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Archive Year

December

Power Strip

Your Winter Break Sustainability Check List

December 18, 2018
Winter break is already in progress for Northwestern undergraduates, and faculty and staff members are also preparing for a holiday break. Before leaving campus for the holidays, you can take steps to conserve energy while spaces are unoccupied.
solar car building

Students Drive for a Better Solar Car

December 16, 2016
The Northwestern University Solar Car Team (NUsolar) is an undergraduate student organization that designs, builds, and races solar-powered vehicles. This past summer, NUsolar successfully competed against 19 other university teams at the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2016, a track race held at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex. After returning to campus in the fall, students dove into the task of building SC7, the team’s seventh generation solar car.
green cup winners

Green Cup Saves Energy and Water

December 16, 2016
From October 17 through November 13, campus residences participated in Green Cup, a friendly competition to reduce energy and water use and engage in events focused on sustainability. The event resulted in significant energy and water savings. Winning residences in four categories claimed the Green Cup trophies, and prize money that can be used for sustainability themed activities or put toward Dance Marathon fundraising.
Composting at Northwestern

Composting at Northwestern

December 16, 2016
sustainNU established a food waste composting program in 2012, in partnership with Northwestern Dining. The University also composts landscaping waste. Over the past year, approximately 15 percent of waste generated on campus was composted.
bikes

Campus Transportation Survey Identifies Challenges and Opportunities

December 16, 2016
This fall, sustainNU released its inaugural campus-wide Transportation Survey in partnership with the University’s Office of Institutional Research and Transportation and Parking Services. The goal of the survey was to gather information that will inform efforts to make traveling to and from campus more convenient and environmentally sustainable.

November

all hands meeting

Sustainability Working Groups Share Progress and Plans

November 21, 2016
Northwestern has set ambitious goals for creating an environmentally sustainable campus, and students, faculty, and staff members from across the University are mobilizing to take action to achieve these goals. Five Sustainability Working Groups are tasked with overseeing the implementation of sustainability initiatives, and these groups recently gathered to share updates on their plans for the coming year.
transportation

Complete the Northwestern Transportation Survey

November 21, 2016
Students, faculty, and staff members are invited to participate in the inaugural Northwestern Transportation Survey. This survey offers you an opportunity to provide critical input on existing transportation options and ideas on how these options could be improved.
bike

City of Evanston and Northwestern Receive Bike Friendly Designations

November 21, 2016
The City of Evanston has been given a renewal of its designation as a “Bicycle Friendly Community” at the Silver Award level by the League of American Bicyclists. In addition to the City’s designation, Northwestern University was recognized as a "Bicycle Friendly University" at the Silver Award level for the first time.

October

Green cup trophies

Green Cup is Underway

October 24, 2016
From October 17 through November 13, students on campus in Evanston are competing in Green Cup. This event challenges students to reduce energy and water use in their residences and to participate in sustainability-related events.
waste bins

Digging into the Trash to Reduce Waste

October 24, 2016
Northwestern is planning to take a close look at the trash collected on campus to identify opportunities to reduce waste and increase recycling.
Energy scan

Getting Strategic about Energy Management

October 24, 2016
Northwestern is working with partners with ComEd and Nicor Gas to take a strategic approach to managing energy use and make significant energy saving improvements on the Evanston campus.
Norris Green Office

Offices at Norris and the Law School Go Green

October 24, 2016
The Green Office Certification program engages Northwestern staff and faculty in efforts to create more environmentally friendly workplaces on campus. Two new groups recently received Green Office Certification. The offices at Norris University Center completed an extensive effort to green their practices, and the Administrative Services offices and dean’s office at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law became the first offices on the Chicago campus to complete Green Office certification.
sustainNU

Reintroducing sustainNU

October 24, 2016
Northwestern’s sustainability program is undergoing a transformation in how we structure our efforts, and as part of that process, we’re adopting a new, old name. For some time, “sustainNU” referred to both Northwestern’s Office of Sustainability and broader sustainability efforts on campus. Starting this October, we decided to drop the Office of Sustainability title and identify our campus-wide sustainability program simply as sustainNU.

September

student group

Student Groups Take on Sustainability

September 22, 2016
Student organizations make significant contributions to campus life at Northwestern. More than a dozen organizations on campus focus on issues of the environment and sustainability.
Kellogg

Kellogg’s New Home Showcases Sustainable Design

September 22, 2016
When it opens in 2017, the Kellogg School of Management’s new state-of-the-art Global Hub will be one of Northwestern’s most environmentally friendly buildings. The business school’s new home reflects the principles of sustainability and efficiency and showcases sustainable design.

