New York State Enhances Industry Efforts of Pollution Prevention Institute
The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute, hosted by Rochester Institute of Technology, has been awarded $2 million in additional state funding to enhance its leading research, education and outreach efforts. Read more…
Researchers unlock ‘green’ potential of algae
Febuary 11, 2011Researchers at RIT are developing biodiesel from microalgae grown in wastewater. The project is doubly “green” because algae consume nitrates and phosphates and reduce bacteria and toxins in the water, resulting in clean wastewater and stock for a promising biofuel. (more)
Students step up to keep sustainability in the spotlight
Paul Stella explains how last week’s Student Environmental Summit at RIT helps keep the university on track toward living up to sustainability promises. (more)
RIT Climate Action Plan (CAP) Development
On April 22, 2009 President William W. Destler signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The commitment is a pledge by academic leaders to move their campuses toward more sustainable programs and practices and reducing emissions with the goal to achieve climate neutrality. Read More...
RIT Sustainability Programs Receive National Recognition
Rochester Institute of Technology’s comprehensive campus, research and education programs in sustainability have earned the university recognition as one of the most sustainable colleges in the United States. RIT is featured in the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card, which conducts a survey of the sustainable practices at over 300 colleges and universities across the nation. The university received ‘A’ grades for its administrative practices, green building development and investment priorities. To view RIT’s complete report, visit http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/rochester-institute-of-technology. A news release article can be viewed at: http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=47900.
RIT Joins National Effort to Track Ecological Change
Rochester Institute of Technology is among a growing list of research universities committed to tracking the impact of environmental changes in the United States during the next 30 years through the proposed National Ecological Observatory Network Inc., also known as NEON. Scientists will gather data annually from 20 regional eco-climate zones to forecast ecological change over three decades. Raw data measuring hundreds of ecological variables, from ground-based sensors and remote sensing (airborne data collection) capabilities, will be processed into “information products” and made freely available for scientific analysis. Read More...
RIT Green Progress Applauded by Sierra Club
RIT determined progress in sustainability has been recognized by the Sierra Club. Based on this year’s survey RIT has been listed as one of the six ‘Most Improved Cool Schools. “In the name of positive reinforcement, we applaud six surprise stars looking to jack up their green GPA”. RIT has joined the list with such prominent universities as Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, University of Missouri, Appalachian State University in North Carolina, Wisconsin’s Lawrence University and Oregon’s Portland State University. The university has earned this recognition by completing a major upgrade of its heating and cooling plants, aimed to improve campus energy performance and lower associated carbon emissions. Creation of RIT Institute for Sustainability and a Clean Energy Incubator were also a factor in this Sierra’s recognition. More information can be found here.
RIT Evaluates Pollutants in Arctic
New research led by Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Delaware evaluates the potential cost and effectiveness of technologies aimed at reducing emissions from marine shipping in the Arctic. The multi-university effort provides the first technology assessment to directly inform policy decisions on shipping emissions. Findings show that the proper combination of emissions-reduction technologies could reduce emissions of black carbon from Arctic shipping by 60 percent. “Black carbon, or soot, is one of the most potent types of air pollution in diesel emissions from ships and is a key ‘climate forcer’ in the Arctic. [read more]
RIT Receives Federal Grant to Construct New Sustainability Research Facility
Rochester Institute of Technology has been awarded a $13.1 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to assist in construction of a new green facility that will house the university’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability. The building will serve as a center for sustainability research, technology transfer, education and outreach and provide a state-of-the-art showcase for green construction and design.
The Golisano Institute was formed in 2007 thanks to a $10 million gift from Paychex founder and chairman, B. Thomas Golisano. The institute currently houses one of the world’s first Ph.D. programs in sustainable production and is developing master’s degrees in sustainable systems and sustainable architecture. In addition, the Golisano Institute has received significant corporate and foundation investments toward its education and research programming as well as its laboratory facilities, including $2 million from Xerox and $1 million from Eastman Kodak.
The Golisano Institute for Sustainability builds on over two decades of research and education programming in environmentally benign design, sustainable production and recycling and remanufacturing process improvement conducted at RIT. Full text of the announcement can be found here: http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=47820
RIT Named to Sierra Club’s List of Top 100 Green Schools
Rochester Institute of Technology’s efforts to develop comprehensive campus, research and education programs in sustainability have earned the university recognition as one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation. The Sierra Club has selected RIT as one of America’s 100 greenest universities as part of its annual “Cool Schools” survey. It is the first time RIT has been selected.
The Sierra Club survey asked colleges and universities to provide detailed information on the implementation of sustainability in numerous areas of operation, including energy supply, academics, purchasing, administrative support and financial investments. RIT received a score of nine out of a possible 10 in the academics category and eight in purchasing and administrative support.
The honor is one of several awards RIT has received for its sustainability efforts, including being selected for inclusion in the Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges and being named a “Campus Sustainability Leader” by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Full text of the article can be found here: http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=47762
RIT Doctoral Student Earns Grant to Improve Recycling of Electronic Devices
Erinn Ryen, a first year Ph. D. candidate in sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology, has been awarded the 2010 Jacqueline Shields Scholarship for Waste Management Research. The award, given by the Air and Waste Management Association, goes to doctoral students conducting original research in pollution prevention, sustainable design and waste reduction. Ryen will utilize the scholarship to improve the recyclability and end-of-life management of electronic devices such as computers and cell phones. Full text can be found here: http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=47428
Student-led ‘green computing’ effort could mean huge energy savings.
