Green Campus

 

Keystone College is committed to the protection and preservation of our environment.  The College has taken many steps towards the achievement of a green campus.  Read below to find out more about our contributions to preserving our Earth.

New Vehicle
Thanks to the generous donation of Keystone College Graduate David Turock, Ph.D, the College received a brand new electric vehicle.  Click here to read the full story.

Campus Facilities
Over the summer, a Reflective Energy Star certified roof was installed on the Miller Library.

• Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint is used in all painting projects across campus
• A new walk-in-cooler unit will be installed in the Giants' Grill to replace five individual units resulting in great energy savings
• Florescent light bulbs are used across campus to save electricity

The College works with the Loyalton Group (www.loyaltongroup.com), an energy management company, who analyzes our energy use and helps us find additional ways to save energy and resources. 

Information Technology
The College technology infrastructure utilizes a significant amount of material and energy, and we are committed to responsible use of both.  All technology products used by the College are properly recycled upon end-of-life, and we are working to reduce the energy footprint of both new and existing systems. 

• Over the summer of 2008, the majority of CRT monitors were replaced  with energy-efficient LCD units campus-wide.
• To conserve electricity, a nightly process is run to shut down all college-owned computers left on after office hours
• An Energy Star rated air conditioner was added to the main computer room to off-set the use of an older, less-efficient model 
• Deployed server virtualization software that allows us to offer more services using fewer physical servers (lowering direct energy usage as well as cooling requirements).
• Established a print management solution to help computer users monitor their print consumption.
• Set up on-line access to many reports that were previously distributed on paper, and discontinued the high-speed printers that supported the paper-based processes.
• Used a rechargeable electric golf cart instead of regular vehicles for most equipment moves and general campus transportation.

Special Parking For Carpoolers
Carpool Only parking permits will be issued this fall to drivers who car pool.  Eligible students include those with registered vehicles who regularly commute to campus.  For further information, click here.

Dining Services
Campus Dining Services, managed by the internationally known company Sodexo (www.sodexo.com), at Keystone College proudly adheres to the following green initiatives:

"Trayless Tuesdays"
On Tuesday's throughout the semester, students will find a great variety of healthy food to choose from, but no trays to carry it with.  Why not? When students use plates without trays, the amount of waste decreases by 1 ounce per plate.  Research also shows that when trays are removed from dining locations, less food is wasted, less energy is consumed, and the amount of water and detergents needed is greatly reduced.

The College utilizes BioMass Packaging. These products are all fully biodegradable and are cornstarch, sugar cane, wheat, bamboo, rice, potato, or vegetable oil-based.  The products include: knives, forks, spoons, cups, and plates.  Unbleached paper products including food wraps, paper bags, napkins, food containers, and boxes are compostable and carbon-neutral.

Keystone College only offers Green Mountain coffee products.  Green Mountain is a Fair Trade Certified product.  Fair Trade guarantees farmers both a fair and minimum price for their crops. The use of Fair Trade products also ensures that the methods by which the products are harvested are conducted in a fair and equitable way for both the parties involved as well as the environment.

All fryer oil and cardboard is recycled.

Pennsylvania-grown organic foods are used in our dining facilities.  Dairy products are purchased from Lehigh Valley Farms.  Many of these dairy products are produced locally in Wyoming County.

Keystone Compass Program
This year, Keystone College eliminated the use of over 800 plastic water bottles by distributing reusable Nalgene bottles to incoming freshmen students.  This not only reduced the carbon footprint left by our students, but also eliminated the possibility of littering.

Windmills
Keystone College is currently conducting research alongside Trehab (www.trehab.org) to determine if the campus is suitable for windmills.  The College hopes to begin generating its own wind power by the year 2009.

To read a detailed press release, click here.

Smoking Policy
To promote clean air and a healthy environment for all of the campus community, Keystone College has prohibited smoking on campus except for a few designated smoking areas.  The College seeks to become a completely smoke-free environment within the next three years.

For the complete details of the policy, click here.

Keystone College Environmental Education Institute (KCEEI)
Funded in part by the USDA Forest Service through the Education Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas Inc, KCEEI provides environmental workshops to educators using nature as a laboratory.  Utilizing the College's 160-acre Woodland Campus, ponds, streams, and wetlands, KCEEI provides hands-on science and environmental instruction.  To visit the KCEEI website, visit: http://kceei.keystone.edu/