Content area
Full Text
Go ahead - try putting something in the trash bin at St. Louis Community College in Wildwood, Mo. No one is going to stop you - no alarms or buzzers will sound. But at STLCC- Wildwood, one of the first 100 percent LEED-certified (leadership in energy and environmental design) community college campuses in the country, you may feel more than a bit guilty for doing so. That feeling transcends your inescapable awareness of being in a green building - it goes right down to the stickers students have put on the trash bins. They read "landfill," to remind you exactly where that candy wrapper is headed.
At a time when environmental issues are covered above the fold, it has been no surprise to see more stakeholders focusing on sustainability on campus - through programming, through curriculum, through building green. Indeed, community colleges around the country are increasing their commitment to green building practices. The St. Louis Community College district opened its Wildwood campus in 2007. In the same year, the Los Angeles Community College District received California's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for its green building programs. Meanwhile, Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona has pledged to build all new facilities to LEED silver certification and opened its first LEED-certified building in fall 2008.
Why focus on building green as part of your college's commitment to sustainability? Perhaps it is...