FutureVu Sustainability
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QuickTicket replacing Commodore Card for free WeGo public transit benefit
All full-time and part-time Vanderbilt University students, faculty, staff and postdocs can ride WeGo local and regional buses, paratransit services and the WeGo Star free of charge at any time. Starting July 17, the university is transitioning from using physical Commodore Cards to utilizing the “QuickTicket by WeGo” app or a physical QuickTicket card. Read MoreJul 16, 2024
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Opening of Vanderbilt’s Oliver C. Carmichael College completes 12-year West End Neighborhood construction
The 160,000-square-foot Oliver C. Carmichael College will join E. Bronson Ingram, Nicholas S. Zeppos and Rothschild as the final residential college in the West End Neighborhood, concluding 12 years of construction. The transformation of the West End Neighborhood is part of FutureVU, a framework for campus planning that embodies the university’s core values and holistic approach to its mission of teaching, research and service, while prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability. Read MoreJun 11, 2024
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Vanderbilt University Native Meadow flourishing with collaborative research projects
Tucked behind the 6 Magnolia Building on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus is what might look to some like a lush garden of weeds. In reality, it’s a strategic Native Meadow full of pollinator-friendly plants. Since its inception, the meadow has flourished, and many faculty, staff and students have found ways to collaborate and interact with the space, thought of as a ‘living lab.’ Read MoreApr 29, 2024
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Signs of spring: VU Arboretum grows by 35 trees
Springtime in the Vanderbilt University Arboretum fills campus with buds and blooms, and new trees find their home across the grounds. At the beginning of April, people walking around campus may have noticed landscapers planting trees in the arboretum. The trees were planted in clusters across campus, including on Alumni Lawn and near Rand, Sarratt and Curry Field. Read MoreApr 29, 2024
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Locally sourced foods take center stage at Campus Dining’s Earth Month events
During Earth Month, Vanderbilt Campus Dining hosted a series of events centered around locally sourced foods, which included the largest Rand Farmer’s Market to date! Plus, over 5,000 community members have enrolled in ReusePass, reducing single-use plastic on campus. Read MoreApr 24, 2024
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Vanderbilt continues carbon neutral collaboration with Clearloop, supporting rural West Tennessee solar farm
Vanderbilt University will help expand access to clean energy in Brownsville, Tennessee, while further offsetting the institution’s carbon footprint—thanks to the second of three solar farms being developed through the university’s multiyear collaboration with Clearloop, a subsidiary of Silicon Ranch, an alumni-founded solar company based in Nashville. Read MoreApr 22, 2024
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WATCH: The Wond’ry builds a climate-positive future with Climate Innovation Accelerator
Led by the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s center for innovation, the Climate Innovation Accelerator is a first-of-its-kind Nashville initiative that engages an inclusive network of local universities, minority-owned/led small businesses, and nonprofits to advance the city’s leadership initiatives toward a climate-positive future. The second… Read MoreApr 19, 2024
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Vanderbilt University launches sustainable lab program
Vanderbilt Environmental Health, Safety and Sustainability is launching the Vanderbilt Sustainable Labs program, which provides guidance for laboratory members to reduce the environmental impact of their lab activities. Read MoreApr 17, 2024
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Dan Russell: Care for Community
Dan Russell, sustainability coordinator intern in Auxiliary Services, teaches the Vanderbilt community about how people’s individual choices in using Earth's resources can affect our urban patch of Nashville and the planet on which we live. Read MoreApr 15, 2024
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Twenty-five and counting: Vanderbilt University continues to expand its green building certifications
THINGS TO KNOW: Vanderbilt University now has 25 LEED certified buildings Vanderbilt has PETAL and WELL-designed buildings (certifications pending) The Commons was the first set of buildings to receive LEED certification on campus … Read MoreApr 10, 2024
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New segment of Walk & Roll Loop opens on campus
The FutureVU Walk & Roll Loop will offer a scenic pathway for students, faculty, staff and the community to walk, bike and roll around campus. As part of ongoing campus improvements, a new segment has opened along West End Avenue, boosting accessibility and sustainability in the West End Neighborhood. Read MoreApr 8, 2024
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WATCH: 5 Vanderbilt Campus Dining sustainability efforts you should know
Today is the first day of Earth Month! Vanderbilt Campus Dining is constantly working to expand its sustainability programs. Here are five things you should know about sustainability at Campus Dining. Read MoreApr 1, 2024
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WATCH: 5 sustainability efforts you may not know about at Vanderbilt (Part Two)
It’s almost Earth Month! Did you know that Vanderbilt is carbon neutral? Throughout April, we’ll be highlighting sustainability-related programs and areas throughout the university, which all contribute to continually lower Vanderbilt’s carbon footprint—and here are five that you might not know about. Read MoreMar 28, 2024
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Vanderbilt’s magnolia trees and the women who planted them
Did you know that the Southern magnolia is one of the most common trees on campus? It’s thanks to the efforts of Margaret Branscomb and the Vanderbilt Women’s Garden Club in the 1950s. Read MoreMar 28, 2024
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Vanderbilt to celebrate Earth Month with events throughout April
Excerpt: Vanderbilt University will celebrate Earth Month during April with events aimed at education and engagement around Vanderbilt sustainability programs and initiatives. Read MoreMar 22, 2024
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Vanderbilt to participate in Earth Hour to raise awareness of climate change
Things to Know: Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia, in 2007 when more than 2.2 million people turned off their lights for one hour. In 2023, Earth Hour saw over 410,000 hours pledged to the Hour Bank. … Read MoreMar 21, 2024
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Sustainability, transportation and environmental efforts highlighted in FutureVU FY2023 Progress Report
The annual report provides an overview of progress around the core themes of connectivity and community enhancement, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, environmental sustainability and the preservation of the university’s historic, park-like setting. Read MoreMar 18, 2024
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Vanderbilt greenhouse gas emissions drop 11 percent since last year and 35 percent since 2016, sustainability report shows
The latest annual sustainability report, released by Environmental Health, Safety and Sustainability in the Division of Administration, details Vanderbilt’s fiscal year 2023 sustainability efforts that support the university’s overall sustainability goals. Read MoreJan 29, 2024
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WATCH: A Day at the Vanderbilt I Solar Farm
Did you know Vanderbilt University is completely carbon neutral? Watch as Class of 2024’s Ari Sasson takes us behind the scenes of the Vanderbilt I Solar Farm that’s providing clean energy to the electrical grid. Read MoreDec 11, 2023
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WATCH: Alumni leadership in Vanderbilt’s large-scale renewable energy efforts
Vanderbilt’s efforts in large-scale renewable energy are closely tied to the work of its alumni. Silicon Ranch co-founder and CEO Matt Kisber, BA’82, helped lead an important collaboration between his company and the university to build solar farms, which helped Vanderbilt achieve carbon neutrality years ahead of its original goal of 2050. Read MoreOct 30, 2023