FLCC is dedicated to stewardship of the natural beauty of the area through modeling and teaching sustainable practices that promote environmental, economic, and social responsibility. By using the college as a living laboratory, students see real-world applications of the principles they learn in the classroom. Here are some examples of how FLCC is going green!
FLCC has reduced its energy use through upgrades to heating and cooling systems and lighting in classrooms and common areas. Parking lots A, B and D have LED lighting, reducing electricity use by almost 75 percent.
The Student Center has large windows and skylights to maximize daylight. All spaces have occupancy sensor controls for the lights to eliminate unnecessary lighting of empty areas or offices. FLCC also generates its own renewable energy with 192 photovoltaic solar panels on top of the Student Center that produce about 43,000 kWh of electricity annually, the equivalent of powering four average homes for a year.
FLCC’s single-sort recycling program makes it easier to recycle because paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, glass and non-deposit cans be co-mingled into one bin.
Look for three-in-one bins that will take trash, 5-cent deposit bottles and other recyclables. Each year the FLCC Sustainability Program conducts a garbage assessment, in which students and staff sort through one day’s worth of trash to see how well the campus is recycling.
FLCC’s 250-acre main campus is home to diverse and important ecological environments. Trails and jogging paths link to several ponds, an outdoor classroom, a hardwood forest and wetlands and a cattail marsh that serve as a natural stormwater management system. FLCC manages this land with environmental conservation as a top priority, excludes the use of chemicals and allows natural processes to function without interference.
Many FLCC faculty include sustainability topics into their courses. Sustainability is a concept that relates to every discipline, and faculty in academic departments ranging from environmental conservation and horticulture to social sciences and humanities are raising students’ awareness of the effect humans have on the planet.
FLCC encourages students to carpool to campus by offering 23 reserved parking spaces in Lot A for students who have applied for car pooling permits and share rides to campus. This initiative fulfills a requirement for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification, a rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council, for the Student Center.
FLCC is on a mission to reduce its paper use. Many departments conduct their business electronically, including Admissions, Business Services, Purchasing and Creative Services.
Some of our initiatives include a weekly electronic newsletter to employees, electronic time cards, online purchase orders, an online application process for job seekers, and electronic forms for all media production and business services requests. We also encourage the use of double-sided printing when paper copies are needed.