Meredith McKeaney
“Onto the next order of business,” Kevin Halpern, the chairman of the Camden County Board of Trustees, said at Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees Meeting held in the Board Room on the Blackwood campus. Then Louis Cappelli, the Sr. Treasurer, announced to the Board CCC’s Program Adoption: College “Green Initiative.” Capelli explained that, “This program is being run by a diverse group of people who have established a partnership with Camden County’s Green Initiative Team to ensure that the College is in full compliance with all rules and regulations set forth by the County and the State.” He also added that, “The program will produce energy efficiency and will help conserve resources.” When the board voted to approve the program the vote was a simultaneous agreement among the thirteen board members ending the topic with a pound of the gavel and they went, “Onto the next order of business,” but this article is not.
We now live in a society where “going green” seems to be the popular thing to do and CCC has decided to partake in the effort. Kay Byrd, the Director of Facilities who is leading this effort, said, “CCC realized that this is a critical time and that we need to do our part to pursue sustainability.” Program Adoption began in July 2009 with the College’s no-smoking policy and it will be an ongoing process. Ways that Byrd says will make us a “green” campus are, “We are seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification for our new Science Building. We applied for a Local Government Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant for outreach/education campaigns and an anti-idling campaign. We will also establish a clean alternative energy program and we’re looking into solar panels.” The goal of Camden County College’s “Green Initiative” is to improve, conserve and enhance our environment by practicing sustainability while creating healthy living through interactive learning, social involvement and ongoing research. Byrd says that it will benefit the students by, “the College hopes to create healthy living and increase communication and understanding with students in relation to our environmental program,” and that the most important thing for students to know about Program Adoption is that, “The “green initiative” involves everyone on campus. CCC wants to ensure that everyone understands their responsibility and is accountable for incorporating environmental consideration in their daily activities.”
