Shop Talk: Cars at Penn, Gas at Yale, Power at Appalachian State, and More

The city of brotherly driving: The University of Philadelphia and PhillyCarShare have set up a car-sharing program that will have 40 vehicles on the campus. PhillyCarShare claims that the program is the largest university-oriented car-sharing program in the country. All university employees over 18 — more than 22,000 people — will be able to use the cars. PhillyCarShare, a non-profit organization that has won sustainability awards in Philadelphia, has set up car sharing programs at Bryn Mawr, Chestnut Hill, Haverford, Swarthmore, and Ursinus Colleges; Drexel, Eastern, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, and Widener Universities; and the University of the Arts. Advocates of the program say it reduces the number of cars on campuses. Many of the cars in the PhillyCarShare fleet are economy-class and hybrid cars. (Photo by Gloria Bell)

Less gas from Yale: Yale University claims to have cut its greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent over the past two years. According to a Bloomberg report, Yale achieved the goal by installing more efficient heating and cooling systems in almost a third of its buildings and by getting students to unplug devices when not in use. Yale intends to cut its emissions by 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 — a goal the university expects to achieve, said Richard C. Levin, the president.

So, after all that. … : It appears that the Boone, N.C., town council will allow Appalachian State University to push ahead with a building for its college of education. The council and some residents had initially resisted the university’s plan to build in an area that, they contended, was not zoned for university construction. The situation had erupted into a little power struggle between the university and the council, complete with tense council meetings. “Though I do disagree with how the university went about acquiring this property … and how they plan for its use, the university now owns this property” and has the right to develop it, Lynn Mason, a council member, said in the Watauga Democrat. “Both the town and university are experiencing growing pains, and we’re at a critical crossroad where we must plan to work together.”

Some dream of South Florida; others, rural Missouri: The Maryville, Mo., Daily Forum says that Northwest Missouri State University may build an “urban-style, mixed-use village” that could provide “a vibrant, small commercial area adjacent to the university as an amenity to students and thus an incentive in attracting them, and attracting back to Maryville alumni who are ready to retire and make a lifestyle change.” Advocates of the development said people would be attracted by the low cost and low stress of living in a rural area, along with the outdoor recreation and educational opportunities of the region.

Windows on the world, from Ludington: West Shore Community College has opened a new campus center that features a library, a bookstore, student services centers, classrooms, a computer lab, a cafe, and other offices, according to the Ludington Daily News. The 38,000-square-foot structure cost $7.8 million. Students quoted in the Daily News praised the building’s windows above all else.