Related Blog Posts - Financing

AASHE's Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums are here!

Submitted by Seann Sweeney on October 23, 2009 - 11:29am

The AASHE Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums are here!

If you have an interest in joining in on interactive campus sustainability discussions, you will want to visit and participate in the forums. The forums provide a central place where those interested in campus sustainability can ask and answer questions, share knowledge and expertise, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge on campus sustainability.

Open Thread on College Sustainability Report Card

Submitted by Niles Barnes on October 7, 2009 - 4:13pm

The Sustainable Endowments Institute released its College Sustainability Report Card today. There often seems to be a desire within the campus sustainability community to discuss the Report Card so please use this space to share your thoughts. How is your campus reacting to the Report Card? Are you able to use the Report Card to advance sustainability on your campus? What do you like about it and what do you dislike about it? Are there things that you'd like to see changed?

STARS 1.0 Early Release has launched!

Submitted by Jillian Buckholz on September 17, 2009 - 6:01pm

Since the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC) first called for a campus sustainability rating system in 2006, AASHE has been creating STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, & Rating System, for colleges and universities. After three years of collaboration with numerous higher education professionals, sustainability experts, and professional organizations, AASHE has launched the STARS 1.0 Early Release at the Greening of the Campus VIII: Embracing Change.

RMI’s Michael Kinsley on the Importance of a ‘Whole System Design Approach’ for Buildings

Submitted by Stephen Muzzy on September 11, 2009 - 10:50am

Stephen Muzzy, Program Manager at Second Nature highlights sessions and resources from the 2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit, which took place in Chicago in mid August, 2009. In this post, he shares a presentation by Michael Kinsley, Senior Consultant with the Rocky Mountain Institute.

For years, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has been working to "drive the efficient and restorative use of resources" by industry. Recently, RMI jumped into the higher education arena. In June, RMI collaborated with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to host a workshop that addressed the common challenges campuses face to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The workshop informed a new online resource being developed entitled “Accelerating Campus Climate Change Initiatives;” it provides practical guidance for campuses developing Climate Action Plans. More information on this collaboration can be found in an earlier AASHE blog post titled, "RMI Workshop Convened to Brainstorm Solutions to the Most Common CAP Barriers."

The New Financial Climate: Converting Risks of Climate Change into Opportunities

Submitted by Stephen Muzzy on September 8, 2009 - 12:01pm

Stephen Muzzy, Program Manager at Second Nature, highlights sessions and resources from the 2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit, which took place in Chicago in mid August, 2009. In this post, he shares highlights from the presentation of Joe Grasso, Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at Cornell University.

Mr. Grasso,the Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at Cornell University and Chair of the National Association of College & University Business Officers (NACUBO) Sustainability Advisory Panel discussed the proposed American Clean Energy & Security Act (ACES) HR 2454 and the potential financial implications climate legislation would bring to the higher education sector. If passed into law, ACES would create a new financial environment that would require higher education institutional leaders to adapt their roles by:

Martha J. Kanter, U.S. Undersecretary of Education, Spoke at Climate Leadership Summit

Submitted by Stephen Muzzy on August 28, 2009 - 11:02am

Stephen Muzzy, Program Manager at Second Nature highlights sessions and resources from the 2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit, which took place in Chicago in mid August, 2009. In this post, he describes the presentation of Dr. Martha J. Kanter, U.S. Undersecretary of Education.

Dr. Martha J. Kanter the U.S. Undersecretary of Education and former Chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District delivered the opening keynote at the 2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit. Dr. Kanter made clear that the Obama administration recognizes the importance and the challenge of addressing climate disruption and that formal education is a key strategy to halt it. With the administrations support, the Department of Education is focused on creating a common agenda for how we live and how we educate in order to provide health and economic prosperity for all. To achieve this, Dr. Kanter believes that sharing information and collaborating across sectors are the most effective means to scale up efforts towards a green and clean economy. Dr. Kanter shared the following key developments in federal policy, stimulus funding, and information on creating healthy, high performance schools:

The 1,000 lb. Elephant in the Room - Capital vs. Operational Budgets

Submitted by Stephen Muzzy on August 25, 2009 - 11:45am

Writing from the 2009 ACUPCC Climate Leadership Summit - William C. Johnson, Vice President, Haley & Aldrich Inc and Board Member at Second Nature discusses the challenge of budgeting for the long-term.

Book Version of Campus Climate Action Planning Guide Is Now Available

Submitted by Walter Simpson on July 22, 2009 - 11:35pm

Earlier this year, with the help and support of AASHE staff and peer reviewers, I had the privilege of preparing the initial text of the AASHE campus climate action planning wiki. This resource, while supportive of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, was designed to help all campuses move forward with their climate action commitments. The wiki format was chosen to encourage collaboration by readers whose contributions would build a larger body of knowledge about how campuses can reduce their carbon footprints.

After the wiki was created and posted, I continued working on the text and have now completed an updated text which is available in book format. Entitled Cool Campus! A How-to Guide for College and University Climate Action Planning (pdf), the book version of the campus climate action planning guide is now available on the AASHE site. It’s about 4 MB so it takes a minute to download. Of course, the wiki version is still available. It has been re-titled as well.

Alumni Sustainability Funds

Submitted by Justin Mullikin on July 20, 2009 - 2:03pm

Financing

A new AASHE member’s only resource made available this week, Alumni Sustainability Funds, provides a look at how some institutions are funding sustainability initiatives while at the same time encouraging alumni giving and involvement. In today’s climate, new sources of funding - especially for sustainability projects which often don’t have immediate payoffs - are becoming ever more valuable to colleges and universities. The ubiquitous, “Yes, that sounds great but where will we get the money?” becomes, “The alumni are really behind this,” and the benefits are more than monetary. More interest in sustainability projects from alumni means more support for those programs and eventually more momentum behind starting new ones.

Getting the Most Out of an Energy Performance Contract – Part 1

Submitted by Julian Dautremont... on April 7, 2009 - 2:46pm

This is a Guest Blog from Walter Simpson, CEM, LEED AP, retired 26-year University at Buffalo Energy Officer and Director of UB Green. Walter is working with AASHE and the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment to provide guidance to assist signatories of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. We encourage readers to post comments and questions for Walter.

Hello Campus Climateers!

I am a big believer in energy performance contracts and I make a point of promoting them whether I give lectures or presentations on campus energy conservation or green campuses. While not all of these projects turn out stellar, the concept of performance contracting is a good one. These projects have the potential to accomplish a tremendous amount of energy conservation in a very short time compared to what schools can internally accomplish on their own. Projects of this type can also be self-financing and require no upfront money – which sounds too good to be true but it’s true! Moreover, for campus lacking energy expertise or enough facilities staff, a good ESCO working on a performance contract can be like the cavalry arriving with just the help you need.