NJHEPS Fall Convocation
October 11 (Columbus Day)
October 11 (Columbus Day)
- David Orr
- NJHEPS Steering Committee Meeting
- USGBC presentation on Oberlin's Lewis Building
In this issue:
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October 11 (Columbus Day) |
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NJHEPS proudly welcomes David Orr, who will offer his extensive wisdom on education for sustainability at our October 11th Fall Convocation, to be held on the afternoon of Columbus Day (Monday). In addition to chairing the Environmental Studies program at Oberlin College, Dr. Orr was responsible for overseeing Oberlin's renowned and comprehensively green Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center from charrette to completion of construction. Known for several dozen articles on biophilia, sustainability, and the environmental and educational implications of architecture as "crystallized pedagogy," David is also the author of Earth in Mind and Ecological Literacy, which have greatly shaped current-day thinking about higher education and education for sustainability.
We invite all interested students, faculty and staff to participate:
Use the links above to register for either or both events at Acteva. We hope to see you there!
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Jeff Perlman and Helen Gramcko to NJHEPS |
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Carmela Federico is leaving her position as NJHEPS Program Manager to become the inaugural Sustainability Center Coordinator at Ramapo College. Jeff Perlman from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Policy will become Program Manager-Interim and Helen Gramcko, Asst. Director, York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science will assist NJHEPS coordination of programs and staff.
In her one-and-a-half years as Program Manager at NJHEPS, Carmela Federico has made major contributions in many areas. She quickly developed expertise in energy and green design and helped lead several workshops. One highlight was her excellent Power Point presentation on the results of the Greenhouse Gas Action Plan to the New Jersey Presidents' Council. She coordinated the collection, analysis and presentation of data on this flagship initiative of NJHEPS, and also has worked to prepare Energy Reports and Action Plans for ten New Jersey colleges and universities. Carmela's excellent writing and editing talents were well-utilized in a variety of other projects. She produced the Campus Energy Toolkit: Tips, Strategies and Case Studies to Reduce Energy Costs and Emissions, and together with Herb Simmens produced the High Performance Campus Design Handbook, Volume I: Overview and Rationale. Many people know Carmela through her fine editing of the NJHEPS Newsletter. Carmela's background in K-12 sustainability education, moreover, enabled her to contribute to the National Science Foundation-funded sustainability curriculum project that Middlesex County College and NJHEPS have undertaken.
Carmela's deep commitment to sustainability and extensive knowledge will continue to contribute to sustainability in higher education through her new position at Ramapo College. Carmela says her work "will involve teaching, working with educators, participation in greening of campus operations, and being part of a team that designs and implements the Ramapo Sustainability Education Center's extensive and varied program offerings." In her new position, Carmela will continue to work with NJHEPS to achieve its important goals in transforming curriculum, campus operations, and society.
Fortunately, we have found a highly qualified replacement for Program Manager in Jeff Perlman, now completing his graduate work in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Policy at Rutgers University, in urban planning with an emphasis on the environment. Jeff is immediate past president of the Rutgers University, Graduate Student Association and an officer in Rutgers Sustainable, the Rutgers student sustainability organization. In Spring 2004, Jeff, Mike Crockford and other colleagues in Rutgers Sustainable participated in ongoing discussions to form a university-wide Rutgers sustainability council.
Jeff has a strong scientific background with an undergraduate degree from Rutgers in biotechnology and an M.S. in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. After working briefly in industry, Jeff's interests turned to sustainability. He is involved in two course projects with Professor Clinton Andrews, (an NJHEPS Vice President and Treasurer) that are highly relevant for work with NJHEPS. First, Jeff developed building renovation plans in Highland Park using LEED-EB (Leadership In Environmental and Energy Design- Existing Buildings) standards. Second, he is participating in a green planning studio on sustainable communities, also focused on Highland Park. Jeff also has extensive knowledge and interest in sustainable transportation.
NJHEPS is also fortunate that we will now be able to draw on the extensive talents of Helen Gramcko, Assistant Director, York Center for Environmental Engineering and Science, for project and staff coordination. Dr. Donald Wheeler continues as Executive Director, Terra Meierdierck as Program Intern, and Andre Sharrief as Administrative Assistant.
