Have a vision for our clean energy future? Students (grads or undergrad) here is your opportunity to prove it! MIT is holding a clean energy business plan competition with a grand prize of $200,000. This will be a great opportunity to get a tremendous amount of attention on your brilliant ideas! Head over to http://www.mitcep.org/ to find out more.

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Don’t miss the opportunity to see a FREE showing of Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy and meet the film’s director!

ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability invites you to attend three public events, celebrating:

ASU’s Teach-In on Global Warming
Thursday, February 5, 2009

http://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/teachin

Take Action. Change the world. It starts with one.

National Webcast: The First 100 Days
Time: 8:30 – 11 AM
Location: GIOS 102
Hosts/Sponsors: GIOS, SOS, Engrained, Whole Foods, Tempe

Continental breakfast and viewing of “The First 100 Days,” a discussion of what needs to happen early in the Obama administration featuring David Orr, Hunter Lovins, Ray Anderson, and an interview with youth climate leaders Billy Parish, Wahleah Johns, and their baby Tohanna. They talk about the importance of student activism in the first 100 days; the potential impact of green jobs; and challenges facing today’s students.

The webcast is 30-minutes long and will be replayed the whole morning.

A Student Action
Time: 8:30 – 11 AM
Location: GIOS front steps
Hosts: Students of AZ Network for Sustainability (SANS)

Petitioning the Arizona Corporation Commission to increase the renewable energy standard for Arizona’s utilities, an important step towards energy independence.

Students Act Now for Sustainability
Time: 11 AM – 2 PM
Location: ASU Student Services Lawn
Hosts/Sponsors: GIOS, SANS, Chipotle, ASU environmental groups

When it comes to activism, the students at ASU are it. Sustainability is it. And it IS our time for change. February 5th presents a time for people to come together. It also presents a choice. Come out and stand. For your future, for your values, for your sustainability beliefs, and everything that is to come. Included: free food, action opportunities, and a Swiss energy display! The “Climate Trail” display, on loan from the Swiss Consulate, is a walk-through exhibit that is premiering on the Student Services Lawn and will be traveling around the ASU Tempe Campus through February 13th.

Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy (part of ASU’s Darwinfest) (RSVP required)
Time: 5 – 5:30 PM: Reception sponsored by Wholefoods Tempe and Engrained Restaurant
5:30 – 7:30 PM: Showing of Sizzle with post-film panel discussion led by the Filmmaker!
Location: Murdock Hall 201, ASU’s Tempe Campus (map)

Hosts/Sponsors: School of Life Sciences, Center for Biology and Society, GIOS, Institute for Humanities Research,

School of Earth and Space Exploration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Whole Foods Tempe, Engrained Restaurant

Meet the Filmmaker! Free, but you must RSVP at: sustainabilityevents@asu.edu. Even with a reservation, seating is not guaranteed but is first-come, first-served! Sizzle, a novel blend of three genres-mockumentary, documentary, and reality: Scientist-turned-filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, is a fan of Al Gore’s global-warming movie, but asks, “Where are all the scientists?” Join Dr. Olson for a reception before the film showing, and he and a panel of ASU experts for discussion following the movie, moderated by John D’Anna of The Arizona Republic. Panelists: Susanne Neuer (Associate Professor, SoLS) and Daniel Bernardi (Director, Film and Media Studies)

RSVPs are required for the film at sustainabilityevents@asu.edu; Trailer

Lauren Kuby
Manager, Events and Community Engagement
Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University
PO Box 875402, Tempe AZ 85287-5402
http://sustainability.asu.edu

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Related: Arizona budget cuts stifle innovation

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The strides that have recently been made by their Global Institute of Sustainability working together with the School of Earth and Space Exploration and other departments have been encouraging, now the budget cut seems a direct cut on our future and potential.  Most research is conducted based on grant funding which is not dependent on the state budget, for the most part, however, for the professors, students, and researchers to remain at ASU they rely on state funding for pretty much everything else.  I am discouraged and worried that all of the education system (primary, secondary, and higher) gets hit hard when the economy suffers and that directly translates to more strain on students and teachers making success more difficult to attain.  The future of innovation in the field of sustainability is on the chopping block, not just for ASU but for all Arizona universities and public schools.  There has got to be a better way?

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY News Release

January 15, 2006

Proposed Budget Cuts Would Severely Damage ASU, Negatively Impact 67,000 Students and their families, and Would Put Arizona on the Path to Resembling a Third World Country

TEMPE, Ariz. – The options proposed by the state legislature today would cut the university system’s budget by up to $243 million for the remaining few months of fiscal year 2009 and $388 million for fiscal year 2010. This would be the largest higher education budget reduction in the state’s history. Cuts of this magnitude would require Arizona State University to reduce costs by up to $126 million in less than five months and $194 million next fiscal year.

ASU opened its FY09 budget year having already taken more than more than $37 million in state funding cuts in the previous 18 months, resulting in the elimination of 265 jobs. Since that time, it has taken additional actions in preparation for the possibility of further reductions that has led to a cumulative elimination of almost 500 staff positions and over 200 faculty associates, the disestablishment of two schools and a reduction in the number of nursing students.

