Sustainability: The Green Fund - Elizabethtown College

Sustainability: The Green Revolving Fund

Blue and Gray Going Green

Various departments on campus have implemented green policies to cut waste and become more environmentally friendly. Even before we were awarded a grant to develop 10 acres of land into a renewable energy hub with a ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system, we were making efforts all around campus to decrease our footprint and improve our environmental stewardship.

Print Services, Dining Services, and Facilities Management have seen the greatest efforts, thus far, to help the College reduce its environmental footprint.

Learn more about the largest education-sited solar array in Pa. completed at Elizabethtown.

Print Services

Print Services uses only Forest Stewardship Council certified all-white copy paper, and the department partners with Elizabethtown College Environmental Group to produce Green Notebooks made from 100-percent recycled paper and plastic.

Dining Services

An on-campus garden, complete with honeybee hives which provide honey and also pollenate the garden, is cultivated by our Dining Services staff. The fruits and vegetables grown are incorporated into the Jay’s Nest and Marketplace menus. Excess produce is sold to the campus community. Recently installed, sensor-activated, kitchen heat exhaust hoods were installed to save on electricity usage. Several years ago, the College initiated a leftovers-to-power project which converts ground-up food waste into energy and bedding for local farms, and in turn, reduces the amount of food waste the College produces each month.

Facilities Management

Facilities Management has instituted several green policies including runoff reduction in the parking lots and saving electricity with high-efficiency light bulbs. They also partner with Information and Technology Services (ITS) to automatically shut down idle computer lab computers after two hours. ITS also phased out low-efficiency computer monitors for more energy-saving models. In addition to significant energy savings, the solar panels, installed winter 2015 at the northwest end of campus, will also provide incredible research and education opportunities for students and faculty. With the cooperation of several on campus departments and local organizations, the addition of the solar array on campus makes Elizabethtown College the site of the largest solar power array of any college campus in Pennsylvania. Though significant strides have been made in the right direction, the College’s commitment to sustainability is just beginning.

Green Revolving Fund

A Green Revolving Fund will help reduce the annual energy expenditure of the college by up to 10 percent. Donations for sustainability efforts will be used to support campus projects of all sizes focused on decreasing non-renewable energy expenses and improving campus conservation practices.

A Green Revolving Fund uses the initial monies to implement new cost-saving green initiatives that regenerate the fund over time, ensuring that there are always funds available to improve campus sustainability efforts. The Green Revolving Fund would support projects that improve energy efficiency, minimize use of material resources, and reduce environmental impact and operating expenses. Planned projects will be managed by Plant Operations as part of the Facilities and Planning Committee and will consist of internal ideas put forth by students, faculty and staff members, as well as the College’s Sustainability Committee.

Ways to Give

There are endless possibilities to provide opportunities for enhancing sustainability efforts around campus. Any donation, no matter how small, will make a difference for the campus community.

Give Now to the Annual Fund.

Your gift to the Annual Fund ensures that we're funding the areas of greatest need for our students. Provide for the future of Elizabethtown College. Thank you!

Be Inspired. Give now.

Want to make an Inspired Gift?

Interested in making a gift to a specific priority? Contact us to learn more about giving and naming opportunities within the Elizabethtown College campaign.

Ph: 800-877-9658
Email: inspired@etown.edu

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