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ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's Office of Sustainability presents the GREEN TIP of the week: Keep it natural! Instead of turning on overhead lights and lamps during the day, open blinds and use natural light instead.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ kicks off its 4th annual POWERless energy competition this week for residence halls across campus to reduce their electricity use in a contest that awards buildings for conservation efforts. The contest aims to improve energy habits while making a positive impact on the planet.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ unveils this week its new Building Dashboard, which allows users greater control and ease of use in viewing real-time energy usage of buildings around campus via the Internet.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ is the "featured member" for the week of Oct. 4, 2010, on the website and Bulletin e-newsletter distributed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ will receive up to $200,000 in federal grant money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help with the installation of solar thermal systems that will heat water each day in a dining hall and a number of residence halls.

Students and faculty gathered in Lindner Hall on Sept. 23 for a sustainability meeting hosted by the Student Sustainability Council. The meeting was an open forum for everyone to discuss sustainability efforts on campus, promote environmental awareness and propose new ideas for the upcoming year.

The Business Journal of the Greater Triad reported in an early September article on a sustainability internship at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ currently filled by student Ben Stanley.

The Sierra Club named ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ one of the nation’s top “Coolest Schools” in the environmental group’s fourth annual rankings of America’s greenest campuses. It is the second consecutive year that ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ made the list, which rates schools in categories that include academics, waste management and energy efficiency.

What’s an earth-friendly way to cool down a residence hall? Take energy from warm indoor air and drop it hundreds of feet underground. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ started work this summer on a geothermal field that will heat and cool the Colonnades residence halls near the Koury Business Center, including three buildings scheduled to open in July 2011.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ's project to use geothermal technology to heat and cool the new Colonnades residence halls was featured in reports on News 14 Carolina, Time-Warner Cable's statewide news network, and the Triad's Fox 8 news.