Archive for category New and Announcements
ABOR Approves $18 Million in Campus Energy Retrofits
Posted by Nick in Accomplishments, Energy, New and Announcements on April 6, 2012
In the latest example of Northern Arizona University’s commitment to Sustainability, the Arizona Board of Regents has just approved an $18,000,000 performance contract between Northern Arizona University and the energy services company NORESCO. This contract will allow NAU to save approximately $1,500,000 a year in utility costs and will reduce NAU’s green house gas emissions to below 1990 levels by 2014. The construction will begin in late May and will take approximately 22 months to complete. This contract represents Phase 1 of the campus audit and retrofit with the Phase 2 audit taking place in the Fall.
Lindsay Wagner, the Director of Sustainability and Energy Services for NAU Facility Services says, “This project is the first major step in NAU becoming a carbon neutral campus. This is an opportunity for the university to upgrade lighting and heating and cooling equipment, as well as involving students, faculty and staff in the process which will increase awareness of the campus sustainability efforts and ultimately aid in creating the Culture of Sustainability that we are after. I am very excited to get this project started.”
Some of the highlights of the NORESCO contract include:
- Interior Lighting Upgrades
- Plumbing Fixture Upgrades
- Heating and Cooling Controls Upgrades
- Utility Metering
- Behavioral Change Program
In addition to the infrastructure and building improvements the contract includes a focus on creating a culture of sustainable behavior to further reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Bryan McLaren, the Coordinator of NAU’s Office of Sustainability says, “The NAU NORESCO project will be the single most significant step that NAU has taken towards our Carbon Neutrality 2020 goal since signing the Association of College and Universities President’s Climate Commitment. I am extremely excited to start moving this project into the implementation phase and advancing our culture of sustainability.”
For questions, please contact green@nau.edu.
Velo Composting Compost Technician Summer Job
Posted by Nick in Jobs and Internships, New and Announcements on March 29, 2012
If this isn’t the coolest job on campus then I don’t know what is. Velo Composting—a new Action Research Team—is hiring a student compost technician for the summer and it could be you!
The main responsibilities of the position include the following:
- Work with a partner to pick up and deliver loads of food waste from NAU Dining Locations to the compost facility on South campus in a timely manner (~1 hour per day).
- Loads of food waste will be picked up via bicycle and trailer and/or pickup truck.
- Operate hand tools and monitoring equipment to monitor, and assist with maintenance of a large-scale compost system at the new NAU Compost Facility (Located on South Campus by the Solar Array)
- Attend weekly compost team meetings as well as other meetings on an as needed basis
- Garner interest in compost and sustainability
- Work with other units and employees within NAU Dining/Sodexo, Facilities Management/Capital Assets, and in waste collection, monitoring, and documentation.
The full job description can be found here.
To apply, send your cover letter and resume to Pfp6@nau.edu or Bryan.McLaren@nau.edu. The deadline to apply is April 10, so get those applications in soon!
The Mainpat Interdisciplinary Global Learning Project [VIDEO]
Posted by Nick in community, New and Announcements on March 26, 2012
Shot on location in Mainpat, India, December 2011 – January 2012 for the College of Health and Human Services of Northern Arizona University, this video documents the university’s interdepartmental efforts to assist Tibetan refugees in India. Many faculty and students were involved in the trip!
Spring Break Ride for School Gardens
Posted by Nick in Food, New and Announcements, Transportation on March 9, 2012
Sam Hagler and Tim McKinley—two Graduate students in the Sustainable Communities program—have decided to throw the traditional spring break to the wind and participate in a worthy cause instead. According to their facebook page their mission is to:
bicycle 250 miles in Northern California, to raise awareness for the importance of school gardens as supplementary educational tools. With your help, we hope to raise $5,000 to support the schools’ independent gardening programs.
The money they raise will be used to fund school garden projects in the Flagstaff area in coordination with the Foodlink and School Gardens Aciton Research Teams (ARTs) on campus. Currently, they have raised $375 of their $5,000 goal. To donate, please visit the Ride for School Gardens Razoo page and be sure to follow their journey this week by tuning in to their facebook page.
Good luck Sam and Tim!
Medicinal Plants Study Group
Posted by Nick in New and Announcements, Student Groups and Organizations on February 23, 2012
Interested in learning about Medicinal Plants? Check out the Medicinal Plants Study Group brought to you by the Applied Indigenous Studies and Sustainable Communities programs. This study group is for dedicated and serious students to learn and share knowledge of medicinal plants, their healing properties, and native traditional recipes and stories. Each session we will focus on a different plant. both undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to join!
Where: SBS West Room 9
When: Every other Friday starting Jan. 27th from 1 – 3:30pm
For further information, please contact:
Marina Vasquez, Traditional Knowledge Scholar, marina.vasquez@nau.edu
Martha James, SUS Graduate ARTs co-coordinator, mej53@nau.edu
Katherine Golfinopoulos, SUS Graduate ARTs co-coordinator, kag247@nau.edu
Packing Heat on Campus
Posted by Nick in New and Announcements on February 22, 2012
Last April, a bill was passed by the state legislature that would allow guns to be carried on campus. However, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the legislation after finding the bill too ambiguous. Now, SB1474 plans to accomplish what last years bill failed to do: allow guns on college campuses.
As an AZCentral article describes the bill as requiring:
…public universities and community colleges to allow anyone age 21 or older with a concealed-carry permit to carry a gun on campus. The schools can keep the guns out of buildings, stadiums and classrooms if they provide secure gun lockers.
The committee also passed a bill that would loosen restrictions on carrying guns in public buildings, including city halls, libraries or municipal swimming pools.
President John Haeger takes issue with the bill stating in Northern Arizona News that:
“I just think it gets in the way of our basic mission,” Haeger said. “There’s not a problem here. Students don’t want guns, faculty doesn’t want guns [and] administrators don’t want guns. And so this is entirely about somebody’s ideology.”
Also, those gun lockers that the university needs to provide to each building if they don’t want guns in that building come at $400 a pop. Additional funding is not being provided by the proposed legislation.
According to InsideNAU The Arizona Board of Regents and all three universities have come out against the proposed legislation.
Proponents of the bill feel that it is merely an affirmation of their second amendment rights and that they should be able to take guns where they please for their own protection. A Tempe resident is quoted in the AZCentral article as saying:
“We are dealing with the subject of a fundamental right to self-defense,” Bartow said. He took issue with suggestions that adults younger than age 25 weren’t capable of acting responsibly. “None of our other fundamental rights are infringed upon just because we’re under 25.”
What are your thoughts? Should people be able to carry concealed weapons onto campus? Let us know in the comments below!
Be Heard: Help Shape Your NAU Campus
Posted by Nick in Energy, New and Announcements on February 15, 2012
Northern Arizona University is seeking your feedback by inviting you to take an online survey regarding energy usage. Please follow the link below to participate.
Those who complete the survey will be eligible for a chance at one of the following incentives redeemable at the NAU Bookstore:
- 1 respondent will receive an iPad2
- 4 respondents will receive a $50 NAU Bookstore Gift Card
- 30 respondents will receive a $10 NAU Bookstore Gift Card
The survey should only take about 10 minutes to complete and your responses will be kept confidential. The survey can be taken only once and participation is voluntary.