Project GreenPath

Earth is our business too

Berkeley College Project Greenpath focuses on environmental issues and going green. 

 

Berkeley College Celebrates Earth Day 2013

RecycleMania Awards 2013

RecycleMania 2013 NYC Award

Berkeley College students, staff, and faculty joined with 523 college communities nationwide in reducing waste during the 13th Annual RecycleMania competition. In a friendly Berkeley College in-house competition, the Midtown Manhattan location was named RecycleMania Tournament Champion for the Most Waste Reduction. Pictured above, from left to right, are Jeffrey Ehalt, Berkeley College Director of Operations and Interim Director of Sustainability and Sharod Tomlinson, Assistant Dean, Student Development and Campus Life, Midtown Manhattan location.

RecycleMania Awards 2013 White Plains

The White Plains location in Westchester County, NY, was named RecycleMania Champion for the Most Recycling. Pictured above, from left to right, are Laura V. Harste, Ph.D., Instructor, Berkeley College School of Liberal Arts, and Chair, Project GreenPath; Alicia Martinez, Berkeley College Assistant Dean, Student Development and Campus Life, White Plains; Andrea Nemeth, Berkeley College Assistant Campus Operating Officer, White Plains and Midtown Manhattan; and Ashlee Carter, Berkeley College Director, Student Development and Campus Life, White Plains.

Environmental efforts at all Berkeley locations were tracked each week of the competition. Read more about RecycleMania in the Project GreenPath newsletter.

Berkeley College Continues Steps Toward Becoming Carbon Neutral

Berkeley College has released its Carbon Neutrality Action Plan, which includes a time frame and actions to help the school become a carbon neutral institution by 2050. The Carbon Neutrality Action Plan was developed in response to the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which was signed by Berkeley College President Dr. Dario A. Cortes in July 2009.

The American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment calls for Berkeley College to

  • create institutional structures to guide the development and implementation of a plan to become carbon neutral
  • complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions
  • initiate interim actions to reduce greenhouse gases while developing the comprehensive plan.

The Project GreenPath Committee completed Berkeley's initial Greenhouse Gas Report that measures the College's carbon footprint. This report provides baseline measurements which will be used to assess the College's progress in reducing carbon emissions.

In addition, the Project GreenPath Committee initiated two tangible actions to begin the work of moving toward climate neutrality while in the process of preparing the climate action plan. The first action was to adopt an Energy Star Procurement Policy. This policy requires the purchase of Energy Star certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist wherever practical. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to promote cost savings and protection of the environment through energy efficient products and practices. More information about the Energy Star program is available at www.energystar.gov.

The second tangible action involves increasing awareness of the need for waste reduction and improving participation in recycling. Berkeley College locations have participated in the annual RecycleMania tournament, an international college recycling and waste reduction competition. The RecycleMania 2013 competition is scheduled to run February 3-March 30, 2013.

The American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment recently released data quantifying the environmental impact of member schools. For more information about the Climate Commitment reports, please visit the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment website.

Signatory of American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment

Berkeley College Releases NYC Climate Action Plan

Berkeley College has released a Climate Action Plan for its New York City properties as part of the Mayor's Carbon Challenge (formerly known as the NYC Mayoral Challenge), an initiative sponsored by the NYC Mayor's Office to reduce participating colleges' and universities' greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over 10 years. In 2008, Berkeley College joined with other colleges and universities in New York City, including Columbia University, Fordham University, Fashion Institute of Technology, School of Visual Arts, Rockefeller University, City University of New York, Cooper Union, and others to become part of the Mayor's Carbon Challenge.

The Climate Action Plan provides an overview of Berkeley's facilities and energy usage, an inventory of its annual greenhouse gas emissions, highlights of actions and projects that have been implemented, and an outline of its strategy to meet the 30 percent emissions reduction goal by 2018.

The Mayor's Carbon Challenge provided a tool to colleges and universities that is designed to help them measure and report their greenhouse gas footprints. Calculations for each of the four buildings that Berkeley College has owned or operated in New York City since 2007 have been determined for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Based on these measurements, so far Berkeley College has lowered its overall carbon footprint more than 16 percent.

 

Project Greenpath Initiatives

Earth Day 2012
RecyclaMania Tournament 2012
RecycleMania Tournament 2011
Berkeley College Celebrates Earth Day 2010
Berkeley College Hosts Virtual Climate Action Forum
Berkeley College Celebrates Earth Day 2009
Berkeley College Accepts New York City Mayoral Challenge
Berkeley College Distributes Reusable Shopping Bags
Berkeley College Celebrates Earth Day 2008
Berkeley Recycles! Do You?
Benefits of Live Green Plants
Sustainability Day - Fall 2007

 

 

Sustainability Tips*

  • Reduce engine idling.
  • Buying a car? Think about an energy efficient or hybrid model.
  • Don't top off your gas tank. Every drop of spilled gas adds to air pollution and wastes fuel.
  • Walk or cycle instead of drive. Save the planet AND your waistline. 
  • Check with your supervisor about working from home one day a week to reduce commuting emissions.
  • Carpool when possible, or use public transportation when available.
  • Use timers on your thermostats for heat and air conditioning.
  • Install a water-efficient shower head and reduce your time in the shower.
  • Fix your leaks! Leaky faucets can waste thousands of gallons of water each year.
  • When possible, wash laundry when you have a full load, or choose the appropriate load size on the washing machine.
  • Buy water- and energy-efficient appliances and products. Look for the WaterSense and EnergyStar labels when shopping
  • Replace incandescent light bulbs in your home with new energy efficient compact fluorescents or LEDs.
  • Support the Great American Clean Up! Visit the Keep America Beautiful website and join a local effort, or start your own volunteer group.
  • Allow grass clippings to stay on the lawn instead of bagging them. The cut grass decomposes and returns to the soil.
  • Start an organic kitchen garden. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are fresher and taste better. 
  • Compost organic waste and use it to enrich your garden soil.
  • Use nontoxic household cleaning products. Many green cleaning products are available now, or try the tips from Blisstree for making your own.
  • Dispose of hazardous waste (cleaning solvents, paints, used oil, etc.) properly. Contact your local environmental or sanitation office for more information.
  • Make Earth Day a "Go Veggie Day." Bring in a vegetarian snack or lunch to share with others.
  • Use a reusable coffee cup and water bottle! 
  • Go paperless: bills, newspapers, magazines. 
  • Whenever possible, scan and file documents instead of printing and copying them.
  • Share instead of buy: Go to the library for books, magazines, movies, and more.
  • BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag! They come in fun sizes and shapes so you can always bring your own. 
  • Ecycle your old computer, DVD player, or other electronics to an electronics recycling center.
  • Bring your own lunch to work (saves packaging and waste). Make it a vegetarian meal to further reduce your carbon footprint.

*suggestions from the Project GreenPath Committee and Berkeley College community for Earth Day 2010