Students Shine at Climate Campaign Workshop |
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The event highlighted the diversity and creativity of Northeast campus climate campaigns. Students at Connecticut College, for example, organized a "Do it in the Dark" festival: for one night, all non-essential electricity was shut off, and students gathered for a candlelight concert. The campus paper later reported the amount of money and electricity saved -- money that could perhaps be used to buy green electricity.
Stay Tuned: The Climate Campaign is also organizing a New York/New Jersey Student Climate Workshop/Retreat for mid-October (October 15 - 17). Contact Billy Parish (bparish@climatecampaign.org; 203/887-7225) for more information.
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NJHEPS and Princeton Offer Energy Management Solutions |
On August 11th, 25 people -- from industry, government, and 7 New Jersey campuses -- gathered to discuss energy management solutions. Given the increasing cost of electricity, and the increasing volatility in electricity and fuel pricing, campuses and organizations -- now more than ever -- need to manage energy use (especially during peak periods), cost-effectively utilize available technologies, and in some way manage financial risk. This workshop, through presentations and peer-sharing, gave those who attended a chance to think about ways they can accomplish these tasks.
Michael Fischette (Concord Engineering Group), opened the event with an overview of energy management; he explained the options available and offered tips to help facility managers successful bid, purchase, and maintain energy management solutions. Princeton and IceTec then offered in-depth presentations on IceTec energy management offerings and Princeton's energy management system (which involves an IceTec system). IceTec offers products that predict fuel/electricity costs and weather, and generate cost-efficient equipment run schedules.
Presentations are available (in either PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat format) at www.icetec.biz/presentations (double-click on the underlined NJHEPS which will appear on your screen).
NJHEPS Receives AT&T Support |
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NJHEPS, again this year, has received $5,000 in support from the AT&T Foundation. The grant will support improvements in NJHEPS' use of telecommunications technologies to disseminate information and to build and strengthen communities of practice, to advance sustainability in higher education and in New Jersey.
Mr. Paul Seifried, AT&T Client Business Manager, visited NJIT's York Center, headquarters of NJHEPS, to give the check to Dr. Donald Wheeler.
We invite everyone to visit AT&T's Environmental Health and Safety website, full of useful information -- including details of AT&T's Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowships Program.
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Faculty Profile:
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Professor & Director of Center for Environmental Systems
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ 07030
Tel: (201) 216-5675 / Fax: (201) 216-8303
christod@stevens.edu
NJHEPS welcomes Dr. Christos Christodoulatos to its Executive Committee. Dr. Christodoulatos is the Director of the Center for Environmental Systems (CES) at Stevens Institute of Technology. The Center is dedicated to basic and application-motivated inter- and multi-disciplinary research aimed at creating basic scientific knowledge, advanced technology, and innovative management practices that lead to novel solutions for a sustainable utilization of our environmental resources.
Dr. Christodoulatos has been teaching and performing research in environmental engineering for the last fourteen years in the areas of biological and physicochemical processes. Specific research interests include: development of technologies for air pollution control by cold plasmas; remedial technologies for contaminated wastewater, groundwater, air; biological treatment of energetic materials; environmental compatibility of consumer products; environmental sustainability and industrial ecology; and solid and liquid waste treatment in bioregenerative life support systems for extended space travel.
Dr Christodoulatos has promoted and implemented sustainability concepts and practices on college campuses and beyond. Specifically:
The applications are due by 5pm on Wednesday, September 8th, and phone interviews will begin soon afterward. Hiring decisions will be made by prior State Coordinators and the Climate Campaign Steering Committee. PERKS:
Download an application from this link. Send completed applications to Billy Parish at bparish@climatecampaign.org.
See: es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2004/2005_star_grad_fellow.html for more information.
GRO Graduate Fellowships
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Greater
Research Opportunities (GRO) program, is offering Graduate Fellowships
for master's and doctoral level students in environmentally related fields
of study. The deadline for receipt of pre-applications is November 23, 2004.
Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately
20 new fellowships by July 21, 2005. Master's level students may receive
support for a maximum of two years. Doctoral students may be supported for
a maximum of three years with funding available, under certain circumstances,
over a period of four years. The fellowship program provides up to $37,000 per
year of support.
See: es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2004/2005_gro_grad_fellow.html for more information.
GRO Undergraduate Fellowships
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering Greater Research
Opportunities Undergraduate Fellowships for bachelor level students in
environmentally related fields of study. The deadline for receipt of
pre-applications is November 23, 2004. Subject to availability of funding,
the Agency plans to award approximately 15 new fellowships by July 21, 2005.
Eligible students will receive support for their junior and senior years of
undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer
between their junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $17,000
per year of academic support and up to $7,500 of internship support for the
three-month summer period.
See: es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2004/2005_gro_undergrad_fellow.html for more information.
Established in 1997, the UNH Office of Sustainability Programs (OSP) is an endowed, university-wide program that links the principles of sustainability to community life. OSP initiatives integrate sustainability principles and practices into all facets of the land grant mission including teaching, research, operations, campus culture and engagement and extension. OSP’s work is organized around four educational initiatives: Biodiversity, Climate, Culture and Sustainability and Food and Society. All initiatives involve collaboration with faculty, staff and students as well as local, regional and international partners. Collaboration is build upon the common goal of improving community life.
The Associate Director is responsible for the overall management of the Office including internal systems and relations as well as interaction with campus faculty, staff, administrators related to policy and implementation of OSP programs, facilities, finance and personnel. Responsibilities include operational coordination and integration of the 4 OSP initiatives and related working groups, and supervision of OSP staff of 3 FTE, 6-12 part-time undergraduate and graduate interns, and project consultants. The Associate Director is also responsible for the coordination, and implementation of a strategic communications plan including webpage, e-newsletter and press releases, formal and non-formal, campus-wide educational programming as well as frequent written and oral presentations about OSP initiatives and projects to internal and external audiences.
Minimum Qualifications: Master's degree in a sustainability related discipline and five years of related experience, or Bachelor's degree and eight years of related experience. Supervisory experience should demonstrate the ability to create a management structure that is creative, responsible, and open in establishing annual goals and supporting creativity and leadership by staff. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including grant and report writing and public speaking are required as is a strategic grasp of approaches to programmatic communication. A well-grounded understanding and deep commitment to sustainability is essential.
TO APPLY: https://www.unhjobs.com .
For further information, contact:
Dr. Tom Kelly, Ph.D.
Director UNH Office of Sustainability Programs
Nesmith Hall Durham NH 03824
Ph: 603-862-2640 Fx: 603-862-0785
The wording reads:
"I _____________ pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work."
(Some have modified the Pledge wording to suit the needs of their school.) Taking the Pledge is voluntary and if the commitment is made, it allows students to determine for themselves what they consider to be socially and environmentally responsible.
Information on ways to implement a pledge campaign, publicize the pledge, and resources to use to begin a campaign at your campus can all be found at: www.graduationpledge.org.
New Book: |
Higher Education and the Challenge of Sustainability:
Problematics, Promise, and Practice
Book Homepage: www.wkap.nl/prod/b/1-4020-2026-0
edited by Peter Blaze Corcoran (Florida Gulf Coast University) and Arjen E.J. Wals (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
This book provides a variety of valuable theoretical and practical resources for students, teachers, researchers, and administrators who seek to integrate sustainability in higher education. Sustainability is not only explored as both an outcome and a process of learning, but as a catalyst for educational change and institutional innovation. The book raises the various problematics related to this inchoate field and provides an intellectual history and critical assessment of the prospects for institutionalizing sustainability in higher education.
Says David Orr, Professor and Chair of the Environmental Studies, Oberlin College:
"Issues of sustainability pose a Copernican level challenge to educators and educational institutions everywhere. Professors Corcoran and Wals have assembled an exemplary group of scholars and change agents to survey the field and the results are both useful and exciting. Strongly recommended for educators, administrators, and all interested in the transition to a world better than that in prospect."
