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Jessica WootenRecycling/Solid Waste
WWC CPO 6216
PO Box 9000
Asheville, NC 28815-9000
Phone: 828.771.2035
Email: jwooten@warren-wilson.edu
Sustainability at WWC
Warren Wilson College's environmental commitments are actualized through the campus' operations. These practices include a sustainably operated farm and forest, and organically managed garden, a sustainably designed EcoDorm, an on-campus environmental outreach center, an environmental studies department, and much more. The College made these notable strides over the past two years- strides that led to the College being awarded a 2006 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Climate Commitment - WWC's new president, Sandy Pfeiffer, is a founding signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which commits WWC to monitoring and significantly reducing the College's greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewable Energy - We're offsetting 100% of our emissions from electricity use starting fall 2006 with wind and solar energy. Warren Wilson is the first school in the Southeast to go 100%. The College's solar array is being expanded to annually deliver 19.9 MWh of solar power to the region through the NC Green Power program (making it the largest single array in Western North Carolina).
EcoDorm and Village Manuals - With new environmentally friendly buildings comes new lifestyles. The creation of living and operating guides for the many facets of the EcoDorm, including composting toilets, solar panels, passive heating, and community living, and the Village dormitory allows for educated and enthusiastic occupants.
Night sky friendly streetlights - All campus streetlights were recently changed from light pollution emitting styles to full-cutoff styles, meaning the light is concentrated on the ground where it is needed and not into the night sky.
Green Building - The new Admissions and College Relations building (Orr Cottage) is the first higher education LEED-Gold certified building in the Southeast and received the Green Building Project of the Year Award at the 16th annual Carolina Recycling Association Conference in Raleigh. Two new dorms that will house 80 students were built to LEED-Gold standards (final certification is still in progress), and the College's EcoDorm is set to receive LEED Existing Building- Platinum certification. The remodel of classroom, office and dorm buildings is on going in an effort to improve efficiency through the installation of geothermal heating systems, improved insulation of exterior walls, and replacement of inefficient windows.
Compost - The purchase of a GREENDRUM in-vessel compost system enables the Recycling and Solid Waste department to compost over 50 tons of food scrap each year.
Food and Forest Production - The WWC Garden produces 2000 pounds each of main crops (including potatoes, greens, zucchini, onions and winter squash) and 500 pounds each of lesser crops (including tomatoes, peppers, and leeks) for consumption in the college cafeteria. The college forestry operation mills lumber from trees felled on campus to provide exterior siding and trim lumber for construction projects.
Green Cleaning - All campus cleaning products are Green Seal certified to minimize the spread of harmful chemicals.
Transportation and Mobile Emissions Reductions - The Asheville City Transit System provides daily bus service from Asheville to Warren Wilson College. Students erected a 'hitching post' to facilitate carpooling. All campus diesel engines now run on 100% bio diesel fuel in the summer (B100) and 50% in the winter (B50). All campus lawnmowers were converted to propane fuel to reduce emissions, for which the College received the 2006 Propane Exceptional Energy Fleet Award from the Propane Education & Research Council.
Student Involvement - 12 grants of up to $500 each were awarded on a competitive basis to support student-initiated environmental projects that improve the College's operations. Students on the Environmental Leadership Center Crew taught EcoTeam- an ELC created 8-lesson regional environmental education curriculum- to over 1,500 local third-graders in 70% of the county's elementary schools. The Environmental Action Club has been going strong for over a year now and has led successful campaigns for renewable energy, purchasing compact fluorescent lightbulbs for desklamps, and energy education.
Energy Monitoring - Environmental Studies faculty, Environmental Leadership Center staff, Facilities Management staff, and students on the Campus Greening Crew conduct and annual Greenhouse Gas Inventory (initiated in 2004-05) to track yearly energy usage, and emissions, and identify related trends.