Category

Community Colleges & Other Two Year Institutions

Harford Community College-Joppa Hall, LEED Silver Photographer: Julia Ciocco

Contact

Tami Imbierowicz
Assistant Professor, Biology/Co-chair Sustainability Committee
STEM
Harford Community College
Bel Air, MD
(410) 836-4122
timbiero@harford.edu

Governance & Administration

Building on an eight year history of modeling environmentally sustainable practices, Harford Community College, in 2007, incorporated sustainability into its five-year Strategic Plan. A 20-member campus team comprised of staff, administrators and faculty over the period of one year developed the Board approved Plan that guides decision making and goal setting and outcomes campus wide. Two themes pledge "to incorporate sustainable practices into teaching and learning" and "to model environmentally sustainable practices" in all operations.

In Sept. 2007 the College retained architectural consultants who reviewed information developed by the College's facility planners, interviewed a wide spectrum of the college community, worked with the College Advisory Council to hold several open forums to seek input from students and employees and prepared an independent analysis of future growth. The result was a 20-year Master Facilities Plan which designates 50% of the College's 340 acre campus as a conservation zone. Specific recommendations are included throughout the Master Facilities Plan to address the College's commitment to employ environmentally sustainable practices with all building and land use decisions.

The College has established protocols for green purchasing, green housekeeping, integrated pest management and will strive to produce or purchase at least 15% of electricity consumption from renewable sources, purchase efficient appliances such as those with ENERGY STAR rating and construct all new buildings to at least the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent.

Sustainability projects are guided by a Sustainability Committee comprised of College administrators, staff, faculty, students, and community members. The Committee meets monthly and supports the College's efforts to educate students, employees and external community on environmental issues and the necessary steps to preserve the environment. The Committee makes recommendations to the president on appropriate projects in support of sustainability. In January 2008 the president signed the American University and College President's Climate Commitmentand a smaller group from the Committee leads the effort to meet the established goals.

Over the last two years the Committee has provided research, leadership and coordination of projects related to renewable energy, recycling, sustainable landscaping and capital projects. Committee members contribute relevant articles to The Green Scene column in the campus newspaper.

Funding for sustainability efforts comes from grants and a budget established by the president's office. Grant funding has paid for solar heating projects, 3 green roof installations and rainwater capture and reuse projects.

Organization Affiliations:   US Green Building Council; University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (Harford Community College is a signatory to the Talloires Declaration); National Wildlife Federation, Campus Ecology Program; The Society for College and University Planning; Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Awards/recognition:    LEED Silver Certification for the expansion and renovation of Joppa Hall an 80,000 GSF technical arts and classroom building; cited in the KIWI Report of Green Colleges 2007; BayWise certification from the University of  Maryland and Master Gardeners Association for sustainable landscaping to protect the Chesapeake Bay.

Operations

Harford Community College's operations have been guided by an integrated and holistic approach for the last 8 years. The Strategic Plan and Master Facilities Plan continue to guide the campus sustainability initiatives. Based on an energy and lighting audit, campus wide energy efficiency measures have been implemented in 10 building renovations and new construction since 2000. Joppa Hall's 2008 LEED Silver renovation has resulted in a 30% energy saving annually.

Other Energy Related Projects include

• Variable chillers, air handlers, and air volume units
• High efficiency condensing boilers
• Energy efficient lighting and motion sensors
• Geothermal wells
• Solar hot water heating on four campus buildings
• Direct digital control and energy management

Water Conservation

Harford's 340 acre campus is served by 3 wells and septic fields that have been in operation since the campus had 10-12 fewer buildings and enrollment was a fraction of the present annual credit/noncredit enrollment of 24,000. Water saving features include waterless urinals in every building, low flow faucets, dual flush commodes, cisterns for rainwater capture and reuse, bio-retention ponds and raingardens, and low maintenance landscaping to reduce irrigation. In 2008 extensive metering devices were installed to provide comparative data on annual potable and non-potable water usage.

