MSSD Students out and about

PhilaU Grad Students enjoy visit to the Cusano Nature Center, one of the best Green Buildings on the East Coast. I think a few heads were turned!

Google technology could halve construction costs. 

http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000886261&fid=1725#%21

Philadelphia University Wins National Award for Sustainable Campus

This is quite an honor for our Physical Plant which has
worked very hard to move the green initiatives forward!

click here to learn more

Germantown United is hosting a Forum on May 8th - Great Panel Session - Check it out!

http://germantownunitedcdc.org/wp/it-is-easy-being-green/

MSSD Grad launches new Green Tourism Site for Trip Advisor

http://www.tripadvisor.com/GreenLeaders

Ryan Dillon, MSSD 11, developed the early concepts for this project for his thesis project. He then went on to gain employment at Trip Advisor in Boston and is now leading their efforts to develop their sustainable tourism initiative.

Congratulations Ryan Dillon!

Living Building Challenge in WA stage- projected to last 250 years!

The New York Times reports on the Bullitt Center, a new commercial office space going up in downtown Seattle.

Among its green features are composting toilets, rain showers for bicyclists, glass staircases, natural vistas, and a stringent plug load policy.

Click here for the full story!

This magazine has all kinds of interesting articles on higher level sustainability initiatives.
https://ilbi.org/education/trim-tab

Largest concentrated solar power plant opens in Abu Dhabi

This plant has the ability to generate enough energy (via steam) to make a major dent in the carbon load of its users- equivalent to 15,000 cars annually.

Check out the video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21830846

MSSD Students Lead the charge in the Campus Conservation Nationals

click here to see WOW for competition updates

PhilaU's Campus Conservation Nationals Welcome to the PhilaU Campus Conservation National Portal!  April 1st - 22nd, Franklin, Madison, and Jefferson Halls will be competing against one another to see which dorm can save the most energy.  Residents of the winning dorm will be eligible for raffle prizes!  This WOW portal will have live usage updates and meter readings during the competition, so check back often to see how much your dorm is saving!

A self-healing protective coating for concrete that is photo-induced and environmentally-friendly

A self-healing protective coating for concrete
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Bridges and other concrete structures could get a new lease on life from the first self-healing protective coating for concrete. Credit: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Scientists are reporting development of what they describe as the first self-healing protective coating for cracks in concrete, the world’s most widely used building material. Their study on the material — which is inexpensive and environmentally friendly — appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Chan-Moon Chung and colleagues explain that protecting concrete roads, bridges and other structures from developing tiny cracks has been a major technological challenge. Cracks allow water, salt used for deicing and air to enter the concrete. During winter weather, water in the cracks freezes, expands and the cracks get bigger, with road salt speeding concrete’s deterioration. “Although several reports of self-healing anticorrosive coatings for metal protection have appeared, there have been no reports on self-healing protective coating for concrete,” say the scientists.
They describe development of such a coating, one that contains microcapsules loaded with a material that seals cracks. Cracking ruptures the microcapsules, releasing the healing agent. Sunlight shining onto the concrete activates and solidifies the sealant. “Our self-healing coating is the first example of capsule-type photo-induced self-healing system, and offers the advantages of catalyst-free, environment-friendly, inexpensive, practical healing,” the report states.
The authors acknowledge research supported by Korea Institute of Construction & Transportation Technology Evaluation and Planning Grant funded by Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

Click here for high-resolution image

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE“Sunlight-Induced Self-Healing of a Microcapsule-Type Protective Coating”
DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ARTICLE
CONTACT:Chan-Moon Chung, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Yonsei University
Wonju, Gangwon-do 220-710
Korea
Email: cmchung@yonsei.ac.kr

GreenCon 2013 Be There!

15 Dollars for students.
During Spring Break
Lots of great sessions
Yours truly will be the Morning Keynote

http://usgbc-centralpa.org/content.php?page=GreenCon

NCARB recognizes MSSD!

Philadelphia University's MSSD program is now recognized by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board as an "Advanced Degree". Architects can qualify to gain credit towards their IDP by completing the program!

click here for more information

Another MSSD Grad starts a company

UrbanFront strives to work with nature to develop and maintain the healthiest and most abundantly thriving landscape possible for your property.

We look to develop a long term plan for a property that will aid in minimizing required maintenance while also increasing the vitality of your own Portland, OR urban eco-system.  We offer permaculture design and consultative services to help you plan your space to fit your daily needs for the present and into the future.  At UrbanFront, we hope to help you live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle through your interactions within your garden and property as a whole.

Congratulations Avery
http://urban-front.com/

Creating with Constraints: UArts Spring Design Series

UArts hosting program series on design within constraints-

Guest Lecture on 1/25: Cuban Sustainable Urban Ag.

We have a guest speaker coming on Friday, January 25^th to talk about sustainable urban agriculture in Cuba.  The recent Cuban experience is very interesting in terms of sustainability practices, so this should be a great opportunity to learn more!

PhilaU Reports on Green House Gases

As part of PhilaU's participation with the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC),  a Green House Gas Report for the University has been submitted publicly at http://rs.acupcc.org/ghg/2270/ 

This is a major milestone as Philadelphia University begins to put real energy into becoming the model of sustainability education. The report includes information about PhilaU's energy use, carbon emissions, and purchased offsets for the 2010-2011 school year. It was compiled in part by Mamta Borkar, PhilaU's intern for the Honeywell Act! Earth campaign, which is a business/education venture to promote sustainable practices among students, faculty and the local community that will help reduce the university’s energy costs and environmental impact. Here is the press release with more info on Act! Earth. 


The ACUPCC is a national campaign to encourage institutions of higher education to directly participate in fighting global climate change. You can learn more about this initiative at http://presidentsclimatecommitment.org/node/9603

LEED Exam Prep

Last Thursday Professor Rob Fleming and student Raff DeLuna led an extremely helpful and in-depth exam prep session for MSSD students, both past and present, who are taking the LEED Green Associate Exam in 2013. The LEED GA will identify our students as proficient in the LEED rating system and demonstrate broad knowledge of sustainable design. We wish them luck and thanks to our great teachers Rob and Raff!

NYT Front Page: Bill McKibben's 350.org demands university divestment of fossil fuel stock

A few weeks ago Philadelphia hosted Bill McKibben and his group 350.org on their national campaign to shift away from fossil fuels and combat climate change. In attendance at the event were several PhilaU faculty and students there to support the cause and learn how they can get involved much like students in the 1990s organized to demand their schools divest from South Africa during Apartheid.

The most resent news in this national movement is that the New York Times has put 350.org on the cover- you can read the article here to learn more.

Pin Your Work in SEED with AIA on the 10th

AIAS is hosting a gallery event in SEED on the 10th, they are looking for art and design work, anything fits.

Everyone's Invited!

Come see the work of this semester's studio, which features future scenarios for the PhilaU campus and new approaches to education and research in the 21st Century.