Since its creation in 2008, JCCC’s Center for Sustainability has been committed to making campus more environmentally, socially and economically responsible. The Center’s dedication to the environment inspires the JCCC community to make sustainable practices a priority. In addition, JCCC’s Center for Sustainability gives students a sense of hope for their futures by providing positive activities and initiatives to address and manage the ever-changing climate.

Empowering students through our commitment to sustainability

JCCC’s advances in sustainability enrich every aspect of our campus. Through daily recycling and composting efforts, educational events throughout the semester and sustainability-related lessons in a variety of courses, students learn firsthand that their involvement in sustainability can make an impact in the world around them.

“National data suggests that only 20% of young Americans believe that the political system of the country is capable of solving real problems like climate change,” said Jay Antle, Executive Director of Sustainability. “What we try to do at the Center for Sustainability is show students their ways forward, there is hope. There are ways that students can actually be important contributors to a world which is more sustainable over the long term.”

In addition to inspiring students, JCCC’s Center for Sustainability pushes the campus to become more ecofriendly. The combined efforts of the Center have kept 64% of materials out of landfills and has raised more than $450,000 for student scholarships. The Center is also working toward several long-term goals: to become a zero-waste-to-landfill campus by 2025, to use 100% renewable-energy on campus by 2050 and to reduce the College’s carbon footprint, energy consumption and overall water use.

Education opportunities outside of the classroom

JCCC’s Center for Sustainability extends their impact outside of campus, and even outside of the country. Several JCCC students recently participated in a 10-day faculty-led Study Abroad program to explore Iceland’s advancements in sustainability, the impact of climate change on the country and the complex and diverse geology of this Nordic island.

Program participants studied glaciers, volcanoes, national parks, greenhouses, and waterfalls, and learned about renewable energy at the Geothermal Energy Exhibition, the eighth-largest geothermal power station in the world and the largest in Iceland.

JCCC student Chris Sanders has always had a passion for renewable energy and was excited to embark on this trip of a lifetime. He said the locals were friendly and the sights were amazing.

“We learned about renewable energies, what’s destroying our planet, and how we can preserve it,” Chris said. He was impressed the most with how deeply the people of Iceland care about our planet. Through extracurricular activities like this trip, students can see that an increased focus on sustainability