Prices:
Hardbound, ISBN 1-4020-2026-0, $USD 160
Paperback, ISBN 1-4020-2134-8, $55
For ordering information please contact:
Customer Services
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Customer Service Department
P.O. Box 358, Accord Station
Hingham, MA 02018-0358
Tel : (781) 871-6600
Toll Free : (866) 269-9527
Fax : (781) 681-9045
E-mail : kluwer@wkap.com
High-Performance Green Building Design Salon
American Institute of Architects New York Chapter. ASHRAE, USGBC
Thursday Sept 9, 2004, 5:30 - 7:30 P.M
Center for Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place, NYC
Directions: Between Bleecker and West 3rd Street. A, C, E, F, V (exit W 4th St.); N, R (exit Prince St.); 1 / 9 (exit Christopher St.); 6 (exit Bleecker). Additional Information & Registration: www.go2buildings.com
Sustainable Built Environments
Liberty Science Center
Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ
September 14th, 2004, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
$100 general; $75 for employees of NJHEPS member institutions (contact Andre Sharrief -- 973/596-5850, sharrief@njit.edu -- for promotional code to use during online registration).
Join a coalition of 6 major companies (Johnson Controls, Environmentalists, Philips, Johnson Diversey, Forbo, and Milliken Carpet) for a full day of informative and interactive presentations featuring:
Keynote Speaker: David Gottfried, Founder of the US Green Building Council
For more information: www.sustainablebuiltenvironments.org/sem_newyork.htm.
To register: www.provendirect.com/asbe/index.asp. (Employees of NJHEPS institutions: contact Andre Sharrief -- 973/596-5850, sharrief@njit.edu -- for discount promotional code to use during online registration).
Climate Vision: Program and Policy Initiatives
David Berg, Chief Advisor, National Energy Policy Office, DoE
Tuesday September 14, 2004 5:30- 7:30 PM
3 West Club -- 3 West 51st St., New York City
Sponsored by the Center for Economic and Environmental Partnership, with the Center for Association of Energy Engineers, New York Chapter; American Planning Association; Sustainable Energy Initiative, New York City Metro Chapter; and the Environmental Business Association of New York State, Inc., Energy Task Force
Online registration: www.ceepinc.org
Climate VISION works with industry to identify and pursue cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases using existing technologies; develop tools to calculate and report emission intensity reductions; speed the commercial adoption of advanced technologies; and develop strategies to reduce emissions intensity in other economic sectors. Climate VISION explores alternative policies that government might apply to help industry with early commercial uses of advance energy technologies.
Pre-Registration required by 5:00pm Monday, September 13, 2004:
Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference
September 29 - October 1, 2004
War Memorial and Marriott - Trenton, New Jersey
Sponsored by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)
Make plans now to attend the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference in Trenton, NJ on September 29-October 1. This exciting conference will combine the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's annual Mid-Atlantic Sustainability Conference and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Green Building Conference. This one-of-a-kind event will bring together professionals in the areas of clean energy, high-performance building, sustainable business, and more. Don't miss the opportunity to attend!
Information about conference registration, including prices: www.nesea.org/buildings/be/midatlantic2004/registration.html. The conference will feature five tracks designed to deliver practical advice and real-world knowledge:
The conference will kick off on Wednesday, September 29 with a full day of workshops. On September 30 and October 1 we will feature provocative and informative keynote speakers; 20 break-out sessions led by the region's best experts in green building, clean energy, smart growth, and more; numerous networking opportunities; a full trade show; and a buildings tour. See "Conference at a Glance" for an overview of each day's activities. Sessions, speakers, workshops, and special events will be posted in early July. Conference registration will open in late July. If you have any questions, please call (413) 774-6051 or email nesea@nesea.org. Visit the MASC website (www.nesea.org/buildings/be/nj/) for frequent updates.
Solutions for a Shrinking Planet: Engineering and Enterprise for Human Development
September 30 - October 2; Stanford California
Conference website: esw.stanford.edu/conf04/
Stanford University proudly invites you to join us for the 2004 Engineers for a Sustainable World National Conference, to be held on the Stanford campus September 30-October 2, 2004. Situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford and Palo Alto represent the forefront of technology-based innovation and social entrepreneurship. The conference will showcase the best of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, providing participants with opportunities to learn from leaders in sustainable development and enterprise, to share ideas and network, and to build inspiration and motivation to facilitate activism in their home organizations and communities.
