Green Buzz

Georgia Tech School of Architecture students are testing their abilities to imagine, design and construct in an international competition intended to increase awareness of consumption behavior and the power of recycling.  An 11-member team has constructed a tower made out of plastic bottles along with a hanging tower constructed of plastic hangers.

At the recent Greenprints conference on sustainability, Georgia Tech’s Baabak Ashuri joined thought leaders to pinpoint key trends in green building in the year ahead. With Ken Edelstein, author of Greenbuilding Chronicle, Steve O'Day, partner in Smith, Gambrell & Russell and Anita Anand, senior associate at Reznick Group, Ashuri provided expertise in what growth trends, financing options and the competitive environment for companies operating in the green building sector.

If you’ve ditched a bike on a campus bike rack lately, it’s time to fix it up or say goodbye. Starting Monday, May 16, the Georgia Tech Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee (BIIC) will begin a campus-wide effort to tag and remove bicycles on campus racks that have been abandoned.

Recently, members of the Georgia Tech Student Alumni Association (SAA) presented the Office of Solid Waste Management and Recycling with more than $20,000 through its SAA Gift to Tech program. 

“Our office is honored to have been thought of so highly by the students that they would support our initiatives monetarily,” said Cindy Jackson, manager of campus recycling. “I will be working closely with the Student Alumni Association to develop plans on how the money will be used to expand the recycling program here at Georgia Tech.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a five-year grant of $8 million to the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory to create one of four national Clean Air Research Centers addressing the public health impacts of air pollution. The new centers were announced today at the Society of Toxicology meeting in Washington, D.C.

For the third consecutive year, the Georgia Institute of Technology has earned Tree Campus USA recognition for its dedication to campus forestry management and environmental stewardship, the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation has announced.

Tree Campus USA is a national program that honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy management of their campus forests and for engaging the community in environmental stewardship.

Sustainability in construction and design continues to gain traction as stakeholders become more aware of the benefits of sustainable materials. The healthcare design industry, in particular hospitals, is putting more of an emphasis on how flooring materials can deliver benefits over the lifecycle of their facilities. 

A recent study by Georgia Tech research associate Jennifer DuBose and College of Architecture graduate assistant Amaya Labrador shows that several elements need to be considered when choosing the correct floor for a hospital environment.

The Game Day Recycling program broke its own record this football season, diverting 21 tons of glass, aluminum, cardboard, plastic and other recyclables away from landfills for a chance at a second life.

A year following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a method to recycle rubble into a strong construction material, which could be a possible solution for safely and inexpensively rebuilding Haiti’s structures.

The South could pay less for its electricity in 20 years than is currently projected if strong public policies are enacted to spur renewable energy production and use, according to a report released today by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Duke University. The 190-page report, “Renewable Energy in the South,” builds on a short policy brief released last summer and provides an in-depth assessment of the scope of renewable energy resources in the South and their economic impacts on electricity rates and utility bills in the region.

Students from Georgia Tech’s School of City and Regional Planning are offering their expertise this semester by working with Atlanta area communities to develop a long-term plan for their neighborhoods.

Professor Nancey Green Leigh and her class of graduate students are partnering with Georgia Conservancy and community leaders of Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) G located on the west side of Atlanta close to the intersection of Interstate 285 and Hollowell Parkway to improve the area.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) awarded nearly $2 million to Georgia Tech to develop better simulation models for predicting building efficiency. The research team is led by associate professor Fried Augenbroe with colleagues Christiaan Paredis, John Peponis and C. F. Jeff Wu, also of Georgia Tech, and Ali Malkawi of the University of Pennsylvania.

Georgia Tech residence halls are becoming more eco-friendly with LEED certification renovations.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, certifies only buildings that meet with a strict standard of environmentally-conscious construction and maintenance. Certified buildings must meet requirements for "sustainable design, construction, and operation."

For its commitment to the development and maintenance of a healthy campus landscape, Georgia Tech has been selected by the Arbor Day Foundation as one of six universities to receive a recognition gift of 75 new trees. Student organizations, staff and university leadership will be on hand to assist with the planting during a November 6 ceremony, from 9 a.m. - noon at the Campanile.

Georgia Tech continues to receive national attention for its commitment to sustainability, and this week was no different.

The Institute garnered an overall grade of "A-" on the 2011 College Sustainability Report Card, also known as the Green Report Card. The Sustainable Endowments Institute issues the annual report to measure sustainability initiatives at colleges and universities.

The Georgia Institute of Technology was honored by the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) at the organization’s 16th Annual Patron Appreciation Dinner held on Sept. 24. Georgia Tech alumnus Ray Anderson also received UCR’s River Guardian Award.

Georgia Tech received UCR’s first River Sustainability Award for the university’s significant investment in and leadership on behalf of water and energy efficiency as exemplified by campus sustainability programs.

Twelve Georgia Tech students were awarded $14,000 in recognition of their innovative ideas for GE Energy Service’s Smart Grid Challenge Program. The competition provided the opportunity for students to address problems related to smart grid technologies.Six teams of Georgia Tech students participated in the challenge, tackling smart grid problems related to distribution losses, liability and demand.

Sarah Miracle and Chris Shearer have been selected to receive fellowships as part of a new U.S. Department of Energy Graduate Fellowship program.

Both are pursuing Ph.D.s at Georgia Tech. Miracle is studying randomized algorithms and Markov chains in the School of Computer Science in the College of Computing, while Shearer is investigating sustainable concrete materials technology in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering.

The Green Cleaning program at Georgia Tech has released a new website, to provide information about the program's history, the products and methods Georgia Tech facilities use to keep the campus green.

The Green Cleaning program was implemented in 2003. A grass roots effort aimed at providing an environmental preferred method to cleaning American Schools. Green cleaning is defined as “cleaning that protects health without harming the environment.”

The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of 18 colleges and universities named to Princeton Review’s 2010 Green Rating Honor Roll for maintaining the most sustainable practices, policies and course offerings among all campuses rated for their environmental friendliness.  This is the third straight year Georgia Tech is being recognized for their efforts on sustainability.

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