by Beth Gray

The growing concern over climate change has led many companies to consider how to alter their own practices in order to mitigate their carbon emissions.  Several large corporations have taken significant steps toward assessing and taking steps to lessen their environmental impact.  Walmart, for example, has a very well-developed sustainability initiative and has a page on their corporate website devoted to tracking how the company is doing in its attempt to have a less negative impact on the environment.  General Electric also has a sustainability initiative and publishes an annual sustainability report to track the company’s progress in achieving a greener future.  Nearly 700 institutions of higher education (including American Public University System) have also pledged to assess their carbon footprints through signing the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and take dramatic measures toward eventually achieving carbon neutrality.  Read the rest of this entry »

by Ashley Adams

On June 13, 25 people made up of Charles Town, WV residents, including Mayor Peggy Smith, and American Public University Systems (APUS) employees came together to participate in a town-wide cleanup. The group divided up and walked the 42 square blocks resulting in 16 bags of gathered trash. The City of Charles Town and APUS partnered to make this a success and hope to continue Community Cleanup events in the future.  It is the goal of this partnership that these kinds of events will lead into recycling and other citywide green programs.

by Jennifer Lefebvre

I recently read a great quick-reference guide called the green book by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen.  It is filled with hundreds of little ideas that we all can do to make significant, positive impacts on our planet’s health.  For this article, I’d like to highlight one of the sections I thought was interesting and informative:  How to green your home, one room at a time.

The Kitchen
Composting.  Place fruits and vegetable scraps, as well as coffee grounds in a container or composter and add them to your garden.  These items are food for your plants, they help to recycle valuable nutrients, and save space in the landfills.  You can also save water by not running your garbage disposal, just by composting the items you would normally send down the drain.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that yard trimmings and food scraps constitute 26 percent of the United States municipal solid waste in the landfills.  For additional information on composting please see the recent American Public University System (APUS) Sustainability blog article by Allison Knox on Composting in the Workplace and at Home.

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by Elizabeth Gray

In 2003 when American Public University System (APUS) moved to Charles Town, West Virginia from its original home of Manassas, Virginia (where the university system continues to maintain its student services and marketing offices), the system’s leadership was cognizant of the historic nature of their new home.  As the institution has grown in student population and added additional employees, adequate parking for employees commuting to work became an ongoing problem.  APUS currently owns eight structures in the downtown area of the city and leases six additional buildings and space in three others.  Several of these buildings do not have their own parking lots and this has forced employees to contend with other downtown businesses and residences for parking on the street. Read the rest of this entry »

by Amy N. Panzarella, SPHR

The concept of “going green” has taken on an entirely new meaning, look, and feel for American Public University System (APUS). APUS is proud to announce that our 2009-2010 graduates will be donning eco-friendly regalia during the commencement ceremony at Constitution Hall on May 21, 2010.  This environmentally friendly regalia look and feel like the traditional cloth previously utilized.  However, the regalia are made of 100% recycled plastic bottles!  Understandably, it is tempting to envision over 450 “Lady Gaga” look-a-likes walking through the procession to receive their diploma wearing gowns made of plastic bottles.  Alas, the reality is that the regalia, known as the “GreenWeaver” line, come from Oak Hall, a company out of Salem, Virginia.

Oak Hall is the leading manufacturer of academic apparel and is leading the charge in helping colleges and universities stay true to their promise to remain environmentally conscious.  The GreenWeaver regalia are made from approximately 23 bottles per gown.  As of March 1, 2010, 3.5 million plastic bottles have been reclaimed from landfills to produce GreenWeaver regalia.  APUS President Wallace Boston signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in September 2007.  We believe our commencement ceremony is the appropriate forum to showcase our support to this commitment.  We are proud to recognize the achievements of our 2009-2010 graduates on May 21 while saving over 10,350 plastic bottles from being permanently deposited into our landfills!  This effort is merely a foreshadowing of what our university can accomplish using innovative ideas and forward thinking to accomplish the commitment made by President Boston and APUS.

