DCCCDGreen Team

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Sustainability is not a destination; it is a journey, and we have just begun.

The members of DCCCDGreen are employees who are passionate about and committed to helping DCCCD progress on its journey toward sustainability.

Vision
DCCCD is an environmental leader in our communities – teaching, learning and supporting sustainability.

Mission
Through mindful education and action, we advocate the wise use of natural, financial and human resources to students, community members, DCCCD leadership and employees. We seek and act upon opportunities within our circles of influence to advance DCCCD and its communities on the journey toward global sustainability. We encourage everyone to take action in their personal lives to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

Goals
• Advocate for sustainability policies/procedures and activities at district executive level
• Share best practices among locations
• Promote intra-district collaboration on sustainability projects
• Sponsor/support educational events for employees and students
• Promote consistent measurement techniques across the district to support reporting and evaluation goals
• Use the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking and Assessment Rating System (STARS) as our guide. (See STARS Summary Scorecard for a quick overview.)

Short Term Objectives
(within two years)

Accounting and Finance
• Sustainability Committee – Seek formal authorization.
• Strategic Plan – Seek official adoption of STARS by DCCCD.
• Sustainability Plan – Develop a districtwide plan.
• Sustainability officer at each location – Promote this action.
• Sustainability Recognition – Develop an awards program to recognize outstanding contributions to DCCCD’s sustainability initiative.

Operations
• Recycling Plan – Collaborate with Purchasing to develop an RFP for a recycling vendor that will enable us to meet the STARS recycling measurement criteria, including electronic waste recycling.
• Green Cleaning Service/Products – Collaborate with Facilities to adopt a green cleaning service/ products policy, and with Purchasing to develop an RFP for green cleaning products/services.
• Renewable Energy – Seek adoption of an official policy that requires district to purchase (or produce) a meaningful percentage of its energy from renewable energy sources.
• Energy Star Purchasing – Seek adoption of policies and programs that promote energy efficiency in all district operations, including Energy Star standards for appropriate purchasing.
• Commuter Options – Adopt tools and processes for promoting ride sharing among district students and staff.

For more information about what we do and how you can become a part of it, contact Kathleen Gardner at (972) 860-7769 or KGardner@dcccd.edu.