Montgomery County Community College

Presidents Climate Commitment Pledge

In June 2007, the College signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The College immediately took the following actions to act on its commitment:

1. Formed the Presidents Climate Commitment Advisory Council comprised of faculty, alumni, students, and community members to guide the development and implementation of its climate commitment plan
2. Completed a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions
3. Adopted an energy efficient appliance purchasing policy
4. Purchased 15% of electricity consumption from wind power
5. Participated in Recyclemania, finishing 8^th in the country in 2008
6. In the process of developing an institutional plan to become carbon neutral

In addition, the College has adopted the following green practices.

1. Providing electric and hybrid vehicles and bicycles for Public Safety officers
2. Expanding the scope of materials recycled
3. Using post-consumer paper and duplex printers for copying
4. Serving deli sandwiches in reusable plastic baskets rather than disposable plates
5. Eliminating an estimated 50,000 plates from entering the landfill each year
6. Working with SEPTA to modify the Central Campus bus route in a way that saves $20,000 annually
7. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent lamps wherever possible
8. Providing sustainability education through faculty-led lecture series
9. Purchasing locally-grown produce when possible for the cafeteria
10. Partnering with local companies to recycle cooking oil generated by cafeteria into biofuel
11. Incorporating carpooling and mass transit information into freshmen orientation
12. Planting more than 450 trees at the Central Campus through a grant-funded initiative led by Assistant Professor Jerry Coleman

For more information on Montgomery County Community College’s Sustaniablity Initiative, visit our THINK GREEN blog.