ASU administrators say that it is unreasonable and irresponsible to expect ASU, the state’s largest university and the producer of more than half the state’s bachelor’s degrees each year, to suffer cuts anywhere this magnitude without severely curtailing the service it provides its 67,000 students and reducing the enormously important role it plays in the state’s economy.

“The fact that the legislature has known about the state budget problems for months and failed to take appropriate and effective action to minimize harm to Arizona’s families and economy is unconscionable,” says ASU President Michael M. Crow. “Our students and their families, ASU alumni, and the working men and women of Arizona—all of whom are taxpayers and will be impacted by this action—deserve better.”

“The decisions made by our elected leaders concerning the FY09 and FY10 budgets will be the most important political decisions made in the nearly 100-year history of the state,” he continued. “For that very reason, there needs to be a thoughtful and public discussion of the options. Otherwise the Arizona of the future may more closely resemble a far-off, Third World country than nearby states such as Colorado and Texas.”

Arizona State University pumps $3.2 billion dollars each year into the state’s economy and creates tens of thousands of jobs. Each year it graduates more than 14,000 students, including engineers, nurses, mathematicians, scientists, teachers and entrepreneurs. These graduates, which include more than 151,000 alumni still living in the state, are responsible, in turn, for tens of billions of dollars of the state’s gross domestic product and constitute the largest single group of taxpayers in Arizona.

“You can’t cut your way out of a budget deficit of this magnitude,” said Dennis Hoffman. “The legislature needs to consider other options because a budget cut of this magnitude, if taken, will cause a sharp drop in the state’s GDP and prolong what is already a painful recession.”

ASU had already been planning for an additional cut of five percent by taking actions to reduce expenses while preserving educational quality, access to a college education, and the production of a skilled workforce. Cuts of the magnitude proposed today would cause the university to layoff and/or furlough additional employees, and consider program reductions that might affect students entering in fall 2009 and beyond.

SOURCE:

Virgil Renzulli, virgil.renzulli@asu.edu

(480) 965-8526 direct line

MEDIA CONTACT:

Terri Shafer, terri.shafer@asu.edu

(480) 965-3865 direct line / (602) 363-2318 cell

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona USA

www.asu.edu

Related: Arizona university presidents discuss proposed budget cuts

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Very cool little blog on ASU’s GIOS building over at Inhabitat. Head over there and check out some nice pictures of the building. Lots of cool green features in this renovated building. I remember when it was really dark and drab back when it was the nursing school building.

Old bequeaths new in the form of Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability, situated in the campus’ beautifully renovated former Nursing Building. Conceived by Lord, Aeck & Sargent along with Gould Evans Associates, the $6 million renovation included asbestos abatement and standard modernization for classroom use along with a bundle of environmentally and sustainable enhancements. Their innovation turned a once dreary, old and dark building into a new institute filled with enough daylight to inspire its new inhabitants as they look for ways to improve the environment, the economy, and the social challenges we all face today.

Inhabitat

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Meet representatives from student and local organizations, learn what’s going on in the community, and find out how you can get involved.

• Student Sustainability Fair, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM, Hayden Lawn
• Ed Hermes, ASU graduate and candidate for Maricopa County Supervisor, speaks about getting involved locally, 12 PM, Hayden Lawn
• Short Film Series, 6-8pm, GIOS 481

GIOS Events Calendar

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1. TEDxPhoenix to Feature Local Sustainability Expert

It can be tough to find local clothing stores and the allure of convenience of big names and mega malls can be too much to resist when you don’t know where else to go. This is your chance to get informed on who is out there locally.  Just browsing through their websites (links below) there’s a lot to look forward to.  A worthy cause, supporting local business, with loads of fun fashion, sounds good to me! Be sure to tell your friends, the more people who attend, the more donations to the hospital and the more publicity for these local boutiques!

[Visit LocalFirstAZ.com to view more local boutiques]

PVCC Fashion of Compassion Evening Sept. 17

Alpha Omicron Chi, Paradise Valley Community College’s chapter of the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa, presents The Fashion of Compassion event from 5 to 9 p.m., Wenesday, Sept. 17 in the Center for Performing Arts on the PVCC Campus at Union Hills Boulevard and 32nd Street. Proceeds benefit Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Following the opening reception, Alexis Vance of Fox 10 News will emcee the fashion show from 6 to 7 p.m. Students and staff will model clothing from shops participating in the on-site bazaar including Roka Boutique, Spoken Boutique, Estilo Boutique, Red Haute Boutique, Rowdy Boutique, Wink Boutique, Strawberry Mondays, Prima Divaz, Grandma’s Lullaby Loft plus Bella and Gracie’s.

