Santa Clara University

We are in the midst of the 4th annual Residence Energy Challenge, taking place in February. The Challenge kicked off with "SCU Unplugged," featuring Supertonic, The JurassiC, & The Vanities. Show your enthusiasm: post on the Sustainability at SCU Facebook page, mention @sustainablescu on Twitter, and tag #sustainablescu in Instagram. Read about the event & get ready for the month-long Energy Challenge! Read More »

Tim Hight, Ph.D., has been the faculty project manager for all of SCU's Solar Decathlon projects. He has seen the project grow into one of SCU's areas of distinction, as the University has placed 3rd in its past two competitions. Read more about Dr. Hight's experience with the team and about the Solar Decathlon's impact on SCU. Read More »

Did you know: SCU’s electricity use per square foot has decreased 16 percent since 2008. Read more facts about Santa Clara's energy usage and progress toward our climate neutrality goal at the end of 2015. Read More »

With the 4th Annual Energy Challenge just around the corner, students should start thinking consciously about energy use on campus. Read about SCU's new smart microgrid project, its renewable energy sources on campus, and about Proposition 39, which adds clean energy jobs to California's economy. Read More »

After finishing third overall in the 2007 and 2009 Solar Decathlons, SCU will compete again this year in the competition, which will be held in Southern California in October, 2013. Read about SCU's history in the competition, including its 2007 and 2009 houses, and about how the team plans to win big in 2013. Read More »

Santa Clara University's Office of Sustainability partnered with the Housing Office to hold the 3rd Annual Energy Challenge this quarter. On-campus residents are competing throughout the Winter quarter to reduce their building's energy consumption. Residents in the building that reduces its energy use the most compared to its historical average will be the winners! The competition is really heating up as residents try to beat last year's savings. Read More »

Katherine Lucey founded Solar Sister in Uganda a year ago, using the Avon model of distribution to empower women as entrepreneurs and to bring energy into poor rural homes in Africa that would otherwise be in the dark or be forced to use unsustainable and unhealthy energy sources such as kerosene for light. Lucey is one of 19 socially minded entrepreneurs from around the world who will come to Santa Clara University, August 7-19, as part of the 8-month intensive Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) program that helps them sustain and scale their businesses to maximize impact on underserved communities. ALSO THIS MONTH: New Master's Degree Program in Sustainability | Years-of-service gifts promote sustainability | Canning basics workshop taught SCU employees basics of home preserving Read More »

A student team developed a carbon footprint calculator for use at SCU, part of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics' Environmental Ethics Fellowship. The tool measures SCU students' greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use, waste production, partying, travel to and from home during vacations, food consumption, and more. Samantha Juda, '13, was interviewed on a national radio news program about the online tool. More news this month: Art Exhibition Explores Homelessness: 1930's to Today | Santa Clara University Receives National Recognition for Community Service | Santa Clara University's School of Engineering to Launch New Scholar Program for Photovoltaic Research with $1.3 Million Gift | Alum John Cruden named President of Environmental Law Institute | New Department at Santa Clara University to Prepare Students for Studies and Careers in Environmental Fields Read More »

The solar panel system on Benson Memorial Center is the largest project of its kind built to date in California. Read More »

In a partnership with Associated Student Government, the Office of Sustainability developed Living Green in the Neighborhood, a program that helps students in off-campus houses and apartments live more sustainably, celebrates the actions they are taking independently, encourages them to implement more sustainable practices, and rewards them with a prize. The objective: participants carry the ideas of sustainable living with them after leaving Santa Clara and implement them in their future homes. Read More »