University of Notre Dame converts tons of dining hall leftovers into energy

Boston University is getting all of its electricity from a wind farm in South Dakota, which should cover its annual energy needs of 205 million kilowatt-hours. Some energy advocates say the higher education institution should have purchased their renewable energy locally, but the university says their main goal was to maximize its reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. They hope to share their model with other “large energy buyers” and use the wind farm as an educational and research opportunity for students.

Green Era's biodigester facility processes food waste in a closed, oxygen-free system that captures methane and converts it into renewable natural gas while producing compost. The system, which launched in spring 2025, accepts packaged food waste from restaurants, food banks, grocery stores, and residential composting services. The facility diverts approximately 85,000 tons of food waste annually from landfills and supplies enough renewable natural gas to Peoples Gas to power up to 3,000 homes.

The electricity powering 3,000 Perth homes might have started out as moldy bread and rotting lettuce. The city of Cockburn collects food waste from supermarkets and restaurants to be fed into a mechanical "stomach" that converts the waste to energy. Methane is trapped and used to power electric generators. The remainder of the "digested" food is turned into compost and liquid fertilizer. The operation has recycled 43 tons so far, removing 81,000 kilograms of gases that otherwise would escape landfills and warm the atmosphere.

Pepperdine University is having some trouble as they try to go about achieving the goal set by the California government stating that 75% of waste must be diverted by 2050. This article covers the specifics of the conservation efforts at Pepperdine, and also looks at more successful programs going on at UCLA and Santa Clara University. Some effective tactics include a comprehensive education plan on recycling, requiring faculty and staff to dispose of landfill waste themselves by only collecting recyclable waste, and partnering with athletic teams to champion conservation.

Powerhouse, a collective of architects, engineers, environmentalists, and designers based in Oslo, reimagines building design to address climate change. Not only are many of their structures energy-neutral, but they actually produce surplus energy. For example, Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim is an eight-story office that will generate 485,000 kWh annually. Such "energy-positive" building has made great strides in Norway.

Mosques across Amman, Jordan are adorned with solar panels, resulting in some very energy efficient places of worship (along with many other buildings). The mosques now cover 100% of their energy needs and can even sell excess energy back to the national grid. The city is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2050, and in addition to recycling, environmental education, and solar water heaters, Amman is expanding their ecotourism industry to attract more environmentally conscious tourists.

Renewable energy has largely been associate with wealthier consumers, but that is changing with a new initiative that will install solar panels for apartment buildings with low-income residents. The hope is that the money saved from the solar energy panels will benefit the low income residents, while also being beneficial in fighting climate change.

Ashton Hayes- a small town in England- adopted a Carbon Neutrality mission, meaning they hoped to produce as much energy as they consumed. Over the past 10 years they have reduced their emissions by 40%, attributing their success to the resulting neighbourhood cohesion, dedication, and it being a public decision as opposed to one made or implemented by politicians.

According to the United Nations, approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, which is costly to the environment and the economy. In Seoul, technological waste bins calculate the weight of the garbage against a set limit, and if the disposal is too heavy there is a fee. To reduce landfill deposits, Seoul has also composted food waste by turning it into animal feed, fertilizer, and electricity generation.

One small island in Denmark is technically 100 percent powered by sustainable sources of energy, giving the island total energy independence.