Archived Outdoors

HCC a national model of sustainable practices

Haywood Community College’s hard work to build a sustainable campus is featured on a campus sustainability case study database.

The National Wildlife Federation built the database, the only catalog of its kind, at ww.nwf.org/campuscasestudies. Work by other American colleges and universities also is available for review, with close to 100 new case studies added this year. The features include efforts to reduce pollution, waste and costs; including recycling, energy efficiency improvements, alternative transportation systems and green jobs training programs.

For 2011, Haywood Community College submitted a case study featuring a Sustainable Dining Experience. HCC uses compostable utensils, cups, napkins, and plates in the dining area.

Students, faculty and staff place compostable materials along with food waste into a designated composting bin within the dining area. The grounds team takes the compost to the school’s composting facility, where it is then composted to produce useable soil and associated compost material. The soil and compostable material is then brought to a horticulture organic garden plot to grow organic produce, which is then consumed in the dining area. All food that cannot be consumed is brought to Helping Hands in Haywood County to feed the needy.

In addition to the 2011 submissions, the database includes more than 600 case studies from campuses across the U.S. spanning more than a decade.

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.