Water
New study in ‘Nature Water’ demonstrates a vastly more sustainable, cost-effective method to desalinate industrial wastewater
Jun. 22, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that has developed a cutting-edge method that seeks to make the removal of salt from hypersaline industrial wastewater far more energy-efficient and cost-effective. While desalination through reverse osmosis has made tremendous strides—allowing for salt removal from seawater for less than a penny per gallon—it still falls short in...
Sustainability, mobility and transportation efforts highlighted in FutureVU FY2022 Progress Report
May. 5, 2023—Vanderbilt University made significant progress toward its FutureVU goals in fiscal year 2022, as outlined in the annual progress report. FutureVU is a high-level, holistic framework for the development of campus’s built and exterior environments. That framework gives direction to campus projects and considers core themes such as community enhancement, connectivity, inclusion, accessibility and sustainability. Highlights from...
Engineering group goes to Israel to study water recycling leader’s operations, research
Mar. 14, 2023—Engineering professors and students will spend their 2023 spring break in Israel to learn about the country’s water recycling programs and bring those lessons back to share with Sterling Ranch, a 21st century sustainable city south of Denver, Colorado, that has doubled as a training site and test bed for Vanderbilt students and professors since 2015. Sterling...
Tennessee flash floods are an example of climate change impacts to come
Sep. 15, 2021—The historic rain and flash flooding that swept central Tennessee on Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021, devastated the small city of Waverly, about 60 miles west of Nashville. A flash flood watch issued Friday quickly became a “flash flood emergency” Saturday. On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Humphreys County officials said 20 people died and all those missing had been accounted...
Annual report on campus sustainability efforts now available
Jan. 20, 2020—Vanderbilt University greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 7 percent per square foot compared to FY17-18, and 18.5 percent compared to CY16. The finding is among those showcased in the annual sustainability report released today by FutureVU Sustainability in the Division of Administration. “The achievements highlighted in this report reflect the work of hundreds of faculty, staff and students in...
Join FutureVU Sustainability Leaders and help foster a sustainable campus
Jan. 15, 2020—As part of Vanderbilt’s commitment to achieving zero waste by the year 2030, the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office is launching a new program—Sustainability Leaders—to improve sustainability outcomes on campus through culture change, education and the facilitation of actionable goals. Sustainability Leaders will act as peer mentors to foster a community that raises awareness of...
E. Bronson Ingram College receives LEED Gold certification
Sep. 30, 2019—E. Bronson Ingram College (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Vanderbilt’s E. Bronson Ingram College has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance sustainable buildings. Organizations must apply for the certification, which is recognized...
University eliminates single-use plastic water and soda bottles in operations on campus
Aug. 28, 2019—As part of its ongoing sustainability efforts, Vanderbilt University announced today it will eliminate all single-use plastic water and soda bottles in its operations throughout dining facilities, markets and vending machines. The collaborative effort—which involved the student organizations Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility (SPEAR) and Vanderbilt Student Government and will save more than 430,000 plastic...
Engineering and Science Building, Eskind Biomedical Library designated LEED Gold by USGBC
Jun. 26, 2019—by Jalen Blue Jun. 26, 2019, 9:36 AM U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) President and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam presented Vanderbilt with a plaque designating the university’s Engineering and Science Building and Eskind Biomedical Library with LEED Gold status at a community-wide gathering on Tuesday afternoon in the Engineering and Science Building lobby. “It is an honor for Vanderbilt to...
Petal project at Vanderbilt expands Living Building foothold in Southeast
Jun. 26, 2019—By Ken Edelstein on June 25, 2019 The second Living Building Challenge project on a college campus in the Southeast is well underway but still half a year from completion. The 88,000-square-foot rehabilitation and expansion of two century-old buildings at Vanderbilt University in Nashville is seeking Petal Certification, a track allowing partial fulfillment of the rigorous Living Building...