Vermont Campus Sustainability Network

VCSN is a campus resource promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability at Vermont institutions of higher education. The Bulletin is a platform for stimulating an inclusive dialogue on sustainability efforts within the state. VCSN is hosted by the UVM Office of Sustainability, with support from Efficiency Vermont.

Interested in submitting an article highlighting the work being done on your campus?  Please send the article and a picture (if possible) to Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu.

Upcoming Vermont Campus Sustainability Network Bi-Annual Meeting

The next VCSN bi-annual meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 26 at Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT.  The meeting will be an all-day event where representatives from Vermont campuses discuss a number of issues relating to campus sustainability.  Much of the meeting will be focused on energy efficiency, with a presentation on the Poultney Community Weatherization Initiative and a discussion with representatives from Efficiency Vermont.  Attendees will also hear updates on the VCSN Weatherization and Collective Reporting Committees, make plans for the upcoming Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium Conference, and get a sustainability tour of Green Mountain College. 

The VCSN bi-annual meetings are a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty and staff working on campus sustainability to network, share resources, and join in state-wide efforts. 

If you are interested in attending this event, please contact Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu.

New VCSN Website

The Vermont Campus Sustainability Network has undergone significant revisions in order to better serve the network.  Front and back-end changes have resulted in a new look and more streamlined functioning.  Please check out the website at vtgreencampus.org. 

This website was made possible through a grant from the Vermont Department of Public Service and was designed by Tamarack Media. 

If you have any suggestions for the website, or if you would like to update information for your school, please contact Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu.  

NECSC Call for Proposals

The Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium invites submissions of presentation proposals for the 6^th Annual NECSC Conference: Sustainability & Emerging Futures in Higher Education (October 26-27, 2009).

What will higher education look like in 2020? This year’s conference will explore driving forces that could affect the nature of higher education and the readiness of sustainability programs to adapt to significant changes.We are seeking new, cutting-edge presentations about planning for and adapting to these driving forces. What approaches can take us beyond the recent trendiness of “greening” to catalyze change in a socially, financially, and ecologically sound direction for our institutions? While individual speakers are welcome, we also encourage small groups of presenters from within an institution or from two or more institutions to form teams. Presentations will take place on Tuesday, October 27th in four conference tracks: Energy, Buildings & Transportation, Culture & Food, Leadership, Service & Community Connections, and Planning & Communications. 

Deadline:  September 4, 2009. Proposals must be submitted online.
Have questions? Check out the conference website and/or contact Mieko Ozeki at sustainability@uvm.edu

Sterling College to Build Green Dorms in 2010

When Sterling College in Craftsbury Commons, VT recently set out to design its first new student residency in more than 40 years, where did they start? In the classroom, of course, with a special topics course entitled “Green Dorms” taught by Sterling faculty and a Stowe, VT architectural planner, and funded by a $65,000 grant.  That course ended this past May with the site work determined and three design schemes created by three teams of students.

Now, with a recent Vermont state grant of $350,000 and the remaining $55,000 Canaday Family Trust grant, in addition to other funds, including some matching money from a Department of Energy grant, a Sterling community building committee will begin working with the Cushman Design Group of Stowe to complete detailed plans and begin construction in March.  The 100-student college is determined that their completed residency will be environmentally on par with but considerably less expensive than other recent green building efforts at New England colleges and universities.

For more information contact Kate Camara at kcamara@sterlingcollege.edu