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When one considers the enormous cost of science laboratory buildings, it is no surprise that the stream of environmental consciousness that has swept through campuses has had a profound effect on the design and engineering of these complex buildings. Advancing technologies, government regulations and rising energy costs all are driving the push to design greener building systems. Although science and laboratory buildings are by far the most complex and energy-intensive buildings on campus, they also can be models of effective energy management, carbon-footprint control and sustainability. This article discusses some considerations when designing a sustainable and energy-saving science and laboratory building.

School physics rarely stands still for long. Environmental physics is now an option in some post-16 courses in England. The physics of environments, and in particular the built environment, offers a recognizable context in which to see the applications of physics at work. This article considers how a model doll's house might be used to help learners understand energy transfer, thermal equilibrium, energy management, and responsible citizenship. (Contains 6 photos, 1 box, and 5 footnotes.)

Lured by the recognition that comes with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, many schools and universities have become aware of that certification process. But for years, the involvement was limited to a few trendsetters; according to the Green Building Council's database, only about 120 K-12 school facilities have received LEED certification since 2001. As of January 2009, the list of K-12 education construction projects that have applied for LEED certification has swelled to more than 1,000. It's clear that the interest in green design is building. With a new administration in place in Washington that openly acknowledges the need to reduce global warming and the benefits of more healthful and energy-efficient practices in building and operating facilities, the green movement will continue to evolve from a rare and unconventional approach into a routine and accepted way of doing business. Many college campuses have taken great strides to make their campuses more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but one of the trendsetters in the green movement might seem unlikely. With more than $5.7 billion available in bond proceeds, the Los Angeles Community College District bills its construction program as one of the largest public sector green building efforts in the United States. The community college district's commitment to green design and construction has its roots around 2001 when it was preparing to put a $1.25 billion bond proposal on the ballot. Environmental and community activists lobbied the district to incorporate sustainable design practices into the projects it was planning. The green approaches on the community college system's nine campuses range from long-accepted environmental efforts, such as energy-efficient climate control systems, daylighting strategies and wind power, to more innovative and unfamiliar products, such as a coating known as UV-PCO (Ultra-Violet Photocatalytic Oxidation). The coating contains a chemical that, when it comes into contact with sunlight or fluorescent light, reacts and forms cleansing agents that make the facility virtually self-cleaning. Even more familiar techniques, such as solar power, are being carried out on such a massive scale that it's hard to ignore the district's green efforts. At East Los Angeles College, the district has installed a 1.2 megawatt solar farm. It consists of nearly 6,000 solar panels that are installed above carports that provide parking for 530 cars. The panels save the college $400,000 in energy costs and provide other benefits, too.

Climate change, energy price spikes, and concerns about energy security have reignited interest in state and local efforts to promote end-use energy efficiency, customer-sited renewable energy, and energy conservation. Government agencies and utilities have historically designed and administered such demand-side measures, but innovative third-party administrative models present new options to finance, market, and deliver sustainable energy services to energy end-users. This study outlines the concept of a new third-party administrative model, a sustainable energy utility (SEU), with the potential to achieve deep energy efficiency savings and a high penetration of customer-sited renewable energy. An SEU is characterized by central coordination, comprehensive programs, flexible incentives, financial self-sufficiency, competitive procurement, and a focus on delivering energy services rather than commodity energy. (Contains 2 tables and 7 notes.)

Since the mid-1980s, power sector liberalization has been embraced at different levels in the East Asian countries of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The dominant rationale underlying power liberalization has been a quest for efficiency improvements, to be achieved by substituting private market activity for public regulations and by opening a country's electricity system to the global economy and management techniques. However, as the power system is increasingly liberalized, the possibility of establishing a local energy system, which has the great potential to restore sustainable environment-society relations, has been diminished. As an alternative to the power liberalization strategy, this paper proposes a restoration of local energy regimes based on the model of an energy commons and a decentralization paradigm. The innovative energy-policy model of the Sustainable Energy Utility, as applied in the case of Seoul, Korea, is explored as a possible option for a local energy strategy for East Asian countries. (Contains 4 figures and 6 notes.)

Even as the conventional energy system is fundamentally challenged by the "energy-environment crisis," its adherents have presented the prospect of "abundant" and purportedly "green" nuclear power as part of a strategy to address the crisis. Surveying the development of nuclear power in India, this article finds that it is predisposed to centralization and secrecy, that nuclear power as energy policy is based on a presumption that overabundance is imperative for viable forms of social and economic development; its institutionalization has tended to reduce deliberations on energy policy and human well-being to narrowly technocratic terms. Given these proclivities, nuclear power, as evaluated in this article, is considered unlikely to facilitate a viable response to the energy-environment crisis. Alternatives are thus surveyed here to include the sustainable energy utility and the capability approach as well as synergies between them, to challenge the offer of nuclear power as a response to the energy-environment crisis. (Contains 8 notes.)

