The University of Mississippi—Ole Miss—has teamed with Jackson company SmartSynch as part of its "Red, Blue and Green" initiative, moving the university toward energy sustainability, which includes water and energy conservation, waste minimization, recycling and more. SmartSynch is in the process of connecting their "smart" meters with social networking tools, including Twitter, Facebook and RSS, to allow the school to monitor and analyze energy consumption, providing a basis for changing behavior and realizing energy savings.

"Being environmentally responsible is an integral part of the Ole Miss culture," said Jim Morrison, director of strategic planning and campus sustainability coordinator at the University of Mississippi in a press release. "And having SmartSynch on board with our sustainability efforts by supplying its SmartMeters significantly strengthens our ability to optimize our operational efficiency."

Ole Miss is currently monitoring electricity usage at several buildings, including administrative offices, library, sports complex and more, reports SmartGridNews.com. The new system will permit university administrators to track building power use over time, compare building energy consumption, and review the impact of the weather on power usage.