Green Purchasing.Environmentally preferred products, from furniture to equipment to supplies, are given first consideration and purchased when costs permit.

Green Housekeeping Programspecifies the preferred use of Green Seal approved cleaning products, recycled plastic and paper products, and describes cleaning performance standards that promote high quality indoor air.

Green Landscaping/Ground Maintenance Programutilizes the principles of sustainable landscaping; maintains natural areas-woods, meadows, wetlands, nature trail, pond, outdoor amphitheatre and extensive flower, butterfly and rain gardens and uses chemicals only in very limited applications.

Green Building Occupant Programsteach employees and students occupying a sustainably designed building about the building's energy use, waste generation, and improved indoor air quality.

Recycling efforts.Sites throughout campus collect the following recyclable materials: Clean paper and cardboard, aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, rechargeable batteries, film containers and cell phones. Fluorescent lights, computers, yard waste, printer cartridges, construction waste, medical supplies are recycled as part of campus operations

Informative signageis positioned near new projects such as, graywater collection systems, green roofs, the butterfly garden, bioswales and in the buildings throughout campus.

Food and Dining Serviceseliminated use of Styrofoam cups and plates and use biodegradable products made from cornstarch; sell reusable mugs at cost to campus community; use recycled paper products; and serve Fair Trade organic coffee and locally grown produce, beef, dairy products. The College also grows their own organic vegetables and herbs for consumption for dining services and the campus community.

Curriculum & Research

Harford offers two degrees and a certificate option in Environmental Science with the following credit hour requirements: Associate of Sciences (A.S.) degree in Environmental Science, 67 credit hours; Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Environmental Technology, 63 credit hours; Certificate in Environmental Technology, 29 credit hours.

For students seeking a bachelor's degree in environmental science, Harford maintains a dual admission program with the University of Maryland. By partnering with other area colleges, Harford is able to offer students A.A.S. degree options in horticulture, agribusiness, equine, turf grass, golf course and landscape management.

In accordance with Harford's Strategic Plan, College division deans vigorously support opportunities for student learning outside of the classroom. For example, STEM students joined faculty, staff, key off-campus partners and a team of engineers to conduct a campus energy audit. Over a four day period they learned about lighting and energy efficiencies, HVAC systems, sustainability principles and goals. Other sustainability related activities include partnering with a neighboring community college on regional projects related to green energy curriculum and working with the local county government to present a workshop in fall 2008 on green manufacturing.

Credit courses with a sustainability focus include Environmental Health, English Composition and Literature, Environmental Ethics, Environmental Law, Fundamentals of Biology, and an Honors Biology course which uses the campus grounds and buildings to teach sustainable design. Environmental Ethics and English Composition are taught as a learning community with a focus on holistic health and sustainable living.

Noncredit course offerings include Greening Your Business, Earth Day Awareness, Basic Compositing, and Creating a Healthy Home.

The College has supported international travel with an environmental/sustainability focus in Denmark and Germany. In 2009, students will travel to Costa Rica to investigate ecotourism impacts on biodiversity and compare environmental policies with the U.S.

To promote sustainability across all disciplines, the 2008 Faculty Professional Development Day will include a presentation on integrating sustainability into the curriculum and using the outdoor classroom.  Faculty have attended national conferences on integrating sustainability into the curriculum. In an effort to share sustainability oriented curriculum efforts, Harford faculty have made several presentations at local, regional, and national conferences (e.g., 2008 Maryland Academic Leadership Conference.)

The College continues to maintain data on energy and water conservation measures. Students have assisted in monitoring runoff from green roof systems, calculating carbon footprint for AUCPCC, and energy audits of campus buildings. Students monitor the health and biodiversity of the campus natural resources, including stream and pond biota, water quality, forest resources, and wetland areas.

