Green Campus
In 2007, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) awarded Green Mountain College the Campus Sustainability Leadership Award in the "Under 1,000" category. The award recognizes Green Mountain for commitment to environmental sustainability in its governance and administration, curriculum and research, operations, campus culture, and community outreach.
Green Mountain was named an EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus following campus-wide retrofitting of light fixtures.
Students have installed a wind turbine to power the campus green house and solar panel on the roof of the student center.
On April 22, 2010, GMC formally opened a new combined heat and power (CHP) biomass plant costing $5.8m. The school expects to reduce carbon emissions by more than 50% and reach carbon neutrality by 2011. The plant will burn about 4,000-5,000 tons of locally harvested woodchips each year as the primary fuel and it is expected to provide 85% of the school's heat and generate 20% of its electricity and is capable of generating 400,000 kWh of electricity.
Through the Student Campus Greening Fund (SCGF) every GMC student contributes $30 from the college activities fee. Students design projects and submit proposals. Awards are based on a student vote. SCGF money has been used to install bike racks, purchase recycling bins, use bio-diesel in campus maintenance equipment, and upgrade the alternative energy systems that power the farm greenhouse.
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Famous quotes containing the word green:
“A ship’s not a ship to me ‘til she gets her teeth into green water.”
—John Rhodes Sturdy, Canadian screenwriter. Richard Rossen. Evans (Walter Sande)