News & Events
Recent Events
Supply and Demand: Barriers to a new Energy Future," the 2012 Vanderbilt Law Review Symposium
Feb 24, 2012 from 08:45 AM to 04:00 PM
Featuring a keynote address by Robert H. Socolow, Professor and Co-Director, The Carbon Mitigation Initiative, Princeton University
"The Quiet Revolution Revived: Sustainable Design, Land Use Regulation, and the States," a panel discussion based on the article by Sara Bronin, University of Connecticut School of Law
Andrea George, VU Sustainability, "Vanderbilt's recently-completed greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Read the full report HERE.
"Implementing Climate Change Policy: Looking Forward to the Hard Part" - Washington D.C.
In the News
January 31, 2012 - In the latest example of how the work of VIEE is being used in policymaking, a paper published in 2009 by Carrico et al., Costly Myths: An analysis of idling beliefs and behavior in personal motor vehicles, has been cited by the Toronto Board of Public Health in a recent report. The report served as the basis for reforming Toronto's anti-idling bylaw in 2010; it sets a limit of one minute of idling per 60 minutes, compared to three minutes of idling per 60 minutes in the 1998 bylaw.
Tennessean: Phil Valentine’s film attacks Al Gore, global warming claims - January 29, 2012 - Phil Valentine, a radio talk show personality who for years has derided Al Gore and concerns about global warming, has taken his crusade to the big screen with a new movie, An Inconsistent Truth. Professor of Law Michael Vandenbergh and Jonathan Gilligan, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, are quoted. Several of the movie’s scenes were filmed around Nashville, including some at Vanderbilt.
The Tennessean: Cold will make comeback after Nashville’s winter warm-up - January 25, 2012 - Although this winter seems unusually warm, it hasn’t set any records and isn’t necessarily a symptom of global climate change. Local temperature fluctuations are not good indicators of climate change, which is tracked using much larger trends, says Jonathan Gilligan, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences.
R&D Magazine: The energy debate: coal vs. nuclear - June 13, 2011 - As America struggles down the road toward a coherent energy policy that focuses on a higher degree of self-reliance, policymakers face numerous issues and realities. Research conducted by Heather Barnes Truelove, a postdoctoral fellow in Civil and Environmental Engineering, is highlighted.
climate.bna: Vanderbilt University law professor touts benefits of carbon labeling - May 9, 2011 - Michael Vandenbergh, director of the environmental law program at Vanderbilt, discusses how carbon labeling can help companies save costs and consumers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The video interview was conducted at VUStar, Vanderbilt’s campus broadcast facility.
Washington Post: What’s in a carbon footprint? Depends. - April 21, 2011 - Two years after being introduced, and handicapped by uncertainties about how to calculate those ratings, carbon-footprinting schemes struggle to be recognized as the standard stamps of eco-consciousness that the FairTrade, Energy Star and LEED systems have become. Michael Vandendbergh, Tarkington Chair in Teaching Excellence at Vanderbilt Law School and director of the Climate Change Research Network, is quoted.
CNN: Will Earth day be overshadowed by another environmental disaster? - April 4, 2011 - A year ago, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history—the Deepwater Horizon oil spill—began on Earth Day. This year, Japan is coping with the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant, which could become that country’s worst environmental disaster to date. Michael Vandenbergh, director of the Climate Change Research Network and Tarkington Chair in Teaching Excellence at Vanderbilt Law School, is quoted.
March 30, 2011 - Michael Vandenbergh and colleagues Thomas Dietz and Paul Stern advocate private carbon labeling for products in inaugural issue of Nature Climate Change. Their research was mentioned in the United Press International.
"Is Global Warming on the Back Burner? Prospects for Change" December 9, 2010 - Professor Michael Vandenbergh joins a moderated panel of three Vanderbilt experts discussing what we can do next, now that a down economy has shifted public focus away from the issue of global warming.
Dr. David Greene, Senior Research Member of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to speak on "Transportation and Climate Change" - October 28, 2010
‘Crop mobs’ push Americans closer to food they eat - October 14, 2010 - Voice of America - In the 1930s, it took one farmer to feed every 10 Americans. Now the ratio is ten times that, and few Americans have strong ties to the food they eat or to the farmers who produce it. But a movement called Community Supported Agriculture is trying to change that, and social media plays a central role. James Fraser, associate professor of human and organizational development, is quoted.
