MCC Sustainability Efforts for December 2011

Did You Know? McLennan Community College is a charter member of TEMA (the Texas Energy Managers Association, Central Texas Chapter), with MCC’s Dianne Feyerherm serving as a TEMA officer. TEMA promotes interaction between energy managers at Central Texas colleges, universities, and public schools in an effort to share ideas and successes in managing energy at their respective organizations. MCC will be hosting the December 8 chapter meeting, which will address renewable energy with a focus on solar energy.

1. Sustainability Activities on Campus this Fall:
   
   1. Results from MCC’s November 4th Semi-Annual Shred & Recycle Day: Certi-Shred reported 5,192 lbs. of recyclable paper turned in for shredding, equivalent to conserving:
      
      
      
      • 44 trees
      • 986 gallons of oil
      • 18,172 gallons of water
      • 12,461 kilowatt-hours of energy
      • 260 cubic yards of landfill space
      
      In addition, the large dumpster was filled to ¾ capacity with recyclable materials. The free mulch day was well received, and we gave away quite a few truck and trailer loads. The campus still has plenty of mulch, so we will continue to do this each shred day.
      
      
   2. Computer Tips: Save energy and printing costs with a few changes. First, change your default font to Century Gothic. It uses 30% less ink than Arial, the standard default setting in Microsoft Office programs. Also, use a smaller font size to reduce the number of pages and ink. Before printing, use the Print Preview option to see what your printout will look like and to find last-minute errors or formatting problems. Then, set your printer to "Fast Draft," which uses less ink and prints faster. Did you know that a typical ink cartridge costs about $30? That translates to about $10,000 per gallon! We also encourage all to shut down office computers, computer lab computers, monitors, and printers during the holidays. This helps save on energy costs plus reduces the College’s vulnerability to hackers and other malicious activities this season.
      
      
   3. Tips for home energy savings during the holidays. When stringing outside lights, put them on a timer. You will save energy and $ by insuring the lights go off at a designated time.
   
   
2. What are your thoughts on our sustainability efforts? Check out our website at http://www.mclennan.edu/gogreen/ and our blog at http://mccgogreen.blogspot.com/.

Thanks for your support and a Happy Holiday Season to all. Remember, it takes the entire College to make sustainability work!

MCC Sustainability Efforts This Month

I. Did You Know? MCC is applying for the Arbor Day Foundation’s “Tree Campus USA” status this fall. A sustainability committee subgroup has been working on this for a couple of years, and we now meet all criteria. We anticipate approval in spring of 2012. To learn more about this prestigious designation, visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s site at http://www.arborday.org/programs/treecampususa/.

II. Sustainability Activities on Campus this Fall:
a. MCC Semi-Annual Shred & Recycle Day: Nov. 4th from 8 AM to 1 PM in the MAC parking lot. Look for the Certishred truck and large dumpster. Please bring us the following:

• For shredding, any paper including sensitive files such as grades, tests, or other materials, including personal paper items from home. You need not remove staples Certishred will shred!
• Plastics, cardboard, corrugated boxes, and metals. No glass! Please take glass to the Cobbs Center.

If you have class or meetings during the event or help handling your paper goods, contact Sid Ross directly at 299-8849 and he will arrange for pick-up. For additional questions, contact Elaine Fagner at 299-8442.

b. Free Mulch: Nov 4th from 9AM to 1 PM at 19th St. and Powell Dr.

• Mulch will be in bulk form, so bring your own truck or trailer to haul.
• Tarps are required to prevent loss of debris.
• Physical Plant Staff will be at the mulch site to load it for you.
• You can have as much as you want!

c. MCC’s New Green Bikes: MCC has added 10 new bikes to its sustainability initiative. The bikes went fast, and are already all rented to students.

d. Green Purchasing at MCC: The sustainability committee is working with the purchasing office to ensure that we always purchase energy-efficient equipment, including copiers, printers, etc. Paper for copiers and printers must be from sustainable sources, work well in our machines, and be recyclable.

Thanks for your support. It takes the entire College to make sustainability work!

The MCC Sustainability Committee

MCC’s Bi-annual Shred and Recycle Day is Friday, November 4, 2011

New Update: MCC will also be giving away FREE MULCH from 9 am – 1 pm at the 19th street mulch location (19th and Powell) as part of our Bi-annual Sustainability event. Here are a few pieces of key information on the mulch:

• Mulch will be distributed in bulk form; thus, it will not be in bags.
• A truck bed or trailer will be required to receive the bulk mulch.
• All trucks need to utilize a tarp to secure their mulch to prevent air quality or waste issues.
• Physical Plant Staff will be at the mulch site to load it for you.
• This is a free service and you can have as much as you want.

For the recyclables, bring everything you have from home and work to this event!

• When: Friday, November 4th from 8 am – 1 pm
• Where: Back of MAC parking lot (located across the street from the gymnasium dumpsters)
• Shred Items Accepted: Any paper products
• Recycle Items Accepted: All major recyclables will be accepted except for glass.

Items that cannot be recycled:

• Tires.
• Lead Acid Batteries.
• Used Oil & Used Oil Filters.
• Carbon paper.
• Used pizza boxes.

For assistance with picking up on-campus recyclables the week of the event, call Sid Ross at 299-8849 or email Sid at sross@mclennan.edu. Please contact Sid no later than Tuesday, November 1st to set up a pick up time. The MCC Sustainability Committee appreciates your help and time to protect our environment!

LEED Gold Certification for Michaelis Academic Center

The MAC is MCC's first LEED-certified building and has achieved the second-highest rating: LEED Gold. Among the many features that helped qualify the MAC for this rating are:

• Energy-efficient lighting and motion sensors
• Environmentally friendly flooring that is recyclable
• Low-flow faucets and dual-flush toilets that minimize water usage
• Energy-efficient HVAC equipment
• Reflective roofing that reduces energy usage
• Carbon dioxide monitors that ensure indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption
• Materials, adhesives and paints that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Built-in recycling center
• Premium parking spaces for alternative fuel and high-occupancy vehicles

Completed in 2009 as a result of the 2006 bond election, the MAC is 93,600 square feet and contains classrooms, faculty offices, common areas, computer labs, small study rooms, a café and a lecture hall. The building also houses the University Center, MCC Bookstore, Business Department and Alternative Teacher Certification Program.

Recycle Mania 2011

In the 2010 Recycle Mania competition, MCC recycled right over 20,000 pounds of single stream recyclables. Our goal was to increase our volume by 10% which was a 2000 pound or 1 ton increase.

In the 2011 Recycle Mania competition, MCC recycled over 38,500 pounds of single stream recycles which caused us to increase our 10% goal by over 8 tons! MCC held three specific recycling events to promote Recycle Mania including: two single stream recycling events and one campus wide shred day event. Both were a huge success! In addition to increasing our volume by over 45% since last year, MCC recycled the following items during Recycle Mania as part of our sustainable efforts:

• 28 trees
• 621 gallons of oil
• 11,442 gallons of water
• 7,846 kilowatts of electricity
• 163 cubic yards of landfill space

On Thursday, April 14^th, over 65 of MCC’s students joined the Sustainability Committee to celebrate our first annual Tree Campus USA event. These students volunteered to help spread mulch around campus trees, they also prepared flower beds for planting, and they also picked up trash and recyclables around campus.

The Sustainability Committee thanks each of you and our students for contributing your time to sustainability and recycling. Please continue your own efforts to reduce, reuse, recycle, and re-buy!