Campus Greening: Green Mountain College, Poultney, Vermont

Green Mountain College’s environmental mission, established more than a decade ago, drives all hiring, program development, and operations. The commitment to sustainability begins with President John Brennan, who was the first Vermont signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. He convenes the cabinet, which ensures that College activities reflect the mission. Environmental efforts on campus are further supported by the Campus Sustainability Council, the Sustainability Coordinator, and several faculty committees and student groups.

At the heart of the College’s environmental mission is the 37-credit Environmental Liberal Arts Program (ELAP), which is completed by all undergraduate students. ELAP focuses on environmental themes through an innovative liberal arts curriculum. Since all College faculty teach in ELAP, they share an understanding of the institution’s core values. All academic departments include faculty with expertise in environmental areas, and more than 50 percent of the 47 full-time faculty members have research programs on aspects of sustainability.

Green Mountain has been a regional leader in modeling sustainability in its operations, earning recognition at the “Leadership Club” level in the EPA’s Green Power Partnership program. The College purchases more than half of its electricity through the Central Vermont Public Service “Cow Power” Program. The College has paid a $50,000-per-year premium in energy purchases to support Vermont dairy farms that sequester methane from manure to produce electricity. Cow power is integrated into the curriculum and enhances economic and social sustainability in the local bioregion.

In 1998, Green Mountain College became the nation’s first EPA Energy Star Showcase Campus following a campus-wide retrofitting of light fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs The College has installed remote-controlled heating thermostats throughout campus to improve heating efficiency in all buildings. The campus is also home to both wind and photovoltaic (solar) demonstration projects. The passive solar greenhouse at the college farm is powered by wind, and since 2001 the student center has had solar panels on its roof, which will be reconnected to the grid following system upgrades.

The College’s 18-acre farm is a living sustainability laboratory. The farm runs a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program with organically grown vegetables and flowers and raises sheep, chickens, ducks, and two draft oxen. It regularly supplies the campus dining hall with eggs and produce in season. To conserve water, the College has installed low flush toilets and low-flow showerheads throughout campus.

Green Mountain’s distinctive environmental mission has attracted a student body particularly committed to sustainability. One example of this commitment is the Student Campus Greening Fund. Begun as part of a class project in 2004, the Greening Fund was created after 93 percent of students polled voted to increase their activities fee by $30 a year to support student proposed and approved greening initiatives. To date, the Fund has allocated $45,354 for projects as diverse as a biomass campus heating assessment and local food programs in the dining hall. Greening Fund projects demand support from a wide range of campus departments and ensure that the student voice is being heard.