Sustainability Advisory Council | (formerly the Green Team)

[Streaming Video of the ATC Green Roof Installation]

Important Items

The Sustainable Community College (.pdf)

Sustainability Report (.pdf)

Sustainability Plan (.pdf) In 2006 GRCC adopted a Sustainability Plan for the college. Please click in this link to open the plan.

Click Here for the Most Recent Streaming Video

The Sustainability Team at Grand Rapids Community College is proud to welcome you to our website. Our team members are active in a variety of aspects of the college, working to make our practices reflect our belief in sustainability. Some of these areas include:

- Curriculum: We have launched our course offerings with SS120, a semester-long class about Environmental Studies. We are also working to align our courses with colleges that offer four-year degrees in sustainability.

- Facilities: If you visit GRCC's campus, there are examples in construction and maintenance that show our commitment. There are obvious examples - like recycling containers in every building - and more subtle ones - like the use of recycled material in furniture, or special storm-water drainage in the new parking structure.

- Community Engagement: The Greening Team is developing links to community organizations around sustainable practices. This includes local business, schools and non-profit organizations. We are continuing to host valuable discussions on the subject, such as the Green By Design conference, and are working with our local Sustainable Business Forum for another group opportunity. (One such example is GRCC's Construction Trades program working with Habitat for Humanity to construct the first LEED Certified Habitat home. (Streaming Video - Real Media or Windows Media). Another example is a recent panel discussion conducted about the film "An Inconvenient Truth (Streaming Video - Realplayer or Windows Media).

The details of these efforts are available in our 'Reports' section. We also encourage you to watch the video clips below that illustrate these activities. (Requires RealPlayer)

For instance, GRCC's overall efforts are profiled in: GRCC Greening Efforts on Campus Video

GRCC has also hosted an Economicology Conference, designed to allow colleges from across the country the opportunity to share their work in sustainability. Economicology Conference Video

GRCC also supports the Healing Our Waters Conference, sponsored by the Wege Foundation, there are 3 individual presentations on topics related to the Great Lakes Ecosystem, namely Invasive Species, Toxic Clean-up, and general Water Quality. There is also a panel discussion that took place at the end of the conference. (Invasive Species Video , Toxic Cleanup Video , Panel Discussion Video , Water Quality Video)

GRCC's Academic Service-Learning Center (ASLC) also supports Course-Based Service-Learning, Community Service Work Study, AmeriCorps, and Volunteer projects which link students, faculty, and staff to community organizations involved in sustainability initiatives. Learn more about the work of the ASLC at (Streaming Video - Realplayer or Windows Media).

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