April 21, 2010, RIT University NewsTwo RIT students conducted a power consumption study in NRH computer lab, discovering details of PC operating modes. Results of their work may lead to instituting a campus-wide computer 'sleep' policy that would save energy, reduce emissions and save operating costs. For more information please check http://www.rit.edu/news/?r=47526
RIT's University Services Center Certified LEED Platinum
January 14, 2010, RIT University NewsBuilding becomes first facility in Monroe County to receive highest 'green' designation
Rochester Institute of Technology has achieved the pinnacle in recognition for sustainable construction and design. The new University Services Center at RIT has been certified LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council, which represents that organization's highest designation.
RIT's University Services Center becomes the first building in Monroe County to receive platinum certification. It is also only the second such designated facility at a college or university in New York.
To view RIT's complete report, visit http://www.rit.edu/news/?v=47266.
Many libraries maintain tightly controlled, energy-intensive environments for their stacks, special collections and exhibition spaces. For budgetary reasons and concerns about global climate change, libraries are searching for ways to responsibly and safely lower energy consumption. This project will investigate a promising method for libraries to achieve significant reductions in energy use without compromising the preservation quality of collection environments through a carefully monitored and risk-managed shutdown of air handling units during unoccupied hours.
RIT’s sustainability research project is among the larger awards made this year under the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant Program, which funds projects with the potential to elevate museum and library practices and have national impact and generate results.
The Image Permanence Institute, part of RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, is a recognized world leader in the development and deployment of sustainable practices for the preservation of images and cultural property. The institute accomplishes this through a balanced program of research, education, products and services that meet the needs of individuals, companies, and institutions. To view RIT complete article, visit http://www.rit.edu/news/?v=47388
RIT Revamps B.S. Degree in Environmental Sustainability
November 20, 2009, RIT University NewsStudies will focus on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and international standards
The College of Applied Science and Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology has launched a Bachelor of Science degree program in Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety. Courses reflect the growing need for organizations to become more sustainable and socially responsible in their activities, products and services.
To view RIT's complete report, visit https://inside.rit.edu/news/?r=47165.
Singapore and RIT to Collaborate on Sustainability
The two academic institutions will collaborate on the development of sustainable manufacturing technologies.
Click here to read more
RIT and Global Warming - Challenges and Opportunities
Bill Destler, President
It is a pleasure to speak to you today about the role that RIT has played and will play in worldwide efforts to address the issue of global warming and to discuss with you ways in which we might contribute to the worldwide movement toward a more sustainable future for all living things on planet Earth. I am very proud of the commitment that the RIT family has shown to these issues through the very impressive participation I have seen in today’s global warming teach-in. I also want to acknowledge and thank the Campus Environmental Committee, who initiated efforts to bring together our campus community for the teach-in and who was pleasantly overwhelmed by the response.
To reveal my personal position on this issue, let me begin by stating that I believe that the accumulated scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that the Earth is warming and that this climate change is primarily a result of human activity. Moreover, let me state that I also believe that the evidence indicates that the primary contributor to global warming is the human-produced increase in the carbon dioxide content in our atmosphere, and that only by reversing this trend can we hope to avoid dramatic climate changes on our planet within this century with potentially disastrous negative effects.
But even if I am wrong and the current observed global warming is a statistical glitch, which the optimists may hope for but is not likely, I believe that there are equally compelling reasons aside from the threat of global warming that mandate immediate actions on our part to reduce worldwide consumption of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas production, and conserve all of the life-giving elements on our planet. Worldwide population growth threatens to produce shortages of most valuable commodities within the next couple of decades, including such essentials as food, fuel, and fresh water, and ensuring a future for our children and grandchildren will require a real commitment from all of us to move toward renewable sources of these commodities. In addition, even if increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere are not a problem, decreased oxygen levels surely will be, and world population growth and the rapid decrease in worldwide vegetation caused by ever increasing human encroachment on hitherto wilderness areas, together with the negative effects of human activity on ocean-based sources of oxygen, could ultimately result in even greater devastation of life on our planet than global warming might produce.
So, what has RIT done in the past, and what can we do in the future to address these challenges? First let me review just a few of the activities we have already undertaken. These are impressive and many in number, but they are not enough. Nevertheless, they demonstrate what we can accomplish if we work together on these goals, and they serve as good models for what we can do in the future.
In the area of facilities and operations, RIT can boast of many committed staff members who have pushed the sustainability agenda forward in meaningful ways. The various trenches you have seen being dug around campus are part of our $35M program to install an updated heating and cooling infrastructure throughout the campus that should result in really significant reductions in our fuel and electricity consumption. Also in this area, our fraternities and sororities are involved in a competition to see which organization can reduce its consumption of fuel and utilities, and we are hoping to extend this competition to other RIT housing units as well. RIT also actively participates in the national “Recyclemania” program intended to markedly increase recycling efforts on campuses nationwide.
All new construction projects are being designed to meet green standards and to gain LEED certification (for example, the new CAST building is certified LEED-Gold), including the administrative services building and student innovation center currently under construction, the new School for American Crafts and Vignelli Design Center facility which has just started construction, the Global Village Housing complex to be constructed starting this Spring, and the planned new facility for the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. In addition, students, faculty, and staff, are working on the design of a sustainable “Habitat for Humanity” house to be constructed next Fall in downtown Rochester. Incidentally, we plan to install solar panels on the Student Innovation Center in a move to begin to replace externally purchased energy with locally-generated renewable sources.
Finally, we have worked to reduce our landfill contributions through experimentation with compost-able service items in our cafeterias (here, more work needs to be done to effectively address this issue) and we have eliminated the use of trays in Gracie’s Dining Hall to reduce our consumption of hot water. In addition, all of our cafeterias now use baking powder to wash dishes instead of phosphate-laden detergents. Recently, RIT participated in the Rochester “Low Carbon Diet Challenge”, and we were given a special award in recognition of our strong efforts.
On the academic side, we have introduced new programs in environmental science (where you can take a course on “The Greening of RIT”), sustainable engineering, and the nation’s first Ph.D. program focused on sustainable manufacturing and production. An informal faculty learning community called “Middlemarsh”, has encouraged students and faculty across disciplines to get together to discuss sustainability programs and practices all over the campus, and the Collaborative Learning Group will also focus on some of these issues. We now can boast of arguably the world’s pre-eminent research program in the area of sustainable manufacturing, and we have growing and nationally recognized research programs in such areas as sustainable transportation, remote sensing for environmental systems, and renewable energy systems. In addition, RIT librarians recently assembled and published a monograph of essays, poems, and cartoons by RIT students, faculty, staff, and alumni addressing global warming and related topics entitled, “The Promise of Sustainability”. Several of our departments, including chemistry, art, and printing, are exploring less-toxic materials use in teaching and research laboratories. We have dedicated student groups working in all of these areas, including the Students Environmental Action League, Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the NTID Green Club. It is safe to say that their interest and enthusiasm has been an important driving force in moving all of us toward these shared goals. Finally, we have had many excellent speakers on these topics brought to campus by various groups, including recent talks by Anne Mulcahey, Diane Creel, and Bill McKibben.
Administratively, the Academic Senate oversees a Campus Environmental Committee and we have recently established a Campus Sustainability Committee chaired by Jim Watters. Our Food Service department is buying more locally produced food and working to discourage the use of disposables. We have campus vehicles using biodiesel fuels and thanks to the GIS we now have a hydrogen fueling station on campus. We have recently put up a “Green RIT” web site to communicate all of these activities to a broader audience, and RIT has just recently joined the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
And what about the future? Today, I am pleased to announce that I will sign the “American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment”, a pledge by academic leaders to move their campuses toward more sustainable programs and practices. As part of this commitment, we will need to come up with an institutional strategic plan for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas production, and provide institutional structures and support that can move the campus toward the goals set in the plan. This plan will include a green building policy, an energy-star procurement policy, encouragement of public transportation, green power production and purchasing, and waste minimization.
In addition, we must continue to work to make RIT a national center of excellence in the areas of environmental science and sustainability, both in our education programs and our research programs. Toward this goal, the natural and built environment on our campus, which is already being used as a valuable teaching and research laboratory in these areas, can be better utilized in support of these programs if we think creatively. We must also do a better job of communicating what we are doing to the outside world, which should encourage students, faculty, and staff interested in these goals to consider joining us at RIT.
These are challenging goals, but these are challenging times. Let us work together to contribute to a future for our children and grandchildren, and let us not be afraid to stumble along the way. If we support each other and offer help when we see an opportunity to do so, we can accomplish much. Thanks for listening.
RIT’s Sustainability Ph.D. Receives State Approval
Rochester Institute of Technology has received New York state approval for its doctoral degree in sustainability. The Ph.D. program is the first in the world focused on sustainable production and seeks to advance research and education in alternative energy development, sustainable design, green product development, industrial ecology and pollution prevention.
The program is being offered through RIT's Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS), a comprehensive academic, research and technology transfer center devoted to enhancing the development of sustainable systems in all aspects of society.
RIT's doctoral degree in sustainability focuses on a broadly defined, multidisciplinary mission that is designed to produce graduates who can be sustainability "change agents" throughout the industrial, academic, governmental and nongovernmental worlds. Students will develop skills in such diverse areas as environmentally conscious product design and manufacturing, life cycle analysis, environmental science and sustainable business enterprises.
RIT plans to admit students into the program immediately and is also recruiting additional faculty and research associates. The development of the program was made possible through an initial grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
The GIS was founded in 2007 thanks to a $10 million gift from B. Thomas Golisano, founder and chairman of Paychex Inc. and an RIT trustee. The center has received additional funding from the Chester & Dorris Carlson Charitable Fund, Xerox Corp, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. RIT is now developing plans for the construction of a new facility that will house the Golisano Institute and Ph.D. program.