Climate change, rising energy costs, and other dilemmas raise the prospect for major change in energy-ecology-society relations. Two prominent proposals for change include: a nuclear power renaissance; and mega-scale renewable energy development. Both suggest that modern society will receive a rising stream of less CO2-rich kilowatt-hours, so that increased energy consumption and economic growth can continue. The article doubts these CO2 claims and finds both options lead to deepening unsustainability and environmental injustice. A third approach is proposed. A new institutional and community strategy called a Sustainability Energy Utility. The SEU looks to reduce energy use and seeks to support remaining energy needs by community-scale renewables. To accomplish deep energy change, the authors show how an SEU can move society from an energy commodity to energy commons regime. Commonwealth economy and community trusts are key means to significant change: a future commons is offered as the more appropriate strategy. (Contains 14 notes.)

Climate change is only one factor driving growing numbers of cities throughout the globe to reconsider conventional approaches to electricity generation and use. In the U.S., this momentum is incorporating a shift away from centralized, supply-side approaches reliant on fossil fuels and nuclear power, toward more distributed, flexible, and cleaner energy systems. In this regard, such systems entail elements of the emerging Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) model enacted by the U.S. state of Delaware in 2007. The potential value of this model can be explored by examining those locales where elements of energy service compatible with an SEU have currently been adopted and implemented. This paper looks to one such community, Austin, Texas, to assess its utilization of an alternative energy pathway and the outcomes observed to date. Considered here are the technical, economic, and environmental dimensions of change, as well as the social dynamics accompanying new imperatives for energy development. (Contains 3 figures and 6 notes.)

This article discusses what lies ahead for education facilities and business in 2009 and beyond. For schools and universities, that's a safe prediction every year, but it's even more likely in 2009. Economic uncertainty is raising anxieties, tax coffers are dwindling, and budgets are collapsing, but the educational needs of students are just as urgent as ever. Most education administrators will find it difficult to maintain the status quo, let alone find the resources to pursue innovations or expansions that can improve learning for students. Instead, they will have to make painful decisions about which programs and projects to cut, which jobs to eliminate, which facilities to close and which construction and renovation plans to put on hold. At the same time, a change is coming in the relationship that the federal government has with local school districts and higher-education institutions. A new presidential administration and a new education secretary will take the reins of power and chart a revised course for education reform.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide information about past and present efforts undertaken at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) to reduce its carbon footprint and to institute a campus culture centered on the principles of environmental sustainability. Provide some recommendations to other institutions of higher education interested in reducing their own carbon footprint. Design/methodology/approach: This manuscript will first discuss past attempts at implementing ecologically sustainable practices at CCSU. Then, it will speak about current successes and close with a discussion about future goals for the university. Findings: Instituting carbon neutrality and sustainability programs at institutes of higher education requires support from the faculty, administration, students, and facilities management staff. Practical implications: The information in this paper will provide useful information to other institutions of higher education that are seeking to institute carbon reduction and sustainability programs. Originality/value: This paper is original in that it provides details about CCSU's carbon neutrality efforts and recently initiated sustainability program that only someone intimately involved would know. Its value lies in helping others know of methods that have been successful in reducing a campus' carbon footprint. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

A "carbon footprint" is the "total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an (individual, event, organization, and product) expressed as CO2" emissions. Since CO2 emissions are indicative of energy use, the higher the associated CO2 emissions, typically the greater the associated costs. A typical desktop PC system includes the computer (desktop or laptop), monitor, and printer. A desktop computer might need 65-250 watts of electric power when in use, and a color monitor, another 40-150 watts. A laser printer can need as much as 400 watts or more when printing, although considerably less if in standby mode. Ink-jet printers can use 12-30 watts while printing, but less than 5 watts while turned on but sitting idle. The more computers on campus, the higher the incentive to investigate potential cost savings by reducing their power consumption. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) can decrease their carbon footprints and save money when they embark on energy-saving programs at the desktop. Efforts to reduce the energy consumption associated with personal computers are often referred to as "green computing," which is the practice of using computing resources efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive manner. Many institutions have chosen to include information on their websites about green computing efforts and how to reduce carbon footprints. This article discusses three ways that individuals and institutions can decrease energy use with personal computers: (1) Power management of desktop computer systems. Power management helps to manage the power supply to a desktop computer so that it minimizes the power consumption of the computer without affecting the quantity and quality of the work done; (2) E-mail practices and policies. Computer users can use e-mail to reduce energy consumption by sending e-mail memos instead of paper ones; and (3) Online learning options. Online learning options using learning management systems and web/videoconferencing can cut back on the need for traditional physical classrooms (and other infrastructure) while also reducing travel costs and associated energy use. Such energy- and cost-saving measures can decrease an institution's energy footprint and energy costs. (Contains 5 figures and 32 endnotes.)

