Publications & Resources
Training/Education
Green Campus Project
The focus of this "pilot project" is to develop a protocol for two-year community/technical colleges for promoting and conducting business on campus in an environmentally safe, "green" manner. This will be done by training college faculty and students in two selected NE PETE member colleges in the art of pollution prevention (toxics use reduction), alternative methods and options, P-2 audits, and green campus strategies. This will involve all aspects of a college campus: administration, business, purchasing, laboratories, maintenance/custodial, technology departments, buildings and grounds, and general education.
The concept is to utilize the faculty and students within the "environmental technology department" for this project. By training their students, faculty and staff in environmental regulatory compliance, the college can become both a community resource for P-2 information and a good neighbor.
The two NE PETE Lead Colleges selected through the application process to participate in this project are Gateway Community Technical College in North Haven, Connecticut, and Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland, Maine. NE PETE contacted ME DEP and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, as well as EPA Region I and NEIWPCC training staff, to provide technical assistance on both campuses.
North Haven, Connecticut, High School was selected as a mentoring school by Gateway Community Technical College. As part of the program, North Haven's electrical usage was evaluated, low voltage lighting was installed where appropriate, paper recycling was reinstituted, and the water used in the building and found on campus was tested. Gateway Community Technical College also instituted some changes on its own campus, including the addition of recycling containers and storage drums for hazardous chemicals.
On May 4, 2000, Gateway Community Technical College hosted the Green School Initiative 2000 Expo. Presentations were made by students from North Haven High School and Gateway Community Technical College participating in the Green Campus program. Presentations were also offered by the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association, the Regional Water Authority, and other groups with ties to the Green Campus program.