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.