Sustainability

News & Events

Recycle It, Don't Trash It: 12th Annual RecycleMania Begins As the semester begins at Radford University, so does RecycleMania season. RU will again Sparticipate in the 12th annual nationwide challenge that ignites classic college rivalries and rallies students, faculty and staff to increase campus recycling rates. Read more

Bright Lights, School Spirit Greet Dalton Hall Diners Diners and guests at Dalton Hall this semester will notice a new look that is also more energy efficient. Using LED panels and a dramatic mirror display with the Highlanders logo, Facilities Management has given the space a new feel by applying the latest in lighting technology. Read more

Energy-saving Tips for the Holidays Whether your holiday plans include familydinners, trip to visit friends or quiet time at home, they can mean increased energy use and utiltiy bills. The State Corporation Commission offers energy-saving holiday tips. Read more

University Observes 'America Recycles Day' A free public screening of the film "Tapped," a documentary that explores whether access to clean drinking water is a basic human right or a commodity to be bought and sold, will be held on campus Tuesday to observe America Recycles Day. Read more

SustainABILITY Week Will Offer a Movie, a Meal and More Radford University will observe National Campus Sustainability Week beginning Monday with a screening of the film "Carbon Nation" and events focused on recycling, food production, local public transit and climate-change solutions. Read more

SustainABILITY Movie Series The campus and community is invited to attend the FREE SustainABILITY Movie Series beginning on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. in the Bonnie Auditorium. RU SustainABILITY has partnered with campus clubs to host the events in conjuctions with the development of RU's Climate Action Plan (CAP). Attendees will learn about campus efforts on the CAP and hear about important issues facing us, both locally and globally. Thanks to our club sponsors & we look forward to see you at all the events.

The Last Mountain - Sociology Club (Sponsor)

Carbon Nation - Environmental Club (Sponsor)

Tapped - Chemistry Club (Sponsor)

Mine Safety Expert to Speak at Radford Environmental activist Jack Spadaro, a mine safety investigator for more than 40 years, will speak Tuesday at Radford University. His presentation will address the growing impact of mountaintop removal coal mining on the people of the Appalachian region. Read more.

University Powers Up Battery Recycling Program You can recycle your rechargeable and alkaline batteries at 30 locations across campus now including all RD offices and Heth, McConnell, the Bonnie, and Armstong. More Info.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Residents served by the New River Resource Authority are invited to participate in the Regions HHW Event on Saturday, August 13, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Rear Parking Lot of Radford High School on Scott Street. Questions regarding the types of material accepted may be directed to your locality in Radford 731-3631, Pulaski PSA 674-8720, Giles PSA 921-2499, Dublin 674- 4798 Blacksburg 961-1806, Christiansburg 382-6128, NRRA 674-1677 or MRSWA 381-2820.More Info.

RU Students Recycle Five Tons of Household Items in 2011 YToss? Radford University's 2011 Ytoss? generated more than five tons of recycled furniture, household items and clothes, said Stan Wilkinson, RU recycling coordinator. The move-out recycling program, on behalf of the YMCA at Virginia Tech, featured collection points across campus during the recent move-out week as a way to reduce waste going into landfills. The YMCA collected the items and will sell them at its Radford and Blacksburg thrift stores. Radford University students will have a chance to purchase these "gently used" items at the thrift stores a week before RU's opening of classes on August 26-27.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. May 21st (8:30 am - 11:30 am) at the MRSWA Facility located at 555 Authority Drive in Christiansburg. For a listing of acceptable items visit http://www.mrswa.com/ or call 381-2820.

Staff Picnic To Be Most Ambitious "ZeWe" Event Yet. As Radford University staff members gather today for their annual picnic along the banks of the New River, the 600-700 expected guests will participate in the university's largest Zero-Waste or "ZeWe" event yet. More Info.

The 3rd Annual “Ytoss?” at Radford University this week. What is "Ytoss?" – From May 4th to 6th, volunteers & the YMCA will collect usable clothing, furniture, housewares, and dorm items from RU students as they prepare to leave for the semester. More Info. Volunteer.

Climate Action Plan Open Forums
RU’s Sustainability Steering Committee will host three one-hour workshops on Thursday, April 28, from noon to 3 p.m. in Rooms 249 and 250 of the Hurlburt Student Center to solicit campus input as RU prepares to develop its Climate Action Plan (CAP). The workshops are open to students, faculty, staff, and others that are interested in the development of the CAP. The workshops will feature presentations on the CAP planning process, environmental issues and university efforts toward carbon neutrality as well as discussions during which ideas and suggestions can be offered.

As a Presidents Climate Commitment signatory, RU, among other steps, has committed to becoming climate neutral at some point in the future. In January, RU publically released its Greenhouse Gas Inventory and is now embarking on the process of developing our CAP. The CAP includes specific actions and focus areas including determining a climate neutrality target date (including setting interim target dates) and prioritizing Mitigation, Education, Research, & Outreach strategies. This is a campus-wide effort that is expected to be finalized during the Spring Semester of 2012.Read More.