To learn more about the May 21, 2010 commencement ceremony held at the Daughters of The American Revolution Constitution Hall, visit the website at http://www.apus.edu/student-affairs-center/commencement/index.htm.

by Amy Panzarella

Putting pen to paper to process the annual benefits open enrollment is a thing of the past!  Many companies, including American Public University System (APUS), have reverted to the more environmentally friendly and efficient method of processing benefits on-line.  This process affords employees the luxury of completing their benefits enrollment at their convenience.  Additionally, it affords the company a significant cost savings.  Take into consideration the following facts:

• 1 tree = 16 reams of printer paper.
• 1 ream of paper = 500 sheets.
• APUS = approximately 700 full-time employees and 400 part-time employees.
• Historically, open enrollment required that Human Resources distribute packets of information to all full-time employees.  Each packet contained approximately 100 pieces of paper.
• All enrollments were typed into the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) and vendor’s systems manually.  This process invited the opportunity for human error.  Additionally, it took an extraordinary amount of time to input information multiple times. 

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by Ashley Adams

In West Virginia, Adopt-A-Highway is co-sponsored by the Division of Highways and the Department of Environmental Protection, Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP).  Adopt-A-Highway was developed in the 1980’s to promote community participation and awareness of the state’s environment by actively removing highway litter.  American Public University System (APUS) joined this program in 2004 and since has picked up trash along a two mile stretch of a local highway three times a year.  An email goes out to staff asking for volunteers to participate in the roadside cleanup. Usually between 15 and 20 employees take an afternoon to gather 20 plus bags of trash. Signs, on either end of the assigned roadside, indicate APUS has volunteered to be responsible for keeping the area free of trash. The Adopt-A-Highway program is in 49 states and available to all organizations.

by Jennifer Lefebvre

If you are in the market for a new vehicle, why not consider a more fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly vehicle?  In the past, hybrid vehicles tended to cost more and many people did not feel the savings up front equaled the fuel savings over the life of the vehicle.  However, costs are coming down and many of these vehicles are even affordable, starting well below $20,000.  There is no question that vehicles have enhanced the quality of our lives since their inception.  However, the increased use of gasoline by our ever-growing and ever-mobile population has added contaminants to our environment that have now affected our air quality.  Vehicles contribute some of the most significant greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution (25 percent of total GHG pollution).

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by Ashley Adams

Are you thinking about putting in new floors, buying new furniture, or switching to wood for any other item in your home? Purchasing products crafted from reclaimed wood is one way to dress up your home without negatively impacting the environment.  There are many companies that specialize in reclaimed wood which includes wood that is no longer suitable in its current state and turned it into something functional.

For example, Centennial Woods uses old snow fences from Wyoming to create beautiful interior and exterior home products.  This company has been able to repurpose over five million feet of snow fence that would otherwise have gone to waste. The company approximates that it has been able to save 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions. Centennial Woods’ products also feature all natural and untreated wood meaning there isn’t “offgassing” once installed. Companies such as Centennial Woods benefit the natural environment and create a healthier indoor environment for consumers.

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by Jessica Stasiw

“Being green” starts at home. From the items you throw into the trash, to the amount of time you spend in the shower, it all adds up to an increased overall carbon footprint. Gas is one thing that is constantly a hot button topic for discussion in regards to the environment. With daily commutes to work and school, lately it seems better for everyone, especially the environment, to just stay home. If you’re interested in returning to school, however, there are eco-friendly ways of doing so, the most obvious one being attending an online school.

There are several eco-benefits to going to school online starting with the consumption of gas…there is none. Fuel emissions from time spent in traffic can have hazardous impacts on the environment and are multiplied when there is nobody with whom to carpool.  With an online school there is no traffic, no gas being consumed by your car on the way to school, and less overall environmental impact since the school is not required to maintain brick and mortar classrooms which require lighting, heating and cooling, and maintenance. E-learning can be considerably less carbon-intensive than conventional brick and mortar-based coursework. Convenience is also an appealing reason to attend an online school.

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