Sustainable Bucks

In fall 2008, President Linksz convened a Sustainability Working Group to provide a forum to share ideas regarding sustainability, promote sustainability efforts at the college, identify needed changes and goals, make recommendations, and propose policies. View the full charge here .

Sustainability is attained when  the rate of consumption of resources is equal to or less than the rate of time necessary to replenish that resource.

Bucks County Community College is already doing many things to promote sustainability in its operations, but we can do more. If you have an idea, please send it to the Working Group via this form.

Here are some examples of what we're already doing:

Curriculum

• Continuing Education Green Jobs Academy
• Continuing Education Sustainable Building Advisor Program
• New Integration of Knowledge course for Fall 2010, Affluence and Environmental Sustainability (INTG 285 Section HU1), examines how societies can promote an affluent lifestyle within the confines of environmental sustainability and stewardship.

Operations

• large containers for single-stream recycling with expanded list of recyclable materials containers at Newtown campus
• three large compost tumblers transforming cafeteria food waste into mulch
• encourage use of second side of used paper in printers
• encourage double-sided copying

Physical Plant

• large PECO-sponsored solar array at Lower Bucks Campus
• Geothermal energy used for heating and cooling new Lower and Upper Bucks Campus facilities
• Green roof in new Upper Bucks Campus buildings
• installation of occupancy sensors with all classroom retrofits as they occur
• retrofits with hands free flush, soap, and water devices where possible
• require vendor waste stream reduction such as re-use of ceiling tiles and other materials during renovations

Procurement

• replacement of standard lighting with CFLs
• procurement of green-certified paper towels and toilet paper
• encourage procurement to use green-certified vendors

Here are some projects that are already being planned:

• use daylight sensing in the Gym to reduce use of electric lights
• development of green technology workforce development curriculum.
• increased use of video conferencing to reduce employee travel among three campuses.

The Sustainability Working Group meets monthly. Please send your ideas via this form.