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Pomona College recognizes that the local and global
environment in which it operates must be protected for
future generations. It is therefore committed to the further
development of an ethos of resource sustainability among
faculty, staff and students and to the incorporation of
environmentally sound practices in its operations. Such
commitments are essential if future generations are to have
a healthy and productive environment.
These goals are achieved through
- educational programs designed to increase awareness of
the need for the responsible use of resources –
particularly significant in light of the residential
nature of the campus, wherein students have the
opportunity to learn and apply environmentally responsible
practices in their everyday lives;
- operational programs designed to reduce the amount of
resources consumed and to reuse and recycle resources
wherever possible;
- a construction and renovation program that assures to
the maximum extent physically and financially feasible
environmentally sustainable design, using the U.S. Green
Building Council LEED Rating System as one standard of
reference.
The following list illustrates the types of operational
efforts implemented by the College:
- energy: reducing the consumption of energy, installing
energy-efficient equipment as part of all renovation and
new construction projects, and using renewable sources
such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps, to the
extent physically and financially feasible;
- water: reducing the consumption of water, through the
installation of water-saving equipment in facilities,
careful management of irrigation, and special
consideration and encouragement of the use of native plant
species, due to their drought-tolerance and ecological
advantages;
- air quality: sponsoring a faculty home loan program
that encourages faculty to live near campus, offering
incentives for carpooling and the use of alternative modes
of transportation, and increasing the proportion of low
emission vehicles in the College’s fleet;
- recycling: expanding the recycling program behind
paper, aluminum, glass, food waste, and plastic products
to include construction materials and organic landscape
trimmings;
- procurement: purchasing products made of recycled
materials, buying from environmentally responsible vendors
whenever feasible;
- hazardous materials: handling and disposing of
hazardous materials safely and responsibly, and using
environmentally sound pest and weed control methods.
The College’s Office of Campus Planning and Maintenance,
with the advice of a campus-based committee of faculty,
staff, and students, has primary responsibility for the
development of specific procedures to which the campus will
adhere in achieving the objectives outlined above.
The Board of Trustees monitors this policy through the
review of annual reports documenting the College’s progress.
Policy and practice are subject to change as the relevant
technology evolves. |