Lourdes College is a small, private, coeducational commuter college located in northwest Ohio. In early 2009, the Lourdes College Board of Trustees ratified a new strategic plan promoting institutional strength and sustainability over the next six years. The desired outcome was to make Lourdes College a stronger, more vibrant, even more socially responsible regional university by the year 2015. A critical component of the strategic plan is a thorough evaluation of all areas of college operations with the goal of identifying ways to use available resources more efficiently. Any budgetary savings would support the college during the current tough economic times. To date, initial strategic efforts focused on sustainability have shown great promise, especially in the technology arena. This article describes how the IT department at Lourdes College used the strategic plan evaluation process to promote efficiency in its data center and network operations through virtualization and other "green" technology initiatives. (Contains 3 tables, 2 figures and 5 endnotes.)

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) seeks to foster a community that produces sustainable solutions in all facets of campus life: (1) teaching; (2) research; (3) service; and (4) administrative operations. The university strives to model the three tenets of sustainability (environmental preservation, economic prosperity, and social equity for all members of society) in every endeavor. WPI recently solidified this commitment through the creation of its President's Task Force on Sustainability, which provides guidance and leadership for all of its sustainability efforts. The university has selected a number of strategic initiatives that further its sustainability agenda, including sponsoring recycling programs, installing solar energy collectors, and reducing energy consumption. In February 2007, the WPI Board of Trustees voted to endorse a policy calling for all future buildings on campus to be environmentally friendly and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certified structures. For its part, WPI's Information Technology Division has committed to supporting the university's sustainability efforts by reducing the environmental impact of WPI's IT systems and operations. This article describes the changes that can be seen campus-wide on desktops, in classrooms, and in the WPI data center. One of the greatest findings from these efforts has been that "going green" has some surprising bottom-line benefits. Recommendations are made for educational institutions struggling with how to implement sustainable technology. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 3 endnotes.)

A decade ago, people wanting to practice "green computing" recycled their printer paper, turned their personal desktop systems off from time to time, and tried their best to donate old equipment to a nonprofit instead of throwing it away. A campus IT department can shave a few watts off just about any IT process--the real trick is planning and prioritizing to accomplish the most with the staff and budget available. Spending money isn't the only option, and in some cases, it isn't even the best option. Some of the most effective strategies are actually the least expensive. IT staff often start looking for green opportunities in the back office, particularly in costly-to-upgrade areas like data centers. On campus, though, most computers are out in the field. Even considering the extra power and cooling needs of server rooms, client technology still consumes 3.5 times as much total resources. For a more complete solution, IT departments clearly need to look beyond the walls of central IT. Over the past couple of years, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of computers on campus. Though it has taken green steps in the back room--server consolidation, virtualization, print management--most of its gains have resulted from new approaches to client computing. UMF has focused primarily on power management and raising user awareness, while also committing to purchase more energy-efficient end-user computers. UMF has cut electricity consumption in its computer center almost in half through greener practices like server virtualization (2006-2007), air-conditioning improvements in the data center and computer labs (2007-2008), better power management on the building's 120-130 computers (2008-2009), and replacing computers in one classroom lab each year with newer, more efficient models (2006-2009). The results have been noticeable in electric bills, as well as in the increased awareness of green computing on campus. UMF also recently won the first Power Down for the Planet contest, which challenged colleges and universities nationwide to reduce energy consumption by enabling power management and purchasing Energy Star-qualified computers. While IT guided these accomplishments, the methods weren't entirely technical. UMF invested equally in publicity and campus-wide collaboration, with the idea that all users can contribute to green computing. This article describes how UMF found success with this bottom-up approach which can benefit other organizations as well. (Contains 3 figures and 13 endnotes.)

Information technology (IT) is regarded globally as a voracious consumer of energy. According to a 2007 research paper issued by the United Kingdom's Global Action Plan, IT accounts for 10 percent of the electrical usage in the U.K. In the United States, Stanford University estimates that IT accounts for 15 percent of its overall electrical use. Although IT adds to the problem of energy consumption on campus, it can also be a partner in the sustainability solution--by contributing to overall energy reduction and by enabling sustainable practices in other areas across the university. In fact, according to a 2007 NetworkWorld story, Gartner Group named "green IT" number one in its "Top 10 Strategic Technologies 2008." Interestingly, several of the other top 10 technologies in Gartner's list play roles in sustainable computing across the enterprise, including virtualization, unified communications, and the web as a platform. Sustainability is no longer a fringe project in IT organizations. At Indiana University (IU), University Information Technology Services (UITS) plays a large and growing role in IU's sustainability initiatives. That wasn't always the case, however. IT's role grew organically and will continue to evolve over time. This article describes the story of how IT got engaged at IU, and some of the payoffs of that engagement, which might have relevance for other institutions considering a similar role for IT. (Contains 5 figures and 7 endnotes.)

