Butte College
Butte College Learning Resource Center. The campus is located in a 928 acre wildlife refuge. Campus Category
Community colleges and other two-year institutions
Contact Information
Les Jauron
Vice President
Planning and Information
Education and Research
Modeling Sustainability is one of five initiatives in Butte College's Strategic Plan. Infusing sustainability into the curriculum is an objective under this initiative. Last year the college developed and implemented a 17 unit Sustainability Studies Certificate to enable students to partially meet their general education requirements by taking sustainability-related courses. This certificate includes a service learning requirement. The college leveraged a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop and implement a Green Building Certificate program. It intends to expand this program, using follow-on grants, into career pathways in alternative energy and green construction. A grant to establish a linkage between these programs and K-12 was recently secured. A survey to assess the sustainability content of the current curriculum has been developed and will be implemented in fall 2009. This spring the college offered community education sustainability workshops covering Green Facilities Improvements, Energy Savings, and Healthy Environments. For four years the college has co-hosted a sustainability conference with California State University, Chico. For two years the college has hosted its own sustainability conference focusing on community college issues. The next Butte College Sustainability Conference, which occurs in August, will be the largest community college-sponsored sustainability conference in California and will focus on curriculum, facilities and operations, and economic and workforce development. Speakers include high level state officials, noted academics, and one Nobel Prize winner. For three years the Clear Creek Project provided structured opportunities for faculty to collaborate around issues of sustainability. These collaborations resulted in improved linkages between courses and a number of class projects with a sustainability theme. Sustainability activities and workshops are routinely provided through the college’s Staff Development program. One of these workshops recently featured Deborah Rowe. Students are at the center of the college’s sustainability efforts. The Student Alliance for Sustainability provides leadership and coordination for the student sustainability effort. The Butte College Associated Students operate a Sustainability Resource Center in a high student traffic area. Throughout the year students plan, coordinate, and implement a wide variety of sustainability events. Over the past year these included an Energy Awareness Fair, Campus Sustainability Day, the National Teach-In on Global Warming, Focus the Nation, and an Earth Day Festival. A number of faculty and students also participated in conferences such as Bioneers and Power Shift.
Campus Operations
Butte College is in a rural location and operates as a small city. In the 1970’s the Board of Trustees designated the main campus as a Wildlife Refuge. Largely for these reasons the college has long been a leader in sustainable operations. One of the objectives in the college's current strategic direction is to be climate neutral by 2015. In 2008 Butte College was named the Grand Prize winner of the National Wildlife Federation’s “Campus Chill-Out” award for this commitment. The college is on track to produce all of its electrical power on-site by 2012. Currently Butte College produces more electricity from on-site solar than any other community college in the country. The on-campus solar arrays currently generate 43% of the college’s electricity and have the capacity to produce up to 1.7 Megawatts - enough electricity to power over 500 homes. The college is also focused on energy efficiency. Each new building exceeds state-mandated energy efficiency standards by at least 25%. Many energy efficiency projects to include the installation of occupancy sensors, lighting upgrades, and the implementation of thin client computer labs have been implemented or are underway. The college is also demonstrating leadership through its construction program. The Arts and Student & General Services Buildings, which are now under construction, are on track to be certified at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) "Gold" level by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Arts Building, which opens in July, recently received awards for its design and energy efficiency at the University of California/California State University/California Community College Sustainability Conference. Butte College operates the largest community college transportation system in California. This system, which includes routes through each municipality in Butte County and a partnership with the regional transportation system in Glenn County, keeps over 1,000 cars off the road each day. Butte College was first entity in Butte County to meet the requirement to divert 50% of its waste stream from the landfill and the current diversion rates vary between 75% and 93%. Dining Services also focuses on sustainability as demonstrated through its partnership with the agriculture department’s organic lettuce program and the use of compostable utensils and flatware. The instructional programs use the Wildlife Refuge as an outdoor laboratory and periodically conduct projects to make it more sustainable. As an example, the Biology program is constructing a biofiltration project adjacent to a parking lot. The Friends of the Refuge, a student club, restores native plants in the refuge.
Administration and Finance
Butte College demonstrates institutional leadership in sustainability. The college signed the Talloires Declaration and the President’s Climate Commitment. Modeling sustainability is one of the five initiatives in the college’s Strategic Plan. Specific objectives include infusing sustainability into the curriculum, fostering a culture of sustainability, focusing service learning around sustainability, achieving climate neutrality, certifying new and existing buildings to the LEED standard, using the campus as a living laboratory, implementing a sustainable land use plan, modeling democracy and inclusiveness in college practices, and demonstrating leadership in sustainable economic development. The college demonstrates ongoing financial commitment to sustainability by financing approximately $7 million for solar projects, resourcing a Sustainability Coordinator, and providing funds for the sustainability initiative. During its March 2009 accreditation site visit the college was commended for its “stewardship and leadership in environmental sustainability and integrating the important domain into student learning and campus planning,” and for “the creation and maintenance of a positive and nurturing campus climate” among others. The college has organized itself to maintain its sustainability leadership. The Sustainability Steering Committee, under the leadership of a Vice President and with representation from Instruction, Facilities, Student Services, and Workforce and Economic Development develops and oversees implementation of the sustainability initiative. The Campus Sustainability Committee, which is open to the entire campus, provides ideas, feedback, and assists in coordinating the initiative. The organization and breadth of the college’s sustainability effort is seen as a model for California Community Colleges. For this reason members of the steering committee have presented at many conferences to include AASHE and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Additionally, over the past year teams from three other community colleges have visited Butte College to learn how to implement a comprehensive sustainability program. The college continues to provide leadership for sustainable economic development. In 2008 the college was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that enabled it to establish the green building program and in 2009 the college received a state grant to implement green pathways between K-12 career and technical education programs and those of the college. A green building advisory committee consisting of community leaders provides direction and oversight for this program. The college is also a partner on several workforce development initiatives that, if successful, could transform this community into the “Clean Tech” capital of northern California.