Campus Culture

The campus culture promotes sustainability through annual Earth Day activities involving faculty, staff and students in such activities as planting trees, rain gardens and butterfly gardens. The Sustainability Committee includes individuals from all areas of the campus, including student participation. Students participate in poster contests for Earth Day and Energy Conservation. Employees are challenged to achieve BayWise certification for their private residences. Graphic posters are permanently displayed in lobbies and hallways with interesting facts concerning sustainability.

Leadership and support for a broad range of student activities is provided by the Associate Vice President for Student Development. With the guidance of the Student Activities Coordinator students participated in Service Learning projects including National Public Lands Day at Fort McHenry, food and clothing drives on campus, and a Hunger Banquet highlighting the disproportionate levels of food supply in the world.

International travel on sustainability funded through the College's Foundation offered need-based grants to students to participate in projects in New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, California environmental science camps, Denmark's sustainable energy program, and the Costa Rican rain forests.

The College promotes sustainability through student clubs and activities. The Phi Theta Kappa honor society students hosted a guest speaker on alternative energy to kick off their sustainability theme; the Interior Designers Club won best of show for their green holiday trees designed with recycled and natural products; the Student Government Association is helping to promote the Campus Carpool program; and the Environmental Action Coalition is a student advocacy group on campus that deals with environmental concerns and provides programs, speakers, and activities. The Harford Owl, the student newspaper features a running column to raise awareness with the campus community on environmental issues.

Beginning in 2005, graduating classes have purchased a tree and planted it in an area known as the Graduates Grove.

Community Service and Outreach

The goals of the College's sustainability outreach efforts are to help individuals understand the underlying principles of sustainability, be well informed of the progress being made, understand their role in supporting this progress, and be afforded opportunities to be actively involved in sustainability initiatives.

To meet these goals the College hosted The Mid Atlantic Renewable Energy Expo in April 2007. The Expo featured exhibits and workshops on topics such as energy efficient vehicles, photovoltaic panels, wind power, sustainable design, and recycled products. Other activities included children's events and films and discussions. The event hosted several hundred students from the county public schools and over 1000 community members.

College personnel routinely visit area colleges, groups, schools, and scout troops to present Harford's experience with implementing sustainability. At the same time visitors to the College are offered tours of the campus and especially Joppa Hall to see the practical uses of green design. Joppa Hall tours have been offered to organizations such as the MD Green Building Network, Watershed Alliance of York County (PA), International Facilities Managers and area county governments. Since 2006 more than 500 visitors have toured the building. Informing the campus and broader community of the green aspects of Joppa Hall has been accomplished by the installation of a Green Touchscreen in the lobby. This interactive web based sign informs and educates visitors to the building: http://harford.greentouchscreen.com/kiosk_resolution.asp

Since 2007 the College has collaborated with the newly formed Maryland Office for a Sustainable Future in information sharing sessions with statewide organizations, colleges, county governments and municipalities of Maryland.  Personnel and faculty have presented at statewide conferences: 2008 Maryland Academic Leadership and 2007 Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators.

Members of the community have been active participants in the annual 5K Eco Run and Nature Hike since 2003. In 2007 participants numbered 107. Proceeds from the Eco Run fund sustainability efforts. In College-sponsored Earth Day events, the community makes a strong showing as vendors and presenters. With donations of mature trees from a private landowner, a developer and in collaboration with the County, the College successfully reforested campus areas disturbed by construction and established a nursery for future use. This collaboration averted the destruction of nearly 100 trees.

College printed materials such as the catalogue, course schedules, theater programs consistently contain messages about sustainability efforts as they educate on an environmental topic, such as riparian buffers, green roofs and carbon sequestration.

Green Harford http://www.harford.edu/GreenHCC/default.asp?FA=Welcome is the electronic gathering spot for all things sustainable. It is designed to educate and include the campus community in its progress.

Further outreach to the community occurred during the Family Fun Festival of 2007 which, in addition to carnival entertainment, offered family nature hikes, integrated pest management activity with kids and tours of Joppa Hall to more than 10,00 attendees.