North Central receives award for achieving environmental goals

North Central College has been recognized as a bronze-level institution for its commitment to adopting and fulfilling environmental goals through the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact.

The Compact outlines environmental goals that public and private colleges and universities may adopt and incorporate into their campus operations, academic and research programs, student activities and community outreach. Institutions can pledge at bronze, silver and gold levels with varying levels of participation that help the school reach its environmental commitments.

To receive the bronze award, North Central College met certain requirements. Those included creating a written policy acknowledging support for sustainability, a focal point to lead sustainability work across the campus, a website to raise awareness about the institution’s sustainability efforts, and opportunities for students, faculty and staff to offer suggestions for advancing sustainability on campus.

The focal point for the College’s sustainability efforts is the Sustainability Committee, which began in 2007 with 13 members, and a full-time sustainability coordinator position, created in 2009 and now held by Brittany Graham.  

“Reaching the bronze level is a great first step,” says Graham. “It demonstrated we’re committed to sustainability, but we won’t just stop at bronze. Our goal is reaching gold level.”

To reach gold, says Graham, the College will set measurable sustainability objectives, a time frame for meeting those objectives, and a system to monitor and assess the progress of those goals and campus sustainability projects. Those objectives address the generation of waste, energy consumption, water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

To learn more visit northcentralcollege.edu/content/sustainability-central. The campus community can contribute suggestions or ask questions by emailing sustainability@noctrl.edu or Graham at bdgraham@noctrl.edu.

This year, North Central College was included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 332 Green Colleges: 2014 Edition.” The College was cited for its robust alternative transportation program, bike-sharing program, LEED-certified Silver Residence Hall/Recreation Center, Community Garden Project, campus dining efforts that include recycling used oil and grease to green diesel research, composting program, faculty-student research in the area of sustainability, fleet of two electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations, student clubs, and Career Center assistance with locating green jobs.

At North Central College, sustainability is the collective effort of students, faculty, staff and visitors working toward the development of a socially just, environmentally responsible and economically functional campus community.