Dr. Rusty Stephens Wilson Community College has made great progress in 2009 towards furthering sustainability on our campus and in our community. Our newly constructed Student Services Center received LEED® Gold certification in October and reports indicate that the building is operating on 1/3rd the energy used in a typical building of its size. This month we installed a rainwater collection system on the building to be used for irrigation and non potable water use. The building is serving as a demonstration of what a "green" building is in eastern NC and we have had many visitors from around the state tour the building. In November, we completed and submitted our Climate Action plan and continue to work towards achieving our climate reduction goals. We have developed a weatherization training program which is being used to train community action agency weatherization crew members throughout the state, and we are in the process of developing a "Greening Your Business" program to educate local business about sustainability. We are committed to the principles of sustainability and look forward to 2010 and making many more advances in our sustainable efforts.
We have made many advances in our sustainable efforts during the last year. Our biggest accomplishment of the last year has been the completion of our LEED Student Services Building project which received LEED Gold certification in October. We have also been working for the last several months with the NC Weatherization Office, the System Office, and the network of community colleges to develop a training program for crew members of our State's community action agencies to perform weatherization services under the ARRA stimulus funding. During this next year, we look forward to the development of new sustainable programs and continuing to serve as a resource for our community on sustainability.
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The Sustainability Committee is comprised of members of our staff and faculty. Each member will serve a two year term. Take a moment and meet the Sustainability Committee members. Photographs used in the header and throughout Growing Green were provided by local photographers, all rights are reserved by the photographer.
Wilson Community College is unconditionally dedicated to serving as a "catalyst for transformation" in the wake of the challenge of climate change. Here at Wilson, it is well understood that our climate challenges are directly connected to our economic challenges and that correcting one requires correcting the other in order to revolutionize our way of life. This is why sustainability as an overall way of life is so vital. "Sustainability is the new industrial revolution," is often quoted by our college President Dr. Rusty Stephens. Sustainable practices are essential now in order to ensure the continued successful existence of our planet, its resources and people in the future. (continue)
Checkout out past contest winners in our Footprints photo album.
Check out the MSNBC online article Gut Check: Green jobs - hope or hype?
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The purpose of the Sustainability Committee is to bring about awareness of sustainable practices on our campus and in the larger community. The Committee recommends sustainable initiatives, education, and outreach efforts and assists in the implementation of these efforts.
To increase awareness, understanding, and practices of sustainability.
Wilson Community College | P.O. Box 4305 • 902 Herring Avenue | Wilson, NC 27893 | Phone: (252) 291-1195 | Fax: (252) 243-7148