October is Sustainability Month! Join us as we spotlight alternative transportation all month long through social media and campus reader boards. Keep an eye out for tips, promotions, and ways to reduce your carbon footprint. You could even win fun prizes like a Hawk plushie or a bike lock! Let’s roll into a greener future—together.
Sustainability at 网赌正规真人实体在线平台
The purpose of the Sustainability Committee is to uphold 网赌正规真人实体在线平台’s sustainability value statement. We strive to bring awareness and promote change to sustainability and environmental challenges that effect our students, our campus, and our local community. We invite you to join our efforts by becoming a member of our committee, promoting environmental change within our college and local community, and living by example.
Events and Initiatives
Our institutional membership with The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) covers all Columbia Basin College students, faculty, and staff. This allows everyone on campus to create a personal account to access member-only resources and benefits, such as case studies, AASHE's online community, and their annual conference. When signing up, individuals should use their @0437zt.com email address—there's no need to share a login ID and password.
Two members of our committee, a student and a staff member, have received scholarships covering 100% of the registration cost to attend the AASHE Conference in Minneapolis at the end of October.
Washington’s Arbor Day is the second Wednesday of April. As a designated Tree Campus by the National Arbor Day Foundation, we host an annual celebration of trees on this day.
All faculty, staff and students are invited. The Associated Students of 网赌正规真人实体在线平台 (AS网赌正规真人实体在线平台) is a strong advocate and frequent co-host of this event.
Sustainable construction conserves resources, cuts costs, and promotes health, vital for a greener future. The Committee leads the following initiatives in this area:
LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Designs)
- Center for Career & Technical Education
- Business Building
Efficient Design Applications
- Social Sciences & World Languages Building
- Student Recreation Center
The committee plays a crucial role in driving energy sustainability by fostering collaboration, establishing policies, implementing initiatives, and promoting awareness within 网赌正规真人实体在线平台. Here are several ways in which the committee drives energy sustainability:
- Photovoltaic Solar Panels on Business Building
- Efficiency retrofit of all campus lighting
- Outdoor fixtures
- Classroom, Office and Common Areas
- Including “occupancy controls”
- HVAC upgrades
- Campus-wide energy metering
By integrating sustainable practices into grounds management 网赌正规真人实体在线平台 contributes significantly to environmental conservation, community well-being, and long-term economic savings, all of which are key aspects of sustainability. The Committee's initiatives in grounds management:
- Lawn Maintenance Improvements
- Mulching Mowers
- Mowing height increased
- Water Conservation
- Fertilizer & Pesticide reduction
- Xeriscape installations
- Heritage Garden
- Tree Campus USA designation
- Composting of landscape green-waste
Incorporating transportation initiatives in sustainability efforts mitigates climate change, improves air quality, and promotes equity and economic growth. The committee actively drives sustainability in transportation as outlined below:
- Free Bus Pass for all Students, Faculty & Staff
- Improvements to Bus Stop on Campus
- Bicycle Lockers installed across Campus
- Partnership with Wheelhouse
- Bike Repair Shop
- Bike Donation/Giveaway Bike
- Tool Stands
- Carpool Only Parking Spaces (~50 spaces)
- Electric Car Charging Stations (Level 1)
To learn more, visit our Parking & Transportation page.
Waste management in sustainability involves systematic waste collection, recycling, and disposal to minimize environmental impact. The committee focuses on key waste management in the following aspects.
- Paper Reduction Efforts
- Recycling
- No garbage cans in classrooms
- Paired Recycling/Garbage Bins
- Conveniently located in hallways
- New Recycling Contract
- Significant Cost Savings
- New Paper Towel Dispensers
- Waste/Recycling Awareness
- Shake & Fold
- Campaign (2017)
- Re-usable Water Bottle Program (AS网赌正规真人实体在线平台 - 2017)
- Water Bottle Refilling Stations Retrofits
- A Building
- T Building
- L Building
Welcome Week Sustainability Session
As part of Welcome Week, 网赌正规真人实体在线平台’s Sustainability Committee hosted an engaging session
highlighting our campus sustainability goals and initiatives. Participants connected
over a hands-on activity repurposing large feed bags into reusable tote bags — a fun,
creative way to reduce waste and promote eco-friendly practices on campus.
Missed the event? Watch this video to learn how to make your own upcycled tote bag at home!
Staying proactive in sustainability is crucial for several reasons, as it allows the committee to effectively address current and future challenges related to the environment, society, and the economy. Here's whats next in our sustainability efforts:
- Level 2 EV Chargers
- Integration of Sustainability Across Campus, Including Curriculum
- STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) from The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
- Bulk Paper Management
- Single-use Plastic Elimination
Celebrating Campus Trees at 网赌正规真人实体在线平台
Ways to Live by Example
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1. Using alternative means of transportation such as cycling, walking, carpooling, public transit, or traveling by electric vehicle.
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2. Recycling, or better yet, reusing or consuming less.
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3. Adopting a new healthy habit like meatless Mondays or committing to reusable shopping bags.
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4. Planting a vegetable or pollinator garden
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5. Investing in “green” companies and divesting from those who don’t share that value
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6. Supporting legislation that furthers sustainability and planet health
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7. Reducing reliance on single use plastic products
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8. Talking to others about the importance of planet health and posting to social media
And that’s just a start.
Once you make a change, keep going. See if you can make another and another. Step by step we can do this together!
“We consciously practice and model broad-based sustainability for our students, and our communities, through the balancing of economic, societal and environmental factors when considering campus development of facilities, processes, programs and curricula.”
