- Identify sustainability-related courses ("Green Course").
- Incorporate sustainability principles into all aspects of curricula.
Community Outreach and Education
- Connect with local communities to promote sustainability events and initiatives.
- Develop and schedule a sustainability seminar series to educate individuals about sustainability ideas in all disciplines.
- Engage external organizations and businesses to promote sustainability initiatives.
Dining and Food Services
- Incorporate sustainability issues into new dining services -- recycling, compost, oil reuse, etc.
- Advertise food chain sustainability in dining areas.
- Introduce local and organic foods and materials.
- Introduce biodegradable and/or compostable serving-ware and utensils.
- Reduce or eliminate plastic water bottles and provide bottle refilling stations.
- Introduce more vegetarian options.
- Convert to tray-less dining.
Facilities and Operations
Green Building / Renovation
- Design and construct new buildings and make renovations to environmentally friendly building standards.
- Ensure energy efficiency measures and certification marketed and promoted internally and externally.
Building Operations
- Incorporate environmentally friendly practices into all building operations.
- Implement energy efficiency measures across all campuses, especially heating, cooling and lighting.
- Encourage energy conservation behavior.
Environmental Health and Safety
- Monitor air and water quality to ensure environmental compliance and take measures if not in compliance.
- In accordance with policies and procedures, maintain control and tracking of all hazardous material to ensure proper handling, storage and disposal.
Landscaping / Maintenance
- Where possible and available, transition to electric equipment.
- Where possible and available, choose benign treatment, application, or management methods in place of hazardous chemicals. (ex. pesticides)
- Compost available material.
Stormwater Management
Cleaning / Recycling
- Incorporate and promote the use of more environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods.
- Ensure housekeeping contractor handles recyclable material appropriately and per college policies.
- Measure college waste and recycling to determine recycling rates per campus.
Print Services
- Use existing software to encourage a paperless environment. (ex. print to .PDF)
- All paper purchases should be 100% recycled paper.
- Set all equipment to print and copy on both sides of the paper.
- Encourage black and white printing.
Procurement
- Incorporate sustainability language into all contract proposals and purchasing.
- Incorporate sustainability considerations in evaluating proposals.
- Implement college and campus policies and processes to influence campus vendors and contracted providers.
Transportation
- Carpool
- Where available, use electric maintenance vehicles on campus.
- Incorporate more hybrid vehicles into the College's vehicle fleet.
- Encourage use of public transportation.
- Provide shuttle service between campuses and to public transportation hubs. (ex. Metro stations)
- Promote biking to and on campus.
- Add electric vehicle charging stations on campus.
- Alexandria-Arlington-Workforce-Metro NOVA Shuttle
Travel Services
- Where available, use virtual services (conference calls, webinars, etc.) to minimize traveling both local and long distance.
- When feasible, consider carpooling to meetings, conferences or events.
- When feasible, consider traveling by train.
Workforce Development
- Identify sustainability-related courses ("Green Course") and promote green jobs training. (ex. hybrid maintenance, LEED certification, high efficiency battery research, energy auditor training)
- Connect with local businesses or institutions to develop internships or in-person experiences for green jobs training. (ex. new construction projects for LEED experience)