Define Your World...
So what is all the talk about sustainability? In essence sustainability includes environmental or “green” attributes, but it also goes deeper by taking into account society and economics. The balanced and fair play amongst people, planet and profits is what makes something truly sustainable.
The most widely quoted definition of sustainability is that from the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20, 1987: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
South Mountain Community College is committed to sustainability and wishes to reduce our own impact on the environment as well as raise awareness on how we can all be good stewards of the planet and its inhabitants.
To further demonstrate this commitment and provide a framework within which to benchmark our efforts SMCC along with Maricopa Community College District signed the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in May 2010. The ACUPCC is a body of university leaders all interested in forwarding campuses, and on a much broader scale, society, towards climate neutrality.
Initial steps as signatories are to initiate at least two of seven suggested action plans. We are currently reviewing the feasibility of several of the actions; however the highlighted items are our initial commitment.
- Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent. Our library currently under construction meets the equivalent of USGBC’s LEED Silver standard, although we have chosen not to officially certify the project.
- Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.
- Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by our institution.
- Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at our institution. This always has been and will continue to a priority on our campus. In addition to lobbying for a bus stop on campus we have also included designated parking to encourage carpooling.
- Within one year of signing this document, begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our institution's electricity consumption from renewable sources.
- Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where our institution's endowment is invested.
- Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and adopt 3 or more associated measures to reduce waste. SMCC currently recycles paper and will be seeking input from our existing committees for ideas and implementation on waste reduction measures we can embrace in the future. Additionally we will be participating in a national contest among more than 600 colleges and universities called RecycleMania in 2011. Stay tuned for more information.
Additional steps in the coming years as part of the ACUPCC include submitting a Greenhouse Gas report by May 2011, a Climate Action plan by May 2012 and a progress report by May 2014.
SMCC is excited to be part of this effort and looking forward to building on our existing sustainability efforts using the robust tools and resources available to us through ACUPCC.