Lean and green couple's lifestyle shows how individuals can improve environment - October 4, 2010 - KentuckianaGreen.com - Although big industry has for years been the target for environmental degredation, a Louisville couple prove that it is possible to live sustainably in a modern world. Michael Vandenbergh, the Tarkington Chair in Teaching Excellence and director of the Environmental Law Program, is quoted.
Saturday University at Vanderbilt to focus on energy and the environment - Issues including Climategate, the future of electric cars and floodplain policy will be examined during the fall 2010 Saturday University lecture series at Vanderbilt University, which brings the expertise of the Vanderbilt faculty to the Nashville community. Each lecture will include a question and answer session. To register for an event click here.
- Nov. 6: “Electric Vehicles: Are We Going Back to the Future?” by Jack Barkenbus, associate director of the Climate Change Research Network, affiliated with the Vanderbilt Institute for Energy and Environment.
- Nov. 13: “Energy and Climate Change: The Behavioral Wedge” by Michael Vanderbergh, professor of law and director of the Climate Change Research Network
- Nov. 20: “Implementing Effective Floodplain Policies in the United States” by Jim Fraser, associate professor of human and organizational development.
European Tropical Forest Research Network (ETFRN) - September 23, 2010 - Michael Vandenbergh, the Tarkington Chair in Teaching Excellence and director of the Environmental Law Program, coauthored this article, which was featured in the September issue of the ETFRN newsletter.
"Climate Change Isn’t Coming to Nashville — It’s Already Here. And the Future Might be Hotter Than We Can Handle" - Nashville Scene. Jonathan Gilligan, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, is quoted and wrote a related commentary explaining the science behind those conclusions: "What Climate Models Can Tell Us About the Future (and What They Can’t)."
"Study Led by Kip Viscusi Suggests Recycling Laws Work"
"The Behavioral Wedge: Household Actions Can Provide a Behavioral Wedge to Rapidly Reduce U.S. Carbon Emissions" - PNAS published article which uses a behavioral approach to examine the reasonably achievable potential for near-term reductions by altered adoption and use of available technologies in U.S. homes and nonbusiness travel. This article is being widely recognized in worldwide publications:
New York Times, Newsweek, New York Times Blog (1), New York Times Blog (2), NPR - All Things Considered, The Tennessean, Huffington Post, Canada, New Scientist, India (The Telegraph); Related article from the New York Times
"The Campaign to End American Idle" - Vanderbilt Lawyer article about Professor Michael Vandenbergh & the Climate Change Research Network
"American Idle: Cars Left Running Too Long" - USA Today article citing Amanda Carrico's August Energy Policy journal study
"Voluntary Climate Programs May Get a Facelift Under Cap and Trade" - New York Times article citing Professor Michael Vandenbergh
Cooler, Smarter: Practical Steps for Low-Carbon Living, a talk by co-author, David Friedman, deputy director for the Union of Concerned Scientist’s Clean Vehicles Program.
May 17, 2012 at 12:00 p.m., 123 Buttrick Hall (brown bag)
David Friedman is the author or co-author of more than 30 technical papers and reports on advancements in conventional, fuel cell, and hybrid electric vehicles. His work includes: A New Road: The Technology and Potential of Hybrid Vehicles: Building a Better SUV; A Blueprint for Saving Lives, Money, and Gasoline; and, Drilling in Detroit: Tapping Automaker Ingenuity to Build Safe and Efficient Automobiles. Friedman served on report committees on fuel economy, fuel cells, plug-in hybrids, and tire efficiency for the National Academy’s Board on Energy and Environmental Systems and the Transportation Research Board. He also served on the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Technical Advisory Committee for five years.
Cooler, Smarter, a collaboration with other UCS authors, seeks to assist us in learning how to pursue a low-carbon lifestyle. While the routine decisions that shape our days—what to have for dinner, where to shop, how to get to work—may seem small, collectively they have a big effect on global warming. But which changes in our lifestyles might make the biggest difference to the climate? This science-based guide shows you the most effective ways to cut your own global warming emissions by twenty percent or more, and explains why your individual contribution is so vital to addressing this global problem.
This event is co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Climate Change Research Network and the American Studies Sustainability Project