Maryville College’s Pledge in Response to the White House’s American Campuses Act on Climate
Building on our existing efforts regarding environmental sustainability, including campus wide recycling, renewable energy generation, public outreach and partnerships, Maryville College (MC) commits to lowering campus waste, reducing fossil fuel consumption, furthering the connection to environmental and human health, and increasing use of locally-sourced food.
MC Commits:
- To increasing waste diversion rates to at least 35% by the College’s bicentennial in 2019, through campus-wide single stream recycling, waste reduction initiatives and campus-community programs.
- To further reducing energy consumption by the College’s bicentennial in 2019, building on current institutional strategic goals.
- To increasing the number of people, in each of the next three years, from MC, the local community and local K-12 students who take the MC Sustainability Tour, which showcases Maryville College’s biomass-generated steam plant, Solar-Dok™ charging stations (picnic tables with solar-powered electrical outlets), twelve-array solar panel, LEED™ Gold certified building (headquarters of Mountain Challenge, a premier outdoor adventure program) and zero-waste facility, and state-designated stewardship forest.
- To increasing the number of human health and well-being initiatives offered to the MC community by partnering with MC academic and co-curricular programs facilitated by Mountain Challenge.
- To establishing a local food consortium that increases the variety of local and/or organic food options available to the college campus, which serves as a means to increase sustainability partnerships with local organizations.
- To developing at least 10% of internships with a sustainability focus, including student-led research as part of its MC Works college-wide student practical experience program.