A Solar-Powered House by Northwestern

September 22, 2016
One of the newest construction projects on campus isn’t an academic building or residence hall. It’s a solar-powered house, and it’s being designed by Northwestern undergraduates.
Ryan Field

Ryan Field Parking Lot Gets Greener

September 22, 2016
Wildcat fans visiting Ryan Field this fall will find an improved parking lot with new environmentally friendly features. Green features of the reconstructed lot include rain gardens, landscaping with native plants, and updated energy efficient lighting.

August

Kresge Hall Opens with New Green Features

August 16, 2016
This August, faculty and staff started moving into the newly renovated Kresge Hall. The renovation was planned with sustainability in mind, and the project team is pursuing LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
battle of the buildings

Gearing Up for the Battle of the Buildings

August 16, 2016
This fall, Northwestern will compete in the ENERGY STAR Battle of the Buildings, a national competition that engages building managers in a 90-day challenge to see how much energy they can save.
solar panels

Northwestern Recognized for Green Power Use

August 16, 2016
The U.S. EPA has released its updated Green Power Partnership top partner rankings, and Northwestern came in seventh among green power users in the higher education sector. Northwestern purchases or generates green power equal to half of the University’s total annual electricity consumption.

Going Back to School Sustainably

August 16, 2016
New students and those returning to campus this fall can prepare to live sustainably by thinking about the environment when shopping and packing for the new academic year.

July

bike repairs

Northwestern Bike Commuters Score a Victory

July 18, 2016
Each June Northwestern competes in the Bike Commuter Challenge organized by the Active Transportation Alliance. This year Northwestern won in its category of educational institutions with 5,000 or more employees, edging out the University of Illinois at Chicago for the greatest percentage of employees who logged rides during the competition.

Donations Collected During Move-Out Benefit Local Charities

July 18, 2016
Each June during student move-out, the Office of Sustainability coordinates the “Take it or Leave it” program, collecting items that students no longer want and donating them to local charitable organizations. This year more than 400 pounds of food was donated to Campus Kitchens NU (CKNU). In addition to the food, nearly 20,000 pounds of clothing and household goods were collected for donation to Goodwill.
Divvy bikes

Bike Sharing Comes to the Evanston Campus

July 18, 2016
A new environmentally friendly transportation option is now available on Northwestern’s Evanston campus with the introduction of Divvy Bike Share. Thanks to a partnership between the University, the City of Evanston and others, 100 Divvy bikes and 10 bike share stations were installed around Evanston in late June.

Meet Northwestern’s New Sustainability Director

July 18, 2016
Kathia Benitez joined the Office of Sustainability in June 2016 as the director of sustainability. Kathia is responsible for providing leadership and management to ensure integration of sustainable practices throughout the University’s campuses. She will coordinate and administer sustainability and energy efficiency programs in collaboration with students, faculty and staff.

Aiming for Efficiency with ENERGY STAR

July 18, 2016
Northwestern has set some ambitious goals for improving energy efficiency in campus facilities, aiming to achieve a 20 percent reduction in energy use intensity (EUI) by 2020. The University’s ongoing partnership with the ENERGY STAR® program is a key part of efforts to achieve these goals.

May

Earth Month 2016

May 13, 2016
Northwestern celebrated Earth Month throughout April with a wide variety of activities designed to engage the University community on issues of environmental sustainability.

Campus Offices Go Green

May 4, 2016
The Green Office Certification program engages Northwestern staff and faculty in efforts to create more environmentally friendly workplaces on campus.

April

Students and Staff Making a Sustainable Difference

April 25, 2016
Each quarter, the Sustainability Excellence Awards recognize students, faculty, and staff members who have gone above and beyond to promote environmentally sustainable practices at Northwestern.

Beyond Earth Week

April 21, 2016
Northwestern’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond a single week-long celebration.

Celebrate Earth Week at Northwestern

April 14, 2016
April 22 is Earth Day, and Northwestern student groups, offices, and departments are planning environmentally themed events throughout the month of April.

March

Looking Forward to Earth Week 2016

March 24, 2016
From April 17 through 23, and throughout April, Northwestern will celebrate Earth Week with events and activities designed to draw attention to issues of environmental sustainability.

Keep Mixing It Up

March 15, 2016
In February, Northwestern moved to mixed recycling, meaning that paper, cardboard, glass, cans, and plastic are now collected in the same recycling bins.

Reach for the ENERGY STAR

March 6, 2016
Northwestern is committed to reducing energy use on its campuses and is proud to be an ENERGY STAR® partner.

February

Students Take on Sustainable Food

February 23, 2016
Northwestern students are involved in promoting more environmentally sustainable practices both individually and through student organizations.