Sustainability

Elon University is the "featured member" for the week of Oct. 4, 2010, on the website and Bulletin e-newsletter distributed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Elon University will receive up to $200,000 in federal grant money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help with the installation of solar thermal systems that will heat water each day in a dining hall and a number of residence halls.

Students and faculty gathered in Lindner Hall on Sept. 23 for a sustainability meeting hosted by the Student Sustainability Council. The meeting was an open forum for everyone to discuss sustainability efforts on campus, promote environmental awareness and propose new ideas for the upcoming year.

The Business Journal of the Greater Triad reported in an early September article on a sustainability internship at Elon University currently filled by student Ben Stanley.

The Sierra Club named Elon University one of the nation’s top “Coolest Schools” in the environmental group’s fourth annual rankings of America’s greenest campuses. It is the second consecutive year that Elon made the list, which rates schools in categories that include academics, waste management and energy efficiency.

What’s an earth-friendly way to cool down a residence hall? Take energy from warm indoor air and drop it hundreds of feet underground. Elon University started work this summer on a geothermal field that will heat and cool the Colonnades residence halls near the Koury Business Center, including three buildings scheduled to open in July 2011.

Elon's project to use geothermal technology to heat and cool the new Colonnades residence halls was featured in reports on News 14 Carolina, Time-Warner Cable's statewide news network, and the Triad's Fox 8 news.

Elon University has partnered with a San Francisco-based company to launch a private network for carpooling. That company, Zimride, created a Facebook-integrated platform to help its users share commutes or one-time rides while reducing campus traffic and parking congestion.

Elon University is featured in a case study on Lucid Design Group’s website, which details the university’s use of the Building Dashboard system for real-time electricity monitoring.

Elon University has finalized a blueprint for shrinking its carbon footprint and promoting conservation in the coming decades by addressing energy use, transportation, solid waste and other sources of emissions on campus. The Climate Action Plan includes recommendations for incorporating sustainability and climate change into education, research and community outreach.