Laurie Bachand, PVCC President of Alpha Omicron Chi, says that in addition to the fashion show and clothing bazaar, there will be a silent auction for packages such as Dinner at Earl’s and a Harkins movie; horseback riding in Sedona with Red Rock Western Jeep Tours; gift certificates from Tesori Jewelers, Electric Lady Land, Divaz Boutique, T’s Accessories and Brass Heart; and hair styling with products from Carolyn’s Hair Salon.

Also, please bring your gently used CDs and DVDs to donate to the hospital’s play rooms. Keep in mind they are for youths up to age 17.

Tickets for the fashion show are $10 each, available at the door and include light refreshments from 5 to 6 p.m. provided by Bruce Brown Catering. Tickets are also available on campus in the Kranitz Student Center and by calling the CPA box office at 602-787-7738.

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ASU to play role in crafting power systems to expand use of renewable-energy sources

TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State University researchers will help create a framework for re-engineering the nation’s power grid to make it adaptable to renewable electric-energy technologies such as solar and wind power.

A team of faculty members in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering and School of Sustainability are part of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center formed to develop technology to transform the United States’ centralized power grid into a “smart grid” that will be able to store and distribute energy produced from wind farms, solar photovoltaic panels, fuel cells and other alternative energy sources.

“The goal is to enable greater use of renewable energy sources to make us a more green-energy-based society,” says Gerald Heydt, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering.

Heydt will head an ASU team that includes fellow electrical engineering faculty George Karady, Keith Holbert, Raja Ayyanar and Dan Tylavsky, along with Jay Golden from the School of Sustainability, who also is an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

They will work with NSF’s new Engineering Research Center for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems, led by North Carolina State University.

An NSF grant of $18.5 million and an additional $10 million in support from various institutions and industry membership fees will fund establishment of an effort that will involve several universities in addition to national laboratories and industry laboratories in 28 states and nine countries.

More than 65 utility companies, electrical equipment manufacturers, alternative energy start-up ventures and other businesses have committed to the global partnership, according to the NSF.

Described as an “Internet for energy,” the “smart grid” is to enable millions of users to not only generate energy from renewable sources but sell excess energy back to utility companies.

Heydt says developing the new system involves not only providing for vastly more renewable-energy generation but building a sophisticated infrastructure that offers a variety of options for energy distribution.

The technology will advance the development of plug-in hybrid vehicles, appliances and other devices that can both store energy and send it back to the power grid.

The ASU team’s role focuses on its expertise in power systems engineering, particularly the use of computers and semiconductors for operating power systems.

“We have to draw a blueprint for the kind of network needed to deliver and manage large-scale distributed renewable-energy resources,” Heydt explains.

“We will need to develop controls for power systems that can provide several routes for both delivering and redistributing power from clean-energy sources,” he says.

Such systems have the potential to reduce the need for transmission lines, and will likely be able to operate with smaller generation stations than necessitated by current power systems.

Golden says the project will enable ASU to further establish and expand its leadership in sustainable engineering and science.

“We will be addressing the complex system interactions involved in creating and implementing a sustainable energy future,” Golden says. “That means examining technological advances in light of their environmental, economic and social impacts on both a domestic and global scale.”

The $18 million grant to North Carolina State University and its partners, including ASU, is a five-year commitment that is renewable for an additional five years.

# # #

SOURCE:

Gerald Heydt, heydt@asu.edu

Professor

Department of Electrical Engineering

(480) 965-8307

MEDIA CONTACT:

Joe Kullman, joe.kullman@asu.edu

(480) 965-8122 direct line

(480) 773-1364 mobile

Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona USA

www.fulton.asu.edu/fulton/

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Princeton Review rating based on environmental practices, policies and course offerings

Arizona State University has been named one of the nation’s “greenest” universities by The Princeton Review in its first-ever rating of environmentally friendly institutions.

The “2009 Green Rating Honor Roll” is a numerical score on a scale of 60 to 99 that The Princeton Review tallied for 534 colleges and universities based on data it collected from the schools in the 2007-08 academic year concerning their environmentally related policies, practices and academic offerings.

The Green Rating scores appear in the website profiles of the 534 schools that posted on The Princeton Review’s site (www.PrincetonReview.com) today.

Click here to read the full article on the ASU News site.

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Arizona State University is strengthening its commitment to boost Arizona’s economic development prospects in the renewable energy industry by establishing the Solar Power Laboratory to advance solar energy research, education and technology.

Prominent scientists and engineers are being hired to lead the endeavor to improve the efficiency of solar electric power systems while making them more economically feasible.

“The Solar Power Laboratory will further build up the university’s already formidable solar energy research and develop collaborations with the energy industry to accelerate expansion of the state’s economy,” said ASU President Michael Crow.

The effort is a major part of ASU’s response to the Arizona Board of Regents’ Solar Energy Initiative, aimed at encouraging research and development to meet future needs for renewable energy sources, Crow said.

In addition to spurring economic opportunity, advances in solar power systems will help Arizona protect its environment by enabling more widespread use of this clean-energy source, Crow said.

The laboratory will be a collaboration partnering the university’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

Read the full article at FoxBusiness

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