Students in Cascadia College’s Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Practices program hosted the very first Campus Climate Conversation this week in Mobius Hall. More than 160 students gathered to discuss climate change and sustainability trends, and suggested mitigation for both the campus and the community. Cascadia College is located in Bothell.
“The goal was to bring the students, faculty, and staff together to increase awareness of carbon impacts, give students a voice about how the college could further combat climate change, and accelerate the college’s carbon neutrality plan so it’s completed by 2050,” said John Kuykendall, one of four Cascadia seniors who planned the three-hour event.
The first half was devoted to featured speakers including Sabrina Combs, Public Service Project Adminstrator for the City of Bothell: Cassie Lubenow, UW Bothell’s Sustainability Coordinator, and John VanLeer, a Founding Faculty member at Cascadia. The second half involved splitting into small discussion groups moderated by students in the bachelor’s program.
Participants discussed the value of making community connections and educating populations about the human impact on the environment. Students brainstormed ideas such as implementing a green fee for each student, planting rooftop gardens on Cascadia’s CC3 building, purchasing carbon credits, increasing the number of compost bins, and hosting a regional college dialog. These solutions will be collected, analyzed and potentially utilized for future campus projects.
“We need to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability through the actions of residents, businesses and public institutions,” explained Sabrina Combs. [This can be accomplished] “by living and working in ways that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Cascadia has a strong commitment to sustainability as evidenced by its LEED Platinum certification for the CC3 building; the college’s pesticide-free communal food forest and pollination gardens, and college-wide practices that include composting, a focus on digital marketing and publications, and motion-sensor lighting. Cascadia enrolled its second cohort in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Practices program this fall quarter.
To calculate your carbon footprint go to: http://earthdeeds.org/team.php?teamid=295
To learn more about sustainability at Cascadia visit http://www.cascadia.edu/programs/degrees/bassp.aspx or contact the Sustainability Director Jodie Galvan at jgalvan@cascadia.edu.