The government of the United Kingdom has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 34 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) will require all large public and private sector organizations across the U.K. to cut carbon emissions and report total CO2 emissions annually so that the data can be published in a league table. IT professionals clearly have a significant role to play in helping organizations perform effectively within this framework: (1) Minimize energy consumption by idle devices, specifically desktop computers and laptops; (2) Reduce, reuse, recycle, and buy the greenest equipment--and only when necessary; (3) Consolidate servers and manage optimized virtual infrastructures; (4) Consolidate applications by promoting the use of shared services; (5) Build and manage more efficient data centers; (6) Consolidate data centers, locate them in colder climates (where there is less need to cool them), and power them with green energy; (7) Reduce travel by using remote communication technologies; (8) "De-materialize" processes, for example by moving to a paperless office; (9) Install sensors and controls that enable more efficient management of building services; and (10) Implement new computing infrastructures such as more use of mobile devices or thin clients. This article reports on a project which considers the first of these initiatives, specifically how to minimize the power consumed by desktop computers at the University of Oxford. (Contains 3 figures, 1 table and 5 endnotes.)

State-of-the-art, energy-efficient facilities are now emerging on campuses across the US, and for a variety of reasons: One practical consideration is that such buildings bring down energy costs, which are now soaring. Facing rising expenditures and a tightening of potential revenue, universities are looking for ways to reduce operating costs, and more efficient buildings offer them one way to meet that goal. Yet, helping to conserve natural resources and improve the environment also has become a common theme in academic circles. Consequently, some members of this community feel an obligation to lead the charge with novel energy initiatives. In this article, the author talks about the movement toward making campus edifices smarter through intelligent building management. He stresses that when IT and Facilities team up for "intelligent" building management, efficiency, savings, and user benefits soar.

Energy costs are projected to rise as much as 12 percent in 2008, and a facility's "carbon footprint" has become an issue of increasing importance. So, many schools and universities are taking a hard look at their energy consumption. Education facilities can save tens of thousands of dollars in yearly electric costs, and cut harmful emissions by thousands of tons, by adopting a handful of simple, cost-effective efficiency strategies. Although efficiency investments of every size and cost are possible, several measures can reduce electrical consumption and have a payback period of three years or less. Two areas of "low-hanging fruit" for a school or university seeking to lower electric costs are lighting and electrical motors.

When Arthur Stellar came to Massachusetts' Taunton Public Schools in 2005, he knew that part of his job as superintendent would be cost cutting. That's no easy task without sacrificing the quality of education the district provided. How to decrease what you spend without eliminating vital resources? One way, Stellar says, is to assess what you're already doing--and then get better at it. For most districts, energy spending ranks second behind only personnel expenditures. That means conservation can have a huge impact on both the environment and the budget. Becoming more energy efficient isn't just about turning off lights and shutting down idle computers. It's about rethinking the way things are done at every level of the organization--taking into account everything from natural gas and electricity use to HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) systems, grounds maintenance, and construction procedures. Developing a long-term plan that will maximize savings requires a broad range of expertise not typically found at the district level. For Taunton Public Schools, that's where Energy Education came in. A specialist in developing people-based energy conservation programs for school districts around the country, Energy Education was tasked with helping Taunton find ways to decrease its energy consumption in order to increase its bottom line. Over the past two years, the program developed by Energy Education has helped Taunton save more than $660,000 in energy costs.

Data loss from life's little power calamities may be the most common form of IT disaster any campus can face. According to a 2007 industry association survey(www.connect.educause.edu/library/ecar/shelterfromthestormitandb/41174), 82 percent of higher education institutions reporting a disruptive occurrence in the five years prior to the study revealed the most common event was simple electrical failure. Even a momentary outage can knock out phone service, emergency notification devices, websites, e-mail, specialty equipment, security systems, research projects, legacy hardware, and critical networks. This article offers insights on how several institutions manage disruptive IT calamities.

The lifecycle concept is a "cradle to grave" approach to thinking about products, processes, and services, recognizing that all stages have environmental and economic impacts. Any rigorous and meaningful comparison of energy supply options must be done using a lifecycle analysis approach. It has been applied to an increasing number of conventional and renewable energy generation systems and in an increasing range of countries. There is now a good amount of research reporting the lifecycle environmental and economic aspects of power generation systems. This article reviews the existing lifecycle analyses of renewable energy systems to determine the current understanding of their full lifecycle impacts. These are then compared with each other and those of conventional power generation systems. The renewable energy systems reviewed include wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal (for electricity), hydroelectric, solid biomass, wave, geothermal, biogas, and tidal. The article also highlights the areas where more lifecycle analysis is needed. (Contains 2 tables.)

