I. Did You Know? MCC’s Continuing Education (CE) program is installing a rainwater harvest system on the storage sheds next to the garden to capture water to use on the garden. CE will be offering a course on gardening, rainwater harvest, etc. CE paid for the tanks and the sustainability account paid for the gutters and connecting piping.
II. Sustainability Activities on Campus this Spring:
a. RecycleMania begins on February 1st. MCC will once again participate in RecycleMania, an eight-week competition to promote recycling on campus. We are again enrolled in the Competition Division. We will compete against other universities and colleges across the U.S. and Canada in the Gorilla Prize (overall tonnage recycled) and the Per Capita Classic. We’ll record how much we recycle weekly from Feb. 1-March 29. For more on RecycleMania, visit http://recyclemaniacs.org/
How can you get involved? Use the recycling containers on campus! We have blue recycling containers in common areas and select classrooms throughout campus. Some buildings have dedicated recycling stations (ex. Science Building, 1st floor). If your building or floor does not have recycling bins, contact the Physical Plant at 299-8843. The large yellow dumpsters across campus (ex. LTC, MAC, etc.) are designated for recyclables as well. The MCC Library has also put together a “Green” display, highlighting books on sustainability and recycling, as well as displaying the many types of materials suitable for recycling.
What can you recycle? MCC students, faculty, and staff can recycle paper, plastic, aluminum cans, and cardboard in any of the designated receptacles.
b. Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN): This is MCC's second year competing in the Campus Conservation Nationals (http://competetoreduce.org). CCN is the largest electricity and water reduction competition for colleges and universities in the world. During CCN, selected buildings will monitor their electricity consumption for three weeks. The building with the greatest reduction in consumption wins our coveted Energy Hog and a plaque in their building! We will announce which buildings have been selected and the competition dates the week prior to Spring Break. Last year’s winner was the BPAC, which saved 10,056 lbs. of CO2 emissions.
d. Our next Reuse-Recycle-Shred Day is scheduled for March 27 in the MAC parking lot from 8:00AM until 12:00 PM). Details to follow next month.
e. Green Week (March 23-27). MCC will host its Second Annual Green Week, a week-long observance promoting a sustainable lifestyle and highlighting current environmental efforts on campus. We will also announce our RecycleMania and CCN results during the final event. Events during the week include a talk on water conversation efforts in Texas by a state representative and our Green Week Capstone and Arbor Day Observance.
f. Tree Campus USA Arbor Day Observance (March 26, 1:00-3:30 PM) Since 2011, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized MCC as a Tree Campus USA college. To win this designation, schools must establish an advisory committee, a campus tree care plan and program, an Arbor Day Observance, and a service learning project. MCC honors its Arbor Day Observance each spring by hosting a special event on the history and importance of Arbor Day, which includes invited speakers, a tree-planting ceremony in recognition of faculty or staff, and a student volunteer opportunity to help care for and maintain trees on campus.
III. What are your thoughts on our sustainability efforts? Check out our website and blog at http://www.mclennan.edu/gogreen/ and http://mccgogreen.blogspot.com/ and see us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SustainabilityMCC.
Thanks for your support. It takes the entire College to make sustainability work!
The MCC Sustainability Committee