Staff Senate Creates "Keep'n It Green" Award
Radford University's green drive rolls on, and the Staff Senate wants to create a place of honor on the bandwagon that is carrying the campus to new heights of environmental responsibility. A new "Keep'n It Green" award will honor a classified staff member or 1,500-hour wage employee who makes a noteworthy contribution to the greening of the university.Read More.

"Low Coal" Movie Showing and Q&A with author Tricia Shapiro
Low Coal is an exploration of what it's like to live with the coal industry. Telling the stories of activists and injured miners, Low Coal makes the case that strong and resilient Appalachian communities are paying a heavy price for the benefits to the region that the coal industry provides.Read More.

Tsunami Forces RU Class to Higher Ground
The earthquake that rocked Japan two weeks ago sent a tsunami sprawling across the Pacific Ocean and forced a 15-person Radford University biology class to higher ground during its recent spring break study abroad experience in the Galapagos Islands.Read More.

Students Give Back Over Spring Break
Lockhart, S.C., normally doesn’t top the list of spring break destinations, but recently a handful of Radford University students journeyed to the small town with a goal to revitalize the spirit and beauty of a town facing economic hardship.Read More.

"The Electricity Fairy" Movie Showing Followed by Q & A Session
A new documentary by Appalshop filmmaker Tom Hansell will screen at Radford University on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. "The Electricity Fairy" examines America's national addiction to fossil fuels. Read More.

Rudolph Works to Save Peruvian Forests
Joseph Rudolph skipped winter break at home to volunteer for a project to preserve the primary forests in Peru. Read more about the geography major’s journey to South America, including how he created a path to an unmapped waterfall in the middle of the jungle, on the College of Science and Technology website.

RU Releases Greenhouse Gas Inventory
As a Presidents Climate Commitment Signatory, RU completed a campus wide assessment determining its carbon footprint; from there RU will prioritize its future efforts by setting short-term & long-term carbon reduction goals, planning conservation measures, and tracking its progress along the way, also known as a Climate Action Plan. Read more.

RU Enters 11th Annual Collegiate "RecycleMania" Competition
Radford University will again answer the challenge to improve its recycling activities and efforts in the 11th annual RecycleMania contest. RU will join nine other universities in Virginia and nearly 400 colleges and universities nationally to promote waste reduction activities on their campuses. Read more.

RU Building Automation System Provides State-of-the-Art Utility Usage Information
buiding automation As organizations scrutinize costs and usage of utilities like water or electricity with an eye toward saving, Radford University boasts a building automation system that puts it among the leaders in higher education. RU’s system monitors more than 67,000 points that include room temperatures, open windows, occupancy sensors and other system operations. Read more.

CCN 2010 Competition- RU finishes in 3rd place in the electricity competition.
Radford University competed in the first-ever Campus Conservation Nationals 2010, a real-time, nationwide electricity and water use reduction competition. Running from Nov.1st-19th, RU joined 40 other colleges and universities in a competition to achieve the greatest resource reductions in their residence halls.See the RU dashboard for details & results (way to go to the winners!); also check out the recent YouTube video encouraging students to take part.

Zero-Waste Event Takes Out the Trash
Radford University hosted its first zero-waste event as part of Welcome Back Reunion Weekend on Oct. 2, and ended the occasion with less than a pound of trash destined for the landfill. The soccer tailgate, hosted by the RU Alumni Association, in partnership with RU Sustainability and Chartwells, was able to divert almost 100 percent of its waste from the landfill, while generating 8.2 pounds of recyclables and 39.2 pounds of compostables, according to Julio Stephens, RU sustainability coordinator.

Campus SustainABILITY Day Event-Radford University will host author Paul Rogat Loeb for a free Paul Loeb lecture on Monday, October 18 in the Bondurant Auditorium in RU’s Preston Hall. Loeb is the author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times and will discuss how to act on our deepest beliefs to make a difference despite obstacles, getting others involved in working for change and avoiding burnout, among other aspects of social change and personal responsibility. The lecture is part of RU’s Campus Sustainability Day activities and is sponsored by the Offices of SustainABILITY, Academic Engagement & Community Partnerships, and New Student Programs.

DEA Heads First-Ever Nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Day- DEA will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at sites nationwide on Saturday, September 25 th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.To find a collection site, follow this link.

Volunteer & Service Fair- Thursday, September 30th from 11-3 at the Bonnie Plaza (rain location, Bonnie 249-250). Thirty community agencies will be on campus to meet with students and staff. This is an excellent way for students to explore careers, apply their major in real world situations, and give back to the com...munity. Sponsored by the Office of Academic Engagement & Community Partnerships

RU Peer Service Leaders program. The office of Acedemic Engagement & Community Partnerships will hire 4 students as peer service leaders whose main responsibility will be to get more RU students out into the community and area through service outings, field trips, alternative weekends and breaks, etc. Two of these leaders will be dedicated to environmental issues, one for hunger/local foods, and one for either work with special populations or on social justice issues. More information and applications are available at here.

