An “A+” for effort with Green plans at Northwest Community college

The three R’s get a bit of a green tinge at Prince Rupert’s home for higher education, as Northwest Community College launches its Green program, designed to make the campus more ecologically friendly and carbon neutral.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will become a mantra of sorts as Designated Green Teams spread the word about developing a more environmentally friendly atmosphere at the downtown institution.

Every aspect of the campus day to day routine will be examined from purchasing procedures to garbage generation, and wasteful energy consumption to un-needed photocopying will be looked at, as the Teams from all of Northwest Community College campuses try to make their campus environmentally aware.

Students and faculty will be able to participate through meetings and Environmental Board where people can post sustainability tips, issues and suggestions to better improve the green footprint at the college.

The Daily News featured details of the Green plans in Wednesday’s paper.

College looks to spread latest green wisdom
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Page three

On a mission to become a more environmentally friendly institution, Northwest Community College (NWCC) has appointed Green Teams at each of its campuses to implement earth-friendly initiatives throughout the college's operations.

The Green Teams are headed by each campus principal and include volunteers from college constituency groups such as staff, students, administration, faculty and instructors. The groups meet regularly to discuss how NWCC can become greener, healthier and more sustainable institutions, and have already begun to implement their ideas.

"We are starting off with the basics - the little everyday things that everyone can do," said NWCC Maintenance Manager Clint Marshall, who oversees all the Green Teams.

The committees have been advocating for staff and students to be more aware of the energy they use, the garbage they produce, and how often documents are unnecessarily printed and photocopied, especially when only printed on one side. Marshall has also ordered close to 100 recycling bins to distribute throughout the campuses as well as reusable eco-bags to sell at the college's bookstores.

"The challenge for us is to educate people and make it as easy as possible for them to make appropriate choices," Marshall said. "I really believe everybody wants to be more environmentally friendly but not everybody knows how. It's all about awareness."

The long-term vision is for NWCC to become a carbon-neutral institution by reducing energy consumption and waste, increasing recycling and eradicating all environmentally unfriendly products such as styrofoam from campuses. The Green Teams also aim to make the college a more responsible purchaser - buying products with little or no packaging from socially-conscious companies as often as possible.

"We are reviewing our current sustainability practices and encouraging people to work together to reduce, reuse and recycle," said Deb Stava, Prince Rupert Campus Principal.

"To communicate how we can each make a difference, we are installing Environmental Boards where people can post sustainability tips, issues and best practices. We are also members of the city's Green Advisory Task Force which makes recommendations to council about the development of an action plan for lowering greenhouse gas emissions within the city of Prince Rupert."

The Prince Rupert campus has also made connections with environmental groups such as the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and Communities in Bloom.

"The world's growing population and shrinking resources are putting pressure on individuals and institutions to act more responsibly," said NWCC President Stephanie Forsyth.

"We at Northwest Community College see reducing our carbon footprint and encouraging others to do the same as a priority. Part of the role of a post-secondary institution is to be a community leader and teacher. We hope to take on that role wholeheartedly in our initiative to go green for the sake of all of our stakeholders and the planet."