Sustainability

In the second week of the POWERless Energy Competition, 38 of the 41 campus buildings participating showed a reduction in energy use. The top building of the week in Division I was Oaks C, with a 17.04 percent reduction. In Division II, three buildings in Loy Center, Buildings D, E and F, reported a 20.19 percent reduction.

Thirty-five of the 41 campus buildings taking part in the 2010 POWERless Energy Competition showed a reduction in energy use in the third week of the program. Leading the way in Division I was Oaks A, and in Division II, the top building of the week was the Cannon Pavilion in the Academic Village.

Elon will once again hold a spring semester contest to see which residence hall can most reduce its electricity consumption. The POWERless Energy Competition kicked off Feb. 16 at College Coffee and runs through April 6. The contest aims to improve energy habits and raise awareness of energy conservation while making a positive impact on the planet.

Elon University produced fewer greenhouse gas emissions between June 1, 2008, and May 31, 2009, compared to the previous fiscal year. The emissions reduction is the primary finding released this month in the second annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory.

A new BioBus route made its debut Tuesday afternoon as a group of faculty, staff and students traveled through Burlington as part of the Downtown/East Burlington Express Loop. The route will help will lead to a reduction in the university’s carbon footprint and assist academic service-learning and federal work study students who need transportation away from campus.

RecycleMania returns to Elon this spring for the university’s fourth year taking part in a national recycling competition involving hundreds of college and universities. Leaders hope to surpass the 73,638 pounds of recyclable materials collected last spring on campus during the contest.

Martha S. and Carl H. Lindner III Hall, the new administrative home for Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the ‘greenest’ building on campus, has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a national recognition for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

November 16-20 is Sustainability Pledge Week! Elon's Sustainability Pledge was created to encourage campus community members to reduce their environmental impact. Those who take the pledge are asked to make at least three positive changes in their daily lives. In addition, pledge takers have the opportunity to identify the steps they are already taking to reduce their impact on the environment.

Three sustainability programs at Elon University are featured in the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology 2009 campus sustainability case studies, the only database of its kind featuring sustainability practices at 59 schools from 30 states across the country.

Students, faculty and staff will have an opportunity this month to provide feedback on Elon University’s proposed Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years by setting short- and long-range goals for power management, energy production and commuting.