Los Angeles Community College District
Contact Information
Education and Research:
In 2002, the Los Angeles Community College District's Board of Trustees made a commitment to design and build environmentally friendly educational facilities that would reduce energy consumption and dependence on non-renewable power sources. Today, the District's award-winning $6-billion Sustainable Building Program, which will add approximately 90 new green buildings throughout its nine colleges, has become one of the nation’s largest green building efforts and a model for other educational institutions.
The LACCD has been promoting the issue of sustainability worldwide and it is leading by example. Its Sustainable Works Program at Valley College takes staff, faculty and students through a six-week program of workshops designed to teach them how they can incorporate sustainable habits into their daily lives. Once a week, participants meet to discuss environmental issues, watch movies and go on field trips. They also must perform community service.
The District also has implemented a green curriculum as part of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College’s architecture and drafting program. Its CAD design courses help students to identify and use sustainable products and procedures in designing residential and commercial structures. The college monitors emerging trends and market demand for sustainable technologies that will contribute to the “greening” of Los Angeles. Trade-Tech will continue to develop education and training programs to meet the needs of the region’s architecture, energy and construction industries.
Because of the District’s successful sustainability program, several of its building experts are well regarded by the community and the media. These “green ambassadors “discuss the District's award-winning Sustainable Building Program at international, national and local gatherings.
Educating students for the green jobs of tomorrow isn't the only way the District teaches the community about sustainability. Once a month, the LACCD hosts a free Sustainability Collaborative at which experts address important environmental issues and attendees are told how they can become part of the solution.
Campus Operations:
The LACCD has incorporated several environmentally friendly techniques into its Sustainable Building Program to help minimize its carbon footprint and balance development needs with ecological protection. New buildings are equipped with energy-efficient features that will reduce maintenance costs and conserve natural resources; these are expected to save the District $4 million in energy costs annually. Several colleges have constructed new sports facilities with artificial turf, which not only reduces sports-related injuries but also decreases their dependence on water to maintain the fields. Long-term cost savings from these areas provide funds that can be applied to other building projects.
A key component of the District’s greening efforts is a cutting-edge, four-part Renewable Energy Program. Plans call for each of the nine colleges to have a central plant – eliminating the need for less-efficient multiple systems – to heat and cool all buildings on campus. To spur energy conservation, the District is conducting energy audits on each campus. Energy-consuming equipment will be retrofitted and state-of-the-art technologies will be installed to reduce energy use.
The LACCD already operates solar farms on several of its campuses, including a three-acre farm with nearly 6,000 panels at East Los Angeles College and a 1,128-panel solar farm at Los Angeles Mission College. These solar farms produce energy without fossil fuels, noise, pollution or moving parts, making them some of the cleanest and safest ways to generate electricity in an urban environment.
The District also is trying to increase efficiency in other areas by installing and/or retrofitting hundreds of urinals with waterless units. Once the project is complete, the new devices will save the District nearly 50 million gallons of water annually, and reduce capital costs and water consumption.
The LACCD’s green procurement policies also have resulted in an increased demand for recyclable materials and furniture. Thanks in part to the LACCD's demand for furniture, lighting and flooring products with substantial recycled content, manufacturers are now selling environmentally sensitive products, including furniture made with 100 percent renewable materials. The District has made its bulk purchasing process available to all California educational and governmental agencies as well as nonprofit organizations, giving these groups the opportunity to bulk purchase sustainable products at discounted rates.
Administration and Finance:
With 90 new green buildings completed, under construction or planned at its nine community colleges, the Los Angeles Community College District has become a green leader that is decreasing its carbon footprint while reducing construction and operating expenses. To help minimize the carbon footprint of the new buildings, the facilities are being equipped with energy-efficient features that are expected to save the District approximately $4 million in energy costs annually.
The structures are designed to cut maintenance costs and conserve natural resources. For example, the District is installing low-flush toilets and waterless urinals, which save approximately 40,000 gallons of water per unit annually, and using drought-tolerant landscaping including a variety of native plants. All of the new stadiums throughout the District have installed state-of-the-art AstroTurf fields, which reduce maintenance costs and decrease the number of injuries to athletes.
The District already operates several solar farms, including a three-acre, $9-million solar farm at East Los Angeles College that has nearly 6,000 photovoltaic panels mounted on seven carport structures. Officials estimate it will generate 1.6 -million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. To help finance and build the solar farm, the LACCD contracted with Chevron Energy Solutions and MMA Renewable Ventures. When the contract expires in 20 years, the LACCD will own the power-generating system outright.
Additionally, the District partnered with Southern California Edison to receive incentives for the solar project. The colleges have also applied for and secured funding from several sources, including the State of California, to help offset the costs of building new facilities such as health and fitness centers, including one at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar.
The design, construction and transformation of one of the nation’s largest community college districts shows that there are countless opportunities for businesses and public agencies to "go green" and save money. By taking the lead through its ambitious, large-scale plan to use sustainable design in new campus construction and renovation, the District believes its efforts will greatly benefit our communities and society as it sets a benchmark for other educational institutions.
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