Back to School Shopping?- Don't forget the Green Shopping List & YToss? Sale-Come shop a huge selection of "gently used" items. Choose from clothing, hutches, TV's, refrigerators, fans, furniture, electronics, home furnishings and much, much more!

All RU students, faculty and staff can pre-shop items during an "after hours" event on Thursday, August 26th from 6:00-8:00pm at the Thrift Shop by showing your RU ID.

River Cleanup Day in Radford- Bring your canoe or kayak (or just show up) and help clean up the New River. August 7th at Bissett Park (Flyer).

Loca Food Fair(ness)- Eat, Learn, & Grow- Eat a locally produced picnic learn from cooking demonstration and displays, grow food and personally on Augusth 14th at the Radford Farmers Market (Flyer).

Document Shredding, Electronic Waste Collection, Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day- Residents served by the New River Resource Authority are invited to participate in this regional event on Saturday, August 14, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Rear Parking Lot of Radford High School (Flyer).

RU Housekeeping Adopts Green Seal Certified Products for Campus Building Cleaning-Not only is Radford University clean, but its sheen is being achieved with a family of products that make RU greener. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

RU Sustainability Efforts Recognized
Radford University was one of 67 signatories of the Presidents' Climate Commitment in 2009 recently highlighted in the AASHE Digest 2009, an annual review of sustainability in higher education by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) whose mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Permaculture Classes-Beginning July 7th, for eight weeks, the Roanoke Permaculture Education Guild will be leading a series of workshops and classes designed to teach some of the design aspect of permaculture. Participants will learn various permaculture principles and use these new skills to work on existing projects in the City of Roanoke. Find out with the class flyer and outline.

The 2nd Annual “Ytoss?” at Radford University has come & gone. Thanks to all for donating & volunteering. What is “Ytoss?” – From May 4th to 7th, volunteers & the YMCA collected usable clothing, furniture, housewares, and dorm items from RU students as they prepare to leave for the semester. Watch this video to see some of the sites & donators.

RU Named to Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges- the Princeton Review has named the university to its first “Guide to 286 Green Colleges.", see the RU News Release.

Earth Day was a great celebration-watch this student video to help raise awareness. Thanks to all who contributed to this year's success. See pictures, video, and a wrap up of all the events.

Environmental Awareness Month-help celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day all month long! Check out the exciting Environmental Awareness Month events here on RU's campus, with the Radford Community Garden Kickoff, and even more with city of Radford.

"You Have the ABILITY!"- This week's edition offers tips on saving energy by adjusting temperatures in your office or room:

* Open blinds and brighten or "daylight" your office or room to increase its temperature during colder days; close blinds at night to retain the room's temperatures.
* Evaluate your office or room's layout and move furniture to maximize natural lighting. Be sure to keep air registers unblocked to facilitate the flow of heat into your office or rooms.
* Dress in layers so you can adjust and be comfortable as temperatures change and, of course, cut off unneeded lights during the day.

"You Have the ABILITY!" is a weekly reminder from RU Green and RU's Sustainability Steering Committee about how each of us can help reduce RU's operating costs and contribute to global sustainability.

RU Earns "Cool School" Designation
Radford University has made the honor roll of "Cool Schools" recently published by the Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine as one of 12 of the southeastern region's greenest colleges and universities. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

RecycleMania 2010 Update- As RU prepared for spring break, the university recycled 13,320 pounds of materials during Week 7 of the nationwide RecycleMania competition among colleges and universities. Factoring in the 58,420 pounds of trash generated during that week, RU's recycling rate for the week stood at 19 percent, an 8 percent improvement over last year's recycling rate.

RecycleMania started January 17 and ends March 27. RecycleMania is a friendly competition tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Over a 10-week period, schools reported recycling and trash data which are then ranked accordingly. Also, be sure to check out the RU Recycling website for more info.

RU's Campus SustainABILITY Events (flyer) for the week of Oct. 19th included:

Joel Salatin, operator of Polyface Farms and a noted sustainable farmer, author, & has appeared in the recent documentaries Fresh & Food, Inc.;
Fresh, a 2009 independent movie that celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system;
Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle signed the American College and University’s President’s Climate Commitment

RU Magazine- see the latest issue profiling RU's campus sustainABILITY efforts.

Composting on Campus- RU, Dining Services, & Poplar Manor Enterprises (see Resources & Links page) is conducting a pilot composting project in Dalton Hall. Food wastes and some paper items that are not otherwise recyclable will be diverted from the landfill and sent to a local composting facility. This project will not only help create valuable compost but also reduce harmful methane emissions from the landfill.

RU's Stormwater Remediation Wetland Project is now a National Wildlife Federation ® Certified Wildlife Habitat. Not only is the project a great solution to eliminating possible contaminants from run-off, it is being used as a laboratory site for the training of future scientists in varied disciplines, and is host to numerous aquatic organisms, as well as a nesting site for some bird species.

RU Magazine- see the article on page 7 in the current edition profiling RU's sustainABILITY efforts.

Governor's Quad Upcycles!- RU Wins National Award for Sustainability Efforts

Two RU Buildings Receive Coveted ENERGY STAR® Certification- a recent RU Today article