The Memorial Union at ASU’s Tempe campus was damaged by fire last November and as part of the clean up they are going to do some renovations with a focus on sustainability. This is exciting news, I can’t wait to see what it looks like when the construction is finished next Fall.

“We had to repair the fire damage. Why not use the opportunity to upgrade the building as well?” she said.

ASU spokeswoman Leah Hardesty added that many of the University’s efforts will focus on sustainability.

The University will be going for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification in commercial interiors, she said.

LEED certification is given to buildings that have achieved high degrees of sustainability in terms of construction that recycles and reuses materials and buildings that make use of energy-efficient designs and appliances, among other factors.

The new dining facility is tentatively named the Starlight Terrace and Eco-Fresh Café, Lowe said.

The restaurant will make use of local organic foods and environmentally friendly practices such as recycling.

“We’re still mostly conceptualizing on the Starlight Terrace,” Hardesty said. “But we do know it will be entirely sustainable.”

[ASU Webdevil]

Looks like everyone had a good time at the UA Earth Day event and I have to say it looks like they had a lot more going on than at the ASU Tempe campus. Check out the video inside for closer look.

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The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) is a rating system similar to LEED that helps universities gauge their progress towards sustainability. ASU and UA are listed as participating in the pilot and while NAU isn’t listed in the pilot they are highlighted on their page for their achievements in sustainability.

Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ) is our current spotlight campus! High-efficiency LEED certified buildings, campus recycling, a food surplus donation program, reclaimed water and a master transportation plan are among NAU’s efforts to become a more sustainable institution. NAU has committed to climate neutrality through participation in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Learn more

I can’t wait until these ratings come and and we can see how our Arizona schools are doing. It seems that all three are making great strides at becoming more sustainable.

Here’s an article about STARS at University of Arizona. [Click Here]

Here is the STARS site if you’d like to find out more. [Click Here]

Wow, looks like Arizona college students are making big plans for this year’s Earth Day. Great to see that students are getting involved and making this push.

With Earth Day 2008 set for April 22, students and professors at the state’s universities and community colleges are preparing exhibits, games, fashion shows, movie showings, musical performances and other events to raise awareness about the environment.

Scott, the activities coordinator for Yavapai College’s Verde Valley campus, said the school will show “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary featuring former Vice President Al Gore, to inform students about how the environment is changing.

“It’s up to the next generation to take care of the planet,” said Scott, who is a humanities freshman at Northern Arizona University. “It’s important for people to realize that the Earth is changing and we have to be a part of it or it won’t be a part of our lives for much longer.”

[Read More]

Find out what some of the events are around you at our Earth Day Events Page. Please let us know if we are missing any events.

Click to RSVP.
Click this for Jeff Corwin’s bio.

Other events this week: