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 it to Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu.

VCSN Update:  Middlebury College: Friday, September 3, 2010

The Vermont Campus Sustainability Network has started off the new school year with the first fall meeting at Middlebury College. On the schedule were presentations on student weatherization work, energy efficiency opportunities with Efficiency Vermont, and displaying Middlebury and other Vermont schools’ sustainability work.

To read a summary of the meeting, click here

Next VCSN Meeting

Plans are underway for our next meeting, date TBD January 2011.  If you are interested in participating, please contact Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu

Announcements from VCSN Members:

Champlain College Opens Perry Hall

 On September 24^th, Champlain College unveiled their newly renovated Welcome & Admissions Center, Perry Hall. This historical  brick residential home built in 1859, has been turned into Champlain College’s new home for offices of admission, financial aid, registration, student accounts and advising and international studies. This facility has blended careful historic preservation with cutting-edge technology and sustainability practices and is hopeful of earning LEED Platinum.  The main features of new building include energy-efficient lighting and climate control systems, including a geothermal pump from Perry Hall's deep water wells. In addition, this new building benefits both Champlain College and the public since visitors are welcomed to enjoy the new formal gardens, open lawn space, and an innovative wetland garden.  To learn more about Champlain College and Perry Hall visit http://www.champlain.edu/News-and-Events/News/Perry-Hall-July-2010.html

Vermont Tech Launches Allen House Rehabilitation Campaign

Vermont Technical College has begun a public campaign to raise $250,000 to rehabilitate the historic Allen House situated at the entrance to its Randolph Center campus. This building will then house the college’s Center for Sustainable Practices, an organization dedicated to applying emerging green and sustainable technologies and practices in the areas of energy, buildings, agriculture, and land use.  “This project shows how we can ‘walk the walk’ by improving energy efficiency while conserving embodied energy” said Donna Barlow Casey, Director of the Center. By renovating the center, Vermont Tech will receive LEED certification while following the guidelines for rehabilitation of historic structures.  The Center will document the entire rehabilitation process as an educational tool for others in Vermont and New England who are interested in making similar structures energy efficient while preserving their historic fabric. The school hopes to reach LEED certification by installing a biomass pellet boiler for heating the college’s Red School House; a solar tracking photovoltaic installation behind the Allen House to produce renewable electricity; a ground source heat pump to heat and cool the rehabilitated Allen House; and a proposed anaerobic digester powered by food scraps and cow manure to produce electricity and heat for the campus. To learn more visit www.csp.vtc.edu.

Vermont Green Volunteer/Internship Opportunity

Vermont Green is a statewide workforce development initiative funded by the American Recovery Act through the Department of Labor; providing free career counseling and grants for Vermonters interested in starting or advancing a “green” career.   Vermont Green’s Chittenden County office, housed in CVOEO’s Financial Future Program in Burlington, is looking for student intern or volunteer support in the following areas:  social media, marketing, community education and outreach, online research, videography, and assistance with environmental education. Other skills and areas of support may be considered.  Contact:  (802) 540-0150 or vtgreen@cvoeo.org.  For more information: http://www.vtgreen.org/.

AASHE STARS

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS®) is a program developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) focused on colleges and universities to measure progress towards sustainability. This rating system is a transparent, self-reporting framework, which uses a common set of measurements to track long term sustainability goals and actions. STARS helps higher education establishments reach their sustainability goals by creating incentives for improvement and helps facilitate information sharing about sustainability practices and performance. This rating system encompasses many types of colleges and universities from community colleges to research universities, and from institutions just starting their sustainability programs to long-time campus sustainability leaders. To learn more about STARS visit https://stars.aashe.org/pages/about/

If you are interested in engaging in a conference call with other VCSN members about STARS feel free to contact Tatiana Abatemarco at Tatiana.Abatemarco@uvm.edu

Weatherization Workshops

In 2008-2009 Central Vermont Community Action Council (CVCAC) along with Efficiency Vermont and Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) partnered to create Button- Up Vermont, a series of workshops dedicated to education home owners on the weatherization of their homes. Building off of the success of these workshops, energy committees across Vermont in partnership with Efficiency Vermont are holding weatherization workshops to prepare for the upcoming winter. Upcoming workshops include:

Nov. 10- Ilsley Library Community Room, 75 Main Street (rear entrance), Middlebury, VT, 7pm

Nov. 17 - Montpelier, Montpelier City Hall

Dec. 1 - Thetford, Rice's Mills Community Center

Dec. 8- Ilsley Library Community Room, 75 Main Street (rear entrance), Middlebury, VT, 7pm

For more information on these workshops check out http://www.revermont.org/events.php or http://www.revermont.org/events.php

2010 Environmental Action Conference

On November 13^th, Vermont Technical College in Randolph will hold the annual day-long Environmental Action Conference, the largest grassroots activism conference in Vermont. This conference aims to bring together environmentalists, community leaders, and local activists to interact and network with one another.  Throughout the day there will be three sessions with over 26 workshops to choose from ranging from heating fuels to hydrology and the art of public speaking. In addition, there will be free one-on-one coaching sessions offered with experts from the fields of environmental law, fundraising, running for office, and implementing PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy). To learn more about this conference or to register visit http://www.toxicsaction.org/environmental-action-2010.