As part of Ohio State’s Earth Day 2021 activities, the Sustainability Institute recently hosted a virtual presentation to discuss the Rapid 5 project, a partnership among the Columbus District Council of the Urban Land Institute (ULI Columbus) , Metro Parks, MORPC, Franklin County and others. Erin Prosser, Ohio State’s director of community development for Planning, Architecture and Real Estate (PARE), and Alicia Gaston, ULI Columbus senior director, presented the latest details and the comprehensive vision behind the project.
“Everyone is really hungry for this idea of looking at our natural resources from a regional perspective,” Prosser said. “There’s an...
Aparna Dial approaches sustainability with a view through three lenses: She immigrated to the United States from India. She’s a woman in a male-dominated field. And she’s been an eyewitness to the ways environmental impacts do not affect everyone equally.
That perspective leads her to propel discussion and action when it comes to issues such as the inequities of environmental impacts and the barriers faced by women in STEM.
“The biggest driver for me was to give a voice for people who didn’t have a voice,” Dial, senior director of sustainability and strategic services in...
Ohio State is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day all spring! Visit the Sustainability Institute's website for a listing of events and activities that celebrate sustainability.
Celebrate Earth Day with the Medical Center Green Team This is the third year the Medical Center Green Team is organizing special opportunities to celebrate while also complying with the rules and regulations due to COVID-19.
Bring confidential documents to be shredded and recycled on Friday, April 23 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Other personal, non-medical center or university issued, items that can be dropped off...
Rainwater and water from vehicle washing and over-irrigation flow into storm drains located in parking lots, streets, and gutters. These drains are connected through a series of underground pipes that carry water directly to our rivers, lakes, and streams.
Unlike the sanitary sewer that carries water from the drains in your home to the wastewater treatment plant, the storm sewer system carries untreated water straight to the river. Everything that goes into a storm drain is discharged into our waterways.
The Ohio State University Columbus campus achieved a gold rating within the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).
Ohio State’s 2019 gold rating is good for three years and places the university among leading national and international colleges and universities, according to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) that administers STARS.
“Sustainability is a major focus at Ohio State, and this honor recognizes the significant progress we continue to make as a university,” said Jay Kasey, senior vice president of Ohio State’s Office of Administration and Planning.
Being a Buckeye takes on many forms, including giving back to the campus and the community. Generosity was on display this weekend as warmer weather welcomed green-focused clean-ups across the Columbus campus.
Students came together to tidy the Jennings Hall rain garden and Aronoff bioswale. The volunteers weeded beds, picked up trash and mulched while Facilities Operations and Development (FOD) supplied the mulch and a truck to place yard waste.
Over at the Longaberger Alumni House and Fawcett Center, a separate group of volunteers focused on invasive plant removal and tree planting. The student groups from Society for...
For the eighth year in a row, The Ohio State University is proud to earn a Tree Campus USA recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation. Ohio State has received the distinction each year since it first applied in 2011. Tree Campus USA, an Arbor Day Foundation program, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.
The honor aligns with the Ohio State sustainability goals , including a commitment to increase the ecosystem services that campus lands provide to the university community.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is commonly overrun by groups of children or school trips. But in early November, the zoo hosted a different kind of field trip. More than 100 high school and college students attended a two-day Teen Eco Summit, featuring inspiring guest speakers, do-it-yourself workshops, and interesting animals.
One of those guest speakers was Ohio State’s Mary Leciejewski.
“The concept is that they’ll hear from various organizations throughout the city about how to implement sustainability at their school,” said Leciejewski, senior sustainability coordinator with Facilities Operations and Development (FOD). “The second day, they created a...
Are you preparing for Thanksgiving dinner? Here are 4 tips from FOD's Energy Services and Sustainablity team to help you and your family have an eco-friendly Thanksgiving.
1. Shop local for your Thanksgiving menu.
Buying from a local farm or farmers markets can protect and preserve our environment and give your family healthy, fresh food.
2. Use reusable dishes, cloth napkins and silverware.
Using resuable dishes, cloth napkins, and silverware reduces waste and can make your Thanksgiving table look more tasteful and elegant.
The Ohio State University was recognized as the 2017-18 Big Ten Champion of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Green Power Challenge for using more green power than any of its conference competitors.
Green power is zero-emissions electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, eligible biogas, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints.
Ohio State beat its conference rivals by using nearly 106 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power, representing 18-percent of the school’s annual electricity...
