UNCF Building Green at MSIs Initiative.
The UNCF Building Green at MSIs Initiative will build knowledge and capacity, through a series of Building Green Learning Institutes, Technical Assistance Workshops and mini-grants, to help MSIs build green by incorporating principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency into building projects. The Building Green Initiative is guided by two overarching goals:
1) To increase the number of buildings and structures on MSI campuses that register for and achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification;
2) To increase the number of MSIs that are signatories of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
The project has been launched under the UNCF Institute for Capacity Building Facilities and Infrastructure Enhancement Program with support from the Kresge Foundation.
The Kresge Foundation programmatic approach in the area of Education aligns with four of the foundation’s nine values criteria:
•Creating opportunity for underserved and neglected students through increased access and avenues for academic success;
•Making diversity–racial, ethnic and gender–a demographic priority among staff and board members so as to reflect the student populations served;
•Establishing environmental conservation as a strategic institutional objective to both contribute to the mitigation of climate change and serve as a community model for sustainable design and construction;
•Achieving positive community impact beyond the confines of the educational institution.
UNCF-the United Negro College Fund-is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs…Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF tourch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
UNCF has made “Renewable Energy/Green Building” an educational priority.