With the stricter environmental regulations and diminishing fossil-fuel reserves, there is now higher emphasis on exploiting various renewable sources of energy. These alternative sources of energy are usually environmentally friendly and emit no pollutants. However, the capital investments for those renewable sources of energy are normally high, and there are also maintenance cost differences to be considered. Furthermore, due to the intermittency of some of these power sources, reliability issues should be addressed when integrating different power sources. In this article, as an example, the design of hybrid generating systems comprising wind turbine generators, photovoltaic panels, and storage batteries is discussed based on multidisciplinary optimization. In this multisource generation system design, three design objectives are considered, that is, system cost, reliability, and pollutant emissions. (Contains 4 figures.)

This article describes how community colleges, as educational institutions, play a central role in the sustainability movement and in the battle against climate change. Across the country, two-year institutions are creating sustainability programs, such as recycling garbage or composting food waste. They are building new green buildings, upgrading their facilities to be more energy-efficient, and installing new equipment, such as solar panels or wind turbines, to generate electricity. They also are increasing efforts to educate students about the environment and the need to protect it for future generations. At DeAnza College, educators not only are preparing students to live as good stewards of the natural world, they are also leading by example, creating a hands-on, organic learning environment that serves as a living, breathing reminder of the fragile state of the planet on which people live--and society's charge to protect it.

Each year, the world evolves, but for education institutions, the cyclical nature of the school calendar means administrators come up against the same issues and challenges again and again. In 2008, schools and universities must deal with most of the same facility issues that they have addressed in some fashion before--how to provide safe and healthful environments conducive to learning in a cost-effective manner. The new year will be different in some respects. Voters will choose a new president in 2008, and the issue of reforming and improving education is likely to get some attention from the presidential candidates. This article presents an analysis of key issues that will impact education institutions in 2008 and beyond, as well as insight into how school and university administrators can best prepare for what lay ahead.

This article examines how local experiments and negotiation processes contribute to social and field-level learning. The analysis is framed within the niche development literature, which offers a framework for analyzing the relation between projects in local contexts and the transfer of local experiences into generally applicable rules. The authors examine 2 case studies drawn from a meta-analysis of 27 new energy projects. The case studies, both pertaining to biogas projects for local municipalities, illustrate the diversity of applications for a technology through processes of local variation and selection. The authors examine the diversity of expectations and the negotiation and alignment of these expectations underlying the diversity of local solutions. Moreover, the authors address how the transfer of lessons from individual local experiments can follow different pathways and yet always require due attention to the social and cultural limits to the transferability of solutions. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Providing efficient and clean power is a challenge for devices that range from the micro to macro in scale. Although there has been significant progress in the development of micro-, meso-, and macro-scale power supplies and technologies, realization of many devices is limited by the inability of power supplies to scale with the diminishing sizes of CMOS-based technology. Here, the authors provide an overview of piezoelectric energy harvesting technology along with a discussion of proof of concept devices, relevant governing equations, and figures of merit. They present two case studies: (a) energy capture from the operation of a novel shear and elastic modulus indentation device subjected to applied voltage and (b) energy capture from vibrating commercial bimorph piezoelectric structures mounted on household appliances. Lastly, areas of development needed for realization of commercial energy harvesting devices are suggested. (Contains 6 tables and 7 figures.)

Energy use in Iceland (population 283,000) is higher per capita than in any other country in the world. Some 53.2% of the energy is geothermal, which supplies electricity as well as heated water to swimming pools, fish farms, snow melting, greenhouses, and space heating. The Nesjavellir Power Plant is a major geothermal facility, supplying both electricity and heated water to Reykjavik. The purpose of this paper is to interest students in geothermal energy. The author describes a simulation of the power plant and determines the plant's suitability for classroom study. (Contains 6 tables and 3 tables.)

This article presents a study of the techno-economical feasibility of manufacturing biofuel ethanol at small scale from agricultural sources in New Zealand. It investigates possible agricultural products and wastes as potential feedstock and looks at laboratory-scale fermentation trials to determine their ethanol yields. The ethanol requirement to replace all gasoline in New Zealand with a 10 vol% blend (E10) is 300 ML/yr. Current production is derived from whey with output being about one sixth of this requirement. Sugarcane, sugar beets, maize, potato waste, and spoilt kiwifruit possess potential for use as feedstock. New Zealand currently grows approximately 150,000 t/yr maize, sufficient for making 45 ML/yr ethanol, and also has the potential to exploit 100,000 t/yr potato processing waste and 18,000 t/yr spoilt kiwifruit. Sugarcane and sugar beets are currently not grown on a large scale in New Zealand. However, sugarcane is of particular interest because of its high ethanol yield (7,750 L/Ha) and ease of processing. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

