Introducing a New APUS-Sponsored Blog
Last month, I posted an article about APUS’ groundbreaking ceremony at the site on which we will build a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified building. Wes Holmes, an APUS student pursuing a Masters of Environmental Policy and Management, requested to do a project to document the construction of the building. To that end, he has established a blog under the guidance of his Program Director, Dr. Carol Pollio.
Mr. Holmes’ blog will provide a forum in which he can share the information related to the construction of the building, the LEED elements of the building, and will even include a webcam to show real-time construction development. In documenting the progress of this construction, Mr. Holmes will touch on issues related to “environmental policy; sustainable development; natural resource utilization; and responsible, community-oriented growth.”
APUS is a charter signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and has committed itself to “greening” our operations and helping develop the leaders this country will need to evaluate the many complex issues regarding the environment. As institutions of higher education begin to realize the need for educating tomorrow’s leaders about environmental issues, many have begun incorporating sustainability into their curriculums in a variety of ways. I was impressed when Dr. Pollio discussed Mr. Holmes’ concepts for this project, and I believe it will be the first of many ways in which APUS’s faculty and students will integrate issues of sustainability into the curriculum.
I encourage you to follow Mr. Holmes’ blog as he documents the construction of APUS’ LEED building. I am sure that he will welcome suggestions as well.
Tags: American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, APUS, Dr. Carol Pollio, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Masters of Environmental Policy and Management, Wes Holmes
December 8th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I am very excited to learn about the new LEED Gold certified building. It reminded me of a discussion in one of my first classes as a student at AMU: the topic was about sustainability and the discussion wandered over to the topic of higher education. The general consensus was that distance learning is indeed more sustainable that traditional “brick-and-mortar” institutions; we cited less travel time and related impacts from enrolling in and attending classes. It was brought up that the increased use of electricity is one trade-off but we agreed that it is much easier to regulate a few point sources of carbon emissions rather than several thousand vehicles. It is great that an already sustainable institution is making even greater strides in that direction. Kudos!
I personally really enjoy online classes at AMU although I hope to visit the new building once it is complete.
Sincerely,
~Tam