcycle many different things for a new purpose.  Perhaps the most daunting endeavor of the project was turning old pallets into hardwood flooring. … Read the rest

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World Water Day

By on March 22, 2013 in Current Events, Sustainability General, Water

Today is World Water Day.  Water is essential to all known forms of life and the United Nations’ World Water Assessment Programme estimates that each person needs between 20 and 50 liters of water a day to ensure basic needs are met (drinking, cooking, cleaning, etc.).  One in 6 people on Earth, however, do not have access to clean water.  Illnesses from unclean water and poor sanitation, including diarrhea and typhoid, remain the global leading causes of illness and death. … Read the rest

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The Devil is in the…Distance?

By on March 20, 2013 in Green Economy, Sustainability General

by Beth Gray

In the October 2012 issue of Sustainability: The Journal of Record, editor Jamie Devereaux interviewed Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC).  Norberg-Hodge provides some thought-provoking insights about our global economy, its impact on the environment and even its impact on our happiness. 

Norberg-Hodge presents a holistic view of globalization and in the end, her analysis of the global phenomenon that has shrunk our world is less favorable than many others’. … Read the rest

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Silent Running: Making the EVs Louder to Make Pedestrians Safer

By on January 17, 2013 in Current Events, Electric Cars, Renewable Energy, Sustainability General

Once upon a time, say a century or so ago, there was a scourge making its way across the American countryside: the automobile. In his report Automobile in American Life and Society, Martin V. Melosi quoted historical automobile critics as “infuriated with urban car enthusiasts who gave little attention to frightening livestock or disturbing the tranquility of the countryside.” With all the noise these metal monsters were making, a call rose from concerned citizens to do something about these menaces of the public roadways.… Read the rest

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The Decision to Drive Green

By on January 3, 2013 in Electric Cars, Sustainability General

When it was time to seriously start shopping for a new car, I said “I want to go all in. I want an electric car.” A statement like that may sound like it was made on an environmentally-conscious whim, but this had been brewing for me since a Plug-In Day event held in Manassas. Sponsored by Plug In America, the Sierra Club, and Electric Auto Association I got a change to get a closer look at the rock stars of consumer electric vehicles (or EVs, as they are commonly known by) which included the Tesla Roadster and Coupe, the Chevrolet Volt (an EV that has a nine-gallon gas tank as a “reserve” for when the battery is low), and the Mitsubishi MiEV.… Read the rest

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On Zombies and Our Climate Future

By on November 21, 2012 in Sustainability General

by Ryan Harding

Zombies. You know, the lumbering dead. A groaning, empty-eyed, rigor mortis army with an evincible, yet inexplicable preoccupation with human flesh and the consumption of brraaaaiiiinnnss. (More serious zombie-enthusiasts will tell you that this preoccupation is actually a function of the virus with which the seeming undead are infected, of whose propagative aspirations a zombie’s curious cravings are but a mere manifestation.)

However fantastic the image, it is one with considerable purchase, which has driven its roots deep down into the imaginative landscape of contemporary culture.… Read the rest

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Backpack Solar Power for your Laptop

By on November 7, 2012 in Renewable Energy, Sustainability General, Sustainability in Higher Education

by Sarah McNair

One of the many perks of attending APUS is that we can study just about anywhere we can power our laptops.  Coffee shops are a great alternative to being stuck at home, but what if you’d like to take your studies outside?  After putting together a simple solar generator for the tiny house I built, I started thinking about ways to use this type of system on a smaller scale for mobile education.  The concept of backpack solar power is not new.  In fact, you can purchase ready-to-go systems for a few hundred dollars.  These systems are pricey, usually lack battery storage, and aren’t nearly as satisfying as making your own solar power system!  For the do-it-yourselfers out there, here’s a good place to start:

  • Solar panel
  • Charge controller
  • Battery
  • Inverter
  • Cables
  • Backpack

Solar Panel

I suggest getting a 5 or 10 watt solar panel, but it depends on how much power your laptop needs and how much storage your battery has.  A panel in this range of watts will cost between $25 and $40.  Search online stores for new panels, or (if you have testing equipment you can bring with you) try the local classifieds for used panels.… Read the rest

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