Sustainability@CMC

Resource Management is a vital component of CMC's sustainability efforts. Currently, CMC tracks many aspects of resource usage including energy, electricity, recycling, landscaping and water. A campus-wide database currently is under development and will provide more comprehensive tracking of this information.

CMC is a member of the Society of College & University Planners, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), the Pacific Coast Association of Physical Plant Administrators and the Association of Facilities Officers in Higher Education. Membership and participation in these organizations reflects the College's intent to partner with leading organizations and model best practices as CMC continues its stewardship of our campus and resources.

Energy Conservation
Walk, don't run. Grab a nap before the big event. Humans are savvy about preserving their own energy, but how does an institution, a liberal arts college such as CMC, pace itself when powering an entire campus?

 

Electricity Conservation
Always the mascot for bright ideas, the light bulb—in this new era of green living—is now a beacon of energy-saving potential. Just by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs wherever and whenever it can, CMC has a shot at lowering its overall electrical energy use.

 

Water Conservation
Drier winters, hotter weather, and a growing population equal a statewide water crisis. One way students have helped the College test the waters of usage reduction, so to speak, is by helping install underground moisture sensors that make landscape irrigation more efficient.

 

Landscaping and Grounds
Leave Mother Nature alone whenever possible is the rule of thumb for the grounds crew at CMC. For instance, herbicides and pesticides are used only when and where they are needed.

 

Recycling
Assume nothing and stats may get a needed boost. Why? Apparently a prevailing myth among CMCers is that recycled waste gets the same treatment as regular trash, becoming One with the local landfill. Not so...

 

Emission Reduction
Out with the old, in with the new goes the saying. In the realm of carbon emissions, trading up for newer, more efficient technologies could help institutions like CMC improve its outflow of energy use.