2009 Sep 22
For Immediate Release
CGCC Buildings, Classes, and Students Going Green
Five years ago, the issue of sustainability or going green wasn't high on the radar of the students or employees at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. These days, the buildings, the classes, and even the students are green.
"The college has embraced sustainability, integrating it across all aspects of what we do – college operations, curriculum, and student life," said Dr. Linda Lujan, CGCC's interim president. "We are re-examining everything we do through a new filter, asking ourselves how we can do it better, smarter, and greener."
The college is taking a holistic approach to sustainability, Lujan said, starting with college facilities. CGCC has committed to building all new facilities to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
CGCC has constructed three new classroom buildings in the last three years that have qualified as LEED Silver buildings, and will complete its fourth, Ironwood Hall on the Pecos campus, this fall. College facilities also utilize energy saving lighting, low flow faucets, and even "green" cleaning materials. The printing of class schedules and catalogs was discontinued this past spring in favor of making the documents available to students on the college's website - saving millions of sheets of paper in the process.
CGCC chemistry faculty Dr. Sujatha Krishnaswamy says that her students now engage in "green chemistry" which eliminates the use or generation of toxic chemicals in lab activities.
"As a chemistry teacher, I have a moral responsibility to provide appropriate guidance to our students in order to help achieve the sustainability goals of our college," Krishnaswamy said. "Our chemistry students learn that they have an ethical responsibility to use and treat chemicals the right way in order to provide a sustainable world for the future generations."
Many CGCC faculty have also eliminated printing course syllabi and materials, opting instead to put all course information online. Students also submit assignments and research papers electronically, further moving the college towards a paperless environment.
Communications faculty Sandra Rath took her classes paperless this summer in an effort to go green.
"I saw how much paper I had at the end of each semester - not to mention all the papers I had handed back to my students, and I knew there had to be a better way," Rath said. "At first students were a bit resistant, but at the end of the semester many commented that they felt better about not having to waste so much paper on rough drafts and other assignments."
Philosophy instructor Darien Ripple created a 16-credit Sustainability and Ecological Literacy certificate program, which began this past January.
"I think there is a new generation of students who tend to be more environmentally aware, and these students are looking for educational opportunities in the area of sustainability," Ripple said. "The certificate is a small step at the community college level to start getting students to think about possible job options that might be directly or indirectly related to future employment."
Even student clubs are jumping on board, with CGCC's HEAT (Hands-On Environmental Action Team) leading the way. The HEAT sponsored a cell phone recycling campaign in the spring and a dumpster dive in partnership with CGCC's Phi Theta Kappa organization, which raised awareness about the college's consumption and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
"The goal of HEAT is to make students and community members more aware of environmental issues and our impact on the environment," said HEAT President and sustainability major Michael Royce. "We'll be holding various events this fall and next spring to raise awareness on a variety of issues."
For more information about CGCC's sustainability initiatives, access www.cgc.edu/sustainability .