Earlier last month, Delta College was nationally recognized for its sustainability efforts.
In its 2019 Sustainable Campus Index, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education gave Delta College a Silver Rating. The school finished sixth in the community college category in the Top College for Sustainability rankings. Delta, based in University Center, has a downtown Bay City campus.
"I'm very proud of this 'Top College' ranking for Delta. We have sustainability in our strategic planning and everyone at the College, from students to the Board of Trustees, collaborates on these initiatives," says Dr. Jean Goodnow, President of Delta College.
"All that we have done in these areas really does make Delta College a role model in Michigan and nationally."
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, or AASHE, created Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System, STARS, as a framework for colleges and universities to measure their progress in their sustainability efforts. Delta has participated in the STARS program since 2008.
Though no specific acts of sustainability efforts were identified, Delta did receive higher than average marks above all institutions in the Campus Engagement and Buildings categories.
There are, however, plenty of sustainability efforts and initiatives to point to. In 2018, for instance, Delta was one of the first colleges in Michigan certified as a Bee Campus. The school manages insecticide and pesticide use in an effort to be more pollinator-friendly.
The school also works toward making its buildings LEED certified, a green building certification program from the U.S. Green Building Council. The first Delta building to receive such a certification was the Health Professions Building in 2014. More recently, the new Downtown Saginaw Center was given a LEED certification.
Delta students traveled to Washington D.C. for the Citizen’s Climate Lobby Conference. Students also traveled to Costa Rica for a sustainability study abroad trip.
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