This article establishes the benefits of applying renewable energy and analyzes the main difficulties that have stood in the way of more widely successful renewable energy for rural areas in the developing world and discusses why outcomes from these technologies fall short. Although there is substantial recognition of technological, economic, institutional, and other supply-side barriers that have generally interfered with success, the household and other stakeholders have been left outside the scope of evaluation. This article first discusses the usefulness of renewable energy for encouraging sustainability in rural, poor areas, analyzes barriers that have often interfered with the promotion and delivery of expected outputs of installed modern energy technology in remote communities, and finally presents findings from a survey on the actual performance state of the renewable energy technology and degree of satisfaction with it. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)

Ground-coupled heating-cooling systems (GCHCSs) exchange heat between the built environment and the subsurface using pipework buried in trenches or boreholes. If heat pumps in GCHCSs are powered by "green electricity," they offer genuine carbon-free heating-cooling; for this reason, there has been a surge in the technology in recent years. Interference between adjoining installations is being reported, raising issues of sustainability in terms of performance, equitable sharing of natural resources, and localized ecological impacts. Using an analytical model for heat transport in porous media, sensitivity analyses have been obtained for open-loop systems in typical hydro-geological settings for urban GCHCSs in the United Kingdom, revealing that breakthrough of injected water will likely lead to significant declines in system performance in less than 25 years for well spacings less than 300 m, unless injection rates are kept below 250 m[superscript 3]d. Only by cooperatively planning will adjoining landowners in urban areas achieve large-scale sustainable system designs. (Contains 4 figures.)

In general terms there are only three primary energy sources: fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear fission. For fueling road transportation, there has been much speculation about the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier, which would usher in the "hydrogen economy." A parallel situation would use a simple battery to store electricity directly in order to power vehicles. The efficiency of these two different approaches has been compared and shows that the hydrogen and fuel cell system would consume nearly three times the primary energy required by a battery storage system. Successful introduction into the marketplace of the plug-in hybrid vehicle would eliminate the need for road vehicles to use petroleum fuels, at least for the majority of miles traveled. If electricity were to be generated primarily from sustainable primary energy sources, then road transportation would also become sustainable, resulting in an "electricity economy" rather than a "hydrogen economy." (Contains 7 figures and 2 tables.)

Biomass provides the only sustainable source of organic carbon for the production of chemicals used in manufacturing and as liquid transportation fuels. In this article, the authors examine some of the challenges that society faces in the transition from a global economy in which transportation fuels are derived from fossil fuels to one in which they are derived from renewable biomass via a "biorefinery." In so doing, the authors present an overview of the technology currently available to society and highlight some of the key issues that must be resolved in order to grasp the opportunities that stem from the transition. They conclude by considering the situation of their own country, Australia, to illustrate that the solutions to the challenges will likely depend not only on technology development but also on social, political, and geographical factors. (Contains 1 figure and 2 notes.)

An existing industrial hydrogen generation and distribution infrastructure is described, and a number of large-scale investment projects are outlined. All of these projects have the potential to generate significant volumes of low-cost, low-carbon hydrogen. The technologies concerned range from gasification of coal with carbon capture and storage to gasification of a range of biomass streams. These biomass streams derive in turn from the supply chains that feed large liquid biofuel production plants--some operational and the others under construction. Having described how such developments are coming together in a particular location to allow accelerated movement toward a hydrogen economy, this article explores the conditions under which similar acceleration could be seen in other locations. (Contains 1 figure.)

The article investigates the feasibility of district heating in a small town adjacent to a Kraft pulp mill in eastern Canada. A detailed heat demand analysis is performed for all buildings using a geographical information system and archived data provided by the municipality. The study shows that the entire space heating requirement of the town can be supplied by steam from the mill, even during exceptional peak demands. A screening test based on load density indicators, however, reveals that a district heating serving the entire town would probably not be economically viable. An economic analysis of partial districts show that a district covering about half of the town can be economically viable with a proper balance between the price of the steam sold by the mill to the district operator and the cost of the energy sold to customers. (Contains 10 tables, 6 figures, and 1 note.)

The strengths and weaknesses of current energy planning can be attributed to the limited economic, social, and environmental contexts taken into account as a result of the current intellectual and professional division of labor. A preventive approach is developed by which the ratio of desired to undesired effects can be substantially improved. It takes into account supply-and demand-side options, renewable and nonrenewable sources, and net energy availability. Alternative energy must be considered within such a strategy, which carefully examines its effects on society and the biosphere. Intellectual barriers are identified, and ways of overcoming them are suggested.