This three-day event will explore the theme, "Solutions for a Shrinking Planet," in several ways. Internationally renowned keynote speakers will give overview talks on the current status of engineering-based development. Workshops led by top scientists, product designers, community leaders, and social entrepreneurs will explore sub-topics in detail. Through these workshops, participants will learn about creating partnerships, assessing community needs and constraints, designing appropriate technologies, and implementing solutions in a locally sustainable manner. Presentations on current projects, discussions of lessons learned in the field, and nightly film selections will facilitate discussion, knowledge transfer, and networking. Finally, a career fair will showcase current and potential project partners; it will also highlight employment opportunities for socially conscious engineers and entrepreneurs.
SCUP Sustainability Day in October -- All Month Long!
www.scup.org/profdev/csd/csd_2.html
SCUP invites you to choose an October day for your Campus Sustainability Day that coincides with any of four "no-travel" events they offer (all are at 1 pm Eastern time):
SCUP also asks that you contact them with details about whatever Campus Sustainability Day you organize, so they can place the event on their website calendar -- and contact NJHEPS also (tmeierdierck@njheps.org; 973/642-7848)! We'd like to help campus organizers inspire each other with their ideas and plans.
You can select to license all four audiocasts, or you can license the one that works best for your campus, based on either the topical focus or the timing. Be sure to share this event with those on your campus who are teaching related classes in the fall term. Registration will open soon, but you can register your interest through contacting csd@scup.org.
The first U.S. Northeast Campus Sustainability Summit (NECSS) is designed to convene the growing network of higher education institutions, non-profits, activists, and community members working to advance campus sustainability in the northeast region. The Summit goals are to:
Follow the links below to:
To learn more about Bioneers, visit The Collective Heritage Institute and its 15th annual Bioneers conference. For more information, contact Adam Ward, conference coordinator at The Office of Sustainability Programs (603/862-8564, adam.ward@unh.edu) or download a registration form.
Sustainability and Higher Education Conference
Education for Sustainability Western Network
October 21 - 23, Portland OR
www.efswest.org/conference/program.php
Discounted Registration ends September 10!
This conference aims to advance sustainability at college campuses throughout the U.S. and Canada, and will tie into the United Nation’s Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), with a special address by UNESCO program chair Chuck Hopkins and Wynn Calder, Associate Director of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (Secretariat for the Talloires Declaration). Conference organizers have chosen the theme "Defining the Vision for Higher Education" as a fitting focus for the first of what is intended to become a series of EFS conferences in the West.
Invited Speakers
Invited plenary and keynote speakers include the following sustainability leaders:
International Conference on Education for a Sustainable Future
January 18 - 20, 2005
Center for Environment Education (seec@ceeindia.org, www.ceeindia.org)
Ahmedahad, Gujurat, India
See http://www.ceeindia.org/esf/index.htm for more information and to register!
Greenbuild Expo
Portland, Oregon
November 10 - 12, 2004
$450 - $750 ($99 for students)
www.greenbuildexpo.org
Join others interested in green building and design at the US Green Building Council's yearly national conference.
Upcoming AEE Telecourses
Complete Course Offerings: www.aeecenter.org/realtime/.
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NJHEPS
Dr. Donald Wheeler, Executive Director
Dr. Daniel Watts, President
Want to share progress towards sustainability on your campus? Please send news items to Terra Meierdierck (973-642-7848; tmeierdierck@njheps.org) for inclusion in our newsletter.
NJHEPS gratefully acknowledges the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Educational Foundation of America, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the AT&T Foundation, AT&T, Inc., and the NJHEPS 39 Member Institutions.
This newsletter is available online (from www.njheps.org/press.html). This newsletter is sent out twice a month by NJHEPS via an announcements-only listserv, NJHEPS-news@listserver.njit.edu. If you no longer wish to subscribe to this listserv, please use the tools available on the listserv's homepage, at http://listserver.njit.edu/mailman/options/njheps-news/* (replace the "*" with your email address), or notify Terra Meierdierck, NJHEPS Program Intern.