Help Keep our Community Green...Recycle Electronic Waste

Estrella Mountain, in partnership with EcoAvenues and Goodwill will be accepting the following electronic items for donation.

Bring items for recycling to the EMCC Campus between April 12-16 or during the EcoAvenues event on April 17 from 8:00am-1:00pm.

Mariposa Hall Grand Opening – Green Features

Estrella Mountain hosted the Grand Opening of Mariposa Hall this past Wednesday (Feb. 24, 2010). Here is what faculty, staff, and students who toured the building learned about the green features of the building:

• the carpet throughout the building is made from 25% recycled nylon and can be recycled at its end use,
• the ceiling panels are made from a combination of recycled plastic bags and reclaimed wood fibers into a material called Trex Trellis,
• the tackable surfaces located outside classrooms and office are made from recycled tires,
• approx. 297,000 gallons of water is saved annually through the use of waterless urinals, dual flush toilets, and sensor operated sinks,
• low VOC paints and walk-on grates reduce indoor air pollution,
• stablized decomposed granite fire lane, exposed aggregated concrete walkways surfaces do not absorb heat thus aiding in mitigating the Heat Island Effect,
• the north-south orientation of the building along with energy efficient utility systems save approximately 155,900 kWh of energy annually,
• rain water is collected through the roof drain system and is collected through stormwater runnels that are used to irrigate the native and drought tolerant landscape saving 60,656 gallons of water annually.

For more information regarding the LEED and green features of Mariposa Hall, please contact the sustainability.team@estrellamountain.edu.

EMCC Reaches for the STARS

Estrella Mountain Community College is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). We believe that in order to manage our sustainability progress on campus, we must align our initiatives with the goals of other colleges and universities across the nation. We chose to utilize AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) as a framework for developing, implementing, and tracking the progress of sustainability on our campus and became a Charter Participant in December 2009 and will be reporting to AASHE in January 2011.

STARS is a voluntary, self-reporting framework for gauging relative progress toward sustainability for colleges and universities. STARS is designed to:
· Provide a guide for advancing sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
· Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions by establishing a common standard of measurement for sustainability in higher education.
· Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
· Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.
· Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

The EMCC Sustainability Team has been tasked with developing a Campus Sustainability Plan that encompasses environmental, economic, and social responsibilities. The STARS tool will be used as the framework for developing this Plan. If you would like to get involved, please view the current initiatives that EMCC is working toward and contact the Sustainability Team.

Green Lions R-R-Recycle

Estrella Mountain Community College cares about the environment and supports the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle philosophy. We are growing our recycling program, so start looking for recycling containers all across campus to encourage EMCC students, faculty and staff to be stewards of the environment.

What does EMCC Recycle? Check out the Green Lions Recycling website for more information.

EMCC Hosts Eco Avenues Event

The southwest valley unites to bring you Eco Avenues. This free event will showcase environmentally friendly products, services, education and activities from businesses and organizations.

Eco Avenues will arm you with information and resources to help you take action to live a more sustainable life and heighten your awareness of green jobs, products and programs.

Discover the economic and environmental benefits of living green at Eco Avenues! There will also be a special Kids Zone with activities for the entire family.

Saturday, April 17, 2010 @ EMCC from 8:00am-1:00pm.