The year in architecture offered grand facades, creative collaborations, and calamities overcome and viewed as opportunities. This article features 168 public building projects and 21 academic facilities completed between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007 that provide a glimpse of the future. Many libraries reported here achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, while still others incorporated sustainable design principles into their projects. Daylighting ("controlled admission of natural light through windows to reduce or eliminate electric lighting"), air quality upgrades, renewable resources, water reuse principles, low-voltage lighting fixtures, energy efficiency, and native plants are just some of the checklist items for an ecofriendly facility. A listing of the 168 public library projects and 21 academic buildings is included.

For some administrators and planners, designing and building education facilities may sometimes seem like a circus act--trying to project a persona of competence and confidence while juggling dozens of issues. Meanwhile, the audience--students, staff members and taxpayers--watch and wait with anticipation in hopes of getting what they paid for and being delighted with the results. To be successful, administrators and planners have to keep track of numerous factors: costs; curricular innovations; the latest upgrades in equipment and technology; the growing demands for heightened security; the duty to accommodate learners with different styles, personality types and abilities; the obligation to use resources wisely; and the desire to create a hub that brings a community together. The trick is getting across that high wire before the spotlight goes out or the crowd gets impatient, and trying to keep all those items loft without letting any one of them--or the whole operation--come crashing down. But, despite the obstacles, schools and universities across the nation continue to deliver education environments that are conducive to learning. Designers and educators have to address many concerns as they traverse the tightrope from planning stage to completed building. This article presents ten of the issues schools and universities are likely to confront as they plan and build the learning spaces that will educate future generations of schoolchildren.

Education administrators do not have to be deeply committed to the ecology movement to see the value of conserving energy and providing more environmentally friendly facilities. Reducing energy costs frees up funds for learning programs. Providing more healthful facilities can help students and teachers ward off illness and disease and perform more effectively. For schools eager to adopt a green philosophy regarding design, construction, operations and maintenance, plenty of opportunities exist. In the past, energy-saving efforts may have consisted of turning down a thermostat, pulling down the shades, or putting on a sweater. However, as knowledge about conservation grows and technologies make it easier to identify and quantify savings, administrators have more sophisticated tools available: (1) daylighting; (2) water; (3) geothermal; and (4) wind and sun. Martha Buckner, assistant superintendent of the Columbia-Brazoria Independent School District, says implementing sustainable features into their school has resulted in improved student learning.

Since 1998, the Department of Education and Science has been using a process of design, awareness, research and technology known as DART to develop energy efficiency in educational buildings. Currently all primary schools built in accordance with the Department's primary schools technical guidance documents are capable of being up to 2.3 times more energy efficient than schools built to international best practice. In this article, the author explains how Ireland has incorporated low energy design into primary and post-primary schools and gives an overview of projects that have helped inform this approach. (Contains 1 figure.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the preparation of a sustainability report and a large-scale energy-saving campaign with regards to their role for organizational learning (OL). Similar processes indicating OL were observed during the implementation of both projects. Along the lines of a theoretical framework of OL these processes will be discussed. Potential of institutional transformation regarding sustainable development is indicated. Design/methodology/approach: Following calls for "unified theory" on OL which can be used for empirical research, an integrative perspective has been proposed. Based on this perspective, two projects are discussed with respect to five dimensions in the process of OL: actors and media as communicative characteristics and triggers, factors as well as results as information processing characteristics. Findings: The results show the driving role of making data available to the public (transparency as incentive for organizational change) and the need to change structures for cross-linking information. Furthermore, benefits of creating new networks of actors for reflecting current structures and developing visions for future change are outlined. Practical implications: Possibilities for transferring the project designs and experiences to other institutions are shown. Need for further research on the mechanisms of OL for promoting structural change toward a stronger role of sustainability in higher education is indicated. Originality/value: The perspective of OL for sustainability reporting and energy saving offers new perspectives for internal change processes triggered by sustainability related projects. Promising research opportunities on triggers and drivers of such processes evolve. (Contains 1 figure, 1 table and 3 notes.)

Purpose: To explore the barriers and motivations to the construction of green buildings at the University of Waterloo (UW) by documenting and analysing the UW building process. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted 13 semi-structured in-depth interviews with key UW individuals as well as analyzing numerous internal reports in order to document UW's building process. Based on the literature, a set of key ingredients for successful green building projects is developed as a basis from which to evaluate UW's current practices. Findings: Based on the four key ingredients needs for successful green building projects at Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), UW was found to have weaknesses in all four areas including: a lack internal leadership amongst stakeholders with decision-making power, a lack of quantifiable sustainability targets, an operational structure that does not reward building designs with lower energy costs, and lack of communication between professional designers, facilities management and faculty. While UW has implemented many green initiatives on campus, the current financial and organizational structure of the University's current system does lend itself to the creation and implementation of green buildings on campus. Originality/value: Most research at IHE document existing green building initiatives and the lessons learned from their design and construction. There has been limited research into the processes by which decisions to proceed with the construction of green buildings are made, particularly within large institutions. As a consequence, the research documents many of the pitfalls, traps, and solutions that are experienced during the construction of green buildings, but have limited knowledge of the reasons why some proposed green buildings never get developed. This research identifies barriers to the construction of green buildings within institutional decision-making processes and makes specific recommendations for realizing green building construction based on the UW case study. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 2 notes.)

Purpose: This paper aims to quantify and critically analyze the best practices of a comprehensive environmental stewardship strategy (ESS), which included a guaranteed energy savings program (GESP) that utilized an energy service company (ESCO). Design/methodology/approach: The environmental and economic benefits and limitations of an approach utilizing an ESCO are critically analyzed in the context of implementing a comprehensive university sustainability strategy. Findings: A GESP, which utilized the technical and financial expertise of energy service companies, improved the operational efficiency, decreased the ecological footprint, and reduced the operating costs of the university. Practical implications: Energy-saving projects are "win-win" situations, addressing both economy and ecology. Utilizing energy service companies in the university setting is a useful method to catalyze university administration to support sustainability initiatives and accelerate the implementation of comprehensive sustainability strategies. Originality/value: The current waste rampant at most universities provides a large number of opportunities to improve environmental stewardship while reducing operating costs. This paper provides a new model utilizing energy service companies to capitalize on these opportunities to move universities towards sustainability. (Contains 2 tables and 5 notes.)

This article begins by tracing the conjunction between the birth of radical ecological politics and the New Left, then moves to a reconsideration of whether a Marcusean politics and culture of intolerance and resistance are legitimate under contemporary circumstances. The article then outlines a call for the reconstruction of a Marcusean "pro-life" politics, and then closes with a discussion of how Marcuse provides ecological educators with a theory of politics "as" education and a revolutionary conception of "humanitas," through which Marcuse sought to work to overcome the historical struggle and dichotomy between culture and nature, as well as the human and non-human animal. The conclusion offered is that Marcuse is a founding figure of a revolutionary ecopedagogy that seeks an end to the violent destruction of the earth, as it works to manifest a critical, utopian post-humanism based upon new life sensibilities that attempts to displace domination and repression broadly conceived with ecological and just social alternatives. (Contains 15 notes.)

The hydrogen economy is a technological bluff in its implied assurance that, despite the accelerating pace at which we are depleting the remaining half of our fossil fuels, our energy future is secure. Elementary thermodynamic considerations are developed to show that a hydrogen economy is about as feasible as a perpetual motion machine. Hydrogen is not an energy source but an energy carrier, and when produced renewably, it is an energy carrier to the second degree, with electricity being the energy carrier to the first degree. As such, it greatly elongates the chain of energy transformations required to deliver a desired service from a primary source of energy. There will undoubtedly be applications in which hydrogen may be essential, but they will be limited because the services it delivers will come at a substantial energy premium.

In this article, a number of future energy visions, especially those basing the energy systems on hydrogen, are discussed. Some often missing comparisons between alternatives, from a sustainability perspective, are identified and then performed for energy storage, energy transportation, and energy use in vehicles. It is shown that it is important to be aware of the losses implied by production, packaging, distribution, storage, and end-use of hydrogen when suggesting a "hydrogen economy." It is also shown that for stationary electric energy storage, fuel cell electrolyzers could be feasible. Zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles are compared. The battery electric vehicle has the highest electrical efficiency, but other requirements imply that plug-in hybrids or fuel cell hybrids might be a better option in some types of vehicles. Finally, a simplified example is applied to the overall results and used to discuss the needs and nature of an energy system based on intermittent energy sources. (Contains 3 figures, 3 notes and 5 tables.)

The hydrogen economy has received increasing attention recently. Common reasons cited for investigating hydrogen energy options are improved energy security, reduced environmental impacts, and its contribution to a transition to sustainable energy sources. In anticipation of these benefits, national and local initiatives have been launched in the United States, creating pilot "roadmaps" and technology partnerships to explore hydrogen economy platforms. Although hydrogen can provide several positive improvements over a carbon- or uranium-based energy system, several problems are also likely. As well, competitive technologies (e.g., hybrid vehicles) may offer comparatively greater economic and/or environmental advantages. Before policies to advance a hydrogen energy economy proceed, it is vital that all aspects of hydrogen be compared with other available alternatives. Important questions to ask in this regard are whether a hydrogen economy can fulfill key energy needs and whether there are appropriate roles for hydrogen to play in a sustainable energy future. (Contains 2 figures.)