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Sustainability Committee

The Mt. SAC Sustainability Committee works to coordinate sustainability efforts and activities, both on campus and in the surrounding community.

Membership: 

Membership in the Mt. SAC Sustainability Committee is open to faculty, members of the administration, Mt. SAC staff, and representatives from student organizations.

Functions:

  1. To incorporate sustainability into efforts and activities on campus and the broader community.

  2. To establish and maintain channels of communication within the campus community and the broader community related to sustainability.

  3. To provide guidance to the Mt. SAC Administration on matters related to sustainability.

  4. To collaborate with the campus and surrounding community to research and pursue funding that supports sustainability efforts and activities.

Meeting Minutes:

Past Events:

Earth Day 2014 

The 2014 Jerry B. Allen Lecture Series Presents: "Community Colleges as Laboratories of Sustainability"
Special Guest Speakers: Mimi Riley, Professor of Sociology at Butte College and Genevieve Bertone, Director of Sustainability Center Santa Monica College
April 23, 2014 12pm-2pm Building 13, room 1700 (auditorium)

Sustainability Record:

Mt. San Antonio College is developing resources to become a leader in sustainability education, planning and design in Southern California.

  • On August 18, 2014, President Bill Scroggins signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
  • Mt. SAC currently has three Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rated buildings and has made a commitment to construct all future major buildings to at least LEED Silver design standards:
      • The Design Technology Center (Building 13) earned a LEED Silver Certification level.
      • The Administration Building (Building 4) and the Child Development Complex (Buildings 70–73) both earned a LEED Certified level.
      • Currently, Mt. SAC is pursuing a minimum rating of LEED Silver for the recently completed Mountie Cafe (Building 8) and Student Success Center (Building 9E) and the upcoming Business and Computer Technology Complex (Buildings 77–79) and the Physical Education Project Phase 1. 
  •  In 2015, the California Community Colleges Board of Governors awarded their Energy and Sustainability Award for Overall Best Project - Large District Category to Mt. SAC's Central Plant Tie-in - Building 2 (Theater and Music buildings) project.  This project replaced the existing chillers in Building 2T + 2M with high efficiency units and integrated the buildings into the main campus's central plant, allowing for more efficient production of chilled water for the entire campus.
  • Gary Nellesen, Mt. SAC’s Director of Facilities and Planning, won the Sustainability Champion Award in 2013 for his work in promoting energy conservation and sustainability throughout campus.

  • The Irwindale Chamber of Commerce honored Mt. SAC with both its 2014 Water Preservation Award and its 2015 Energy Preservation Award.
  • Mt. SAC employs a thermal energy storage facility which uses natural gas to make ice at night and uses the ice to cool buildings during the day. It is 20% more efficient than using fossil fuel powered air conditioning to cool campus buildings

  • Mt. SAC is the only community college in California with a green fund which allows any money the school saves through energy conservation measures to be reinvested back into additional energy conservation projects on campus.

  • Mt. SAC has begun installing Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (EVCS) on campus and plans to expand installation into additional surface parking lots and future parking structures.
  • Mt. SAC is planning to construct a 2.2 megawatt solar generating facility on Grand Avenue across from the Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Mt. SAC received a $30,000 Department of Labor grant to fund its building automation program, which is the only one of its kind in the area.

  • Mt. SAC received a $14,000 grant to promote more mulching and recycling of green waste on campus.