Location(s)

Phil Donahue will return to his home town of Cleveland on Sunday, September 14th, to receive Ohio Citizen Action's 2008 Howard M. Metzenbaum award. The event, which will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Cleveland Institute of Art's Cinematheque theater, will include a viewing of Donahue's stirring documentary Body of War (87 minutes), question and answer session with Donahue and a coffee and dessert reception to follow.

Phil Donahue began his broadcast career at Cleveland's NBC affiliate and launched his audience participation television talk show in Dayton in 1967. The show, which was honored with 20 daytime EMMY awards, ran for 29 years and changed the face of daytime television. He is currently touring the nation as co-producer/director of the documentary Body of War. This film follows the story of Tomas Young, a 25 year-old paralyzed U.S. soldier, who was wounded after serving for less than a week in Iraq.

GCBL just completed a major overhaul of our section covering University Initiatives. In addition to a comprehensive climate neutrality toolkit and a best practices list, nearly every university in our seven-county region has a page summarizing their campus sustainability initiatives.

The vast majority of campuses in the area are increasing efficiency of buildings in order to save money on heating and cooling while decreasing their carbon footprint. Public colleges in particular are being required to lower building energy consumption by 20% by 2014 because of House Bill 251 signed by Governor Ted Strickland in January of 2007.

We have also found that the campuses with the strongest programs are those that solicit input from students, faculty, and staff, usually in the form of an Environmental Committee. The people that live and work on campus every day know a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of their institution and are in an important position to contribute ideas to make their campus more sustainable.

Green roofs
Tree Planting
Low-Income Communities

Green roofs

A green roof is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil. They provide an aesthetically pleasing green space while adding insulation to a building. Food can also be grown on green roofs for use in campus dining halls! Click here for more information on green roof contractors.

Tree planting

While a mature tree absorbs 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, the temporary nature of trees has made them a controversial pick for offsetting carbon. So while you might not want to use them on campus for official carbon offsetting purposes, trees are still nice to have around since they provide shade and habitat for wildlife.

Low-income communities

A great option for carbon offsetting is to fund energy efficiency projects in local low-income communities. With rising energy bills, new insulation or CFL lightbulbs can make a big difference for local families.

Composting
Recycling Program
Source Reduction
Furniture
No bottled water

Local food
Vegetarian Options
Trayless Cafeterias
Reusable flatware and mugs
Takeout boxes

General
Bike Lanes
Free Bikes or cheap bikes
Carsharing
Ridesharing
Parking Passes
Local circulator/shuttle routes
Pedestrian safety improvements
Free or discounted public transportation passes
Students
Remote Parking
Upperclassmen only parking
Charter Buses to major cities during breaks
Increase parking permit fees
Faculty and Staff
Encouraging Faculty and Staff to live in town

Safety and Security
Biodiesel, Electricity, and Bikes
Landscaping
Native
Low/no-mow
Integrated Pest Management

Saftey and Security

Biodiesel, electricity, and bikes

Safety and security vehicles are great opportunities to test alternative fuels. The stop-and-go nature of patrolling makes hybrids a logical choice for campus vehicles. Bike patrols can also be useful ways to promote health and wellness while increasing interaction between officers and the campus community. Check out the International Police Mountain Bike Association.

Landscaping

Native

Native plants cost less to maintain, use less chemicals and water, and save money! Check out this list of native Ohio grasses.

Low/no-mow

The EPA estimates that using a gas mower for an hour pollutes as much as driving a car at least 20 miles. Here are some alternatives that can reduce the amount of money spent on gas for lawn mowers.
Green Your Lawn
Less Lawn

Institutions of higher learning are the ideal place to lead the way in sustainability initiatives. We have compiled this toolkit for students, faculty, and staff that are looking for ways to infuse curriculum and campus with lessons of sustainability.

See also:

• GCBL's University Initiatives page
• Local campus sustainability best practices

Please e-mail questions and comments to Lora DiFranco.

For the complete list of sustainability initiatives at 12 campuses in Northeast Ohio, click here.

Northeast Ohio Campus Sustainability Best Practices

Curriculum
Green Building
Purchasing
Energy
Food
Grounds
Transportation
Waste Reduction
Events
Featured Student Groups

Curriculum

Sustainability Major, Baldwin Wallace
New sustainability major planned to start in the fall of 2009 will be an interdisciplinary major with required internships and professional advisors.

Green Academy, Cuyahoga Community College
The Green Academy and Center for Sustainability (GACS) will launch “Pathways out of Poverty through Green Collar Jobs,” a workforce development effort that provides the growing green business community with a skilled workforce and promotes green entrepreneurial spirit.

Campus Sustainability Course, Oberlin College
Engages students in various aspects of solving sustainability problems on campus. Themes change from year to year but include issues pertaining to energy consumption, water use, materials, food, transportation, and waste handling as well as technical matters of measurement standards and metrics to analyze data. Students conduct analysis of technical options to improve efficiency, and strategies to promote organizational learning relative to climate and environment.