Environmental Initiatives | Teachers College Columbia University

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Environmental Initiatives

The TC Student Senate's Go Green Committee launches highly visible sustainability efforts on campus, including the Rockin' Earth Day Festival, while the College's executive steering committee establishes a range of long-term initiatives.
The TC Student Senate’s Go Green Committee launches highly visible sustainability efforts on campus, including the Rockin’ Earth Day Festival, while the College’s executive steering committee establishes a range of long-term initiatives.

Accomplishments in FY10 include:
  • Installing water-saving washing machines in all residence halls, saving 1,762,000 gallons of water in residence hall laundry rooms.
  • Replacing 100-watt incandescent light bulbs with compact 27-watt fluorescent light bulbs, which last 13 times longer.
  • Installing a rain garden in Russell Courtyard, funded from a Brita grant written by members of Go Green.
  • Placing 16 planters with native perennials, for use by children, and two compost bins in Russell Courtyard.
  • The College also announces plans to boost its rate of recycling from 35 percent of all waste recycled to 50 percent over the next two years, and from 50 percent to 75 percent over the next five years.

More broadly, TC commits to three guiding principles of sustainability:
  • Demonstrating institutional practices that promote sustainability, including measures to increase efficiency and use of renewable resources, and to decrease production of waste and hazardous materials.
  • Encouraging environmental inquiry and institutional learning throughout the College community.
  • Establishing indicators for sustainability that will enable monitoring, reporting and continuous improvement.


Published Wednesday, May. 11, 2011

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