Environmental Sustainability - Administration Policy 10210

The purpose of this policy is to provide broad guidelines to the Germanna Community College community for the pursuit and attainment of its mission, vision, and values in an environmentally sensitive manner. Germanna Community College is committed to environmental sustainability in achievement of its mission.

Efforts will be undertaken to reduce the institution’s carbon footprint, to enhance the learning environment, and to reduce costs in a practical manner. The College shall comply with the latest directives from the Governor of Virginia and other central state agencies, the Virginia Community College System, as well as federal directives in an effort to achieve climate neutrality.

2.1 Administration: A standing Environmental Sustainability Committee shall be established to promote environmentally friendly practices, identify and implement or help implement reasonably-achievable environmental sustainability measures. The College shall maintain a green website to report on such measures and incorporate dashboard indicators to communicate the College’s progress.

2.2 Academic Affairs and Workforce Development: The College shall pursue opportunities to include environmentally sustainable concepts in its curricula. Where practical and appropriate, courses on sustainability should be incorporated as part of degree requirements and programs should be developed in environmental sustainability.

2.3 Professional Development: The College should consider providing annual funding specifically for professional development opportunities in sustainability. The College should also consider offering professional development workshops, courses, and seminars to interested faculty for development of curriculum incorporating environmentally sustainable concepts and to staff for incorporation of sustainable concepts in operations.

2.4 Facilities: The College shall design and construct all new campuses and facilities in conformance with LEED Silver, Green Globes two-globe, or equivalent standards. Where practical, existing campuses and facilities shall be retrofitted to conform to standards for existing facilities. All repair and maintenance activities shall be consistent with environmentally sustainable goals. The College shall measure its carbon footprint, establish a goal not to exceed, and report periodically on the College’s performance.

2.5 Recycling: Recycling programs shall be monitored and increased as practical within resource constraints. Advocacy groups, including student and employee organizations, shall be encouraged to play lead roles in collecting recycled materials and promoting these programs.

2.6 Energy Management: All utilities, including water, sewer, heating, and electric services, shall be operated in a manner to comply with LEED and Virginia directives.

2.7 Transportation: The College shall establish programs and incentives to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, including the promotion of ride sharing and mass transportation. Online and distance education classes shall be promoted as well as reducing travel time for meetings via use of electronic media such as telephone conferencing, video conferencing, and webinars.

2.8 Purchasing/Spending: All consumers in the College shall promote environmentally sensitive procurement where practical, including purchase of recycled products, a reduced dependence upon plastics, and selection of energy-efficient equipment and appliances. The Purchasing Office shall assess and report on environmentally sensitive procurement policies and practices no less than annually. Contractors providing goods and services to and/or performing work on College premises, including bookstore and food service operators, shall be encouraged to practice environmentally sensitive purchasing and to operate in environmentally sensitive manners.

2.9 Information Technology: The College shall research means to reduce energy consumption in information technology equipment, including desktops, laptops, printers, and servers and shall explore means to reduce printing and encourage electronic images. Further, the College shall explore opportunities to reduce the number of printers.

Report of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Environmental Sustainability American College & University President’s Climate Commitment.

Administrative Services Vice President

Approved by President’s Council, October 18, 2010