College Recognized for Sustainability Efforts

Bunker Hill Community College was acknowledged nationally at the 5th Annual American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) Summit, according to a press release from school officials. 

BHCC is a charter signatory of the Climate Commitment. The summit was held in Washington, D.C., from June 23-24.   

The College received the Climate Leadership Award from Second Nature, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education. Second Nature collaborates closely with the ACUPCC, a network of 677 signatory institutions of higher education, which aims at neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting the sustainability efforts of higher education.

BHCC won recognition for its leadership in promoting sustainability through various initiatives:

• Establishment of “college-wide sustainability initiatives,” as a major College goal for 2010-2013.
• The Board of Trustees’ advocacy for sustainability and presentation on the College’s Climate Action Planning at the 2010  conference of the Association of Community College Trustees.
• The establishment, by President Fifield, of a cabinet-level position of Director of Sustainability, held by Paul Wolff III.
• Focus at the College’s large-scale professional development days on sustainability, with participation from leading experts in the field.
• Offering 12 sustainability mini-grants (2010-2011 academic year) to faculty and staff for the development of new courses such as “Sustainability in Statistics.”
• A new campus Urban Organic Garden Project, with individual plots cultivated by diverse stakeholders such as the Office of Community Engagement and the Veterans Center, which increases awareness of sustainable agricultural practices.
• A new sustainability website (www.bhcc.mass.edu/Sustainability), which features the work of the President’s Climate Commitment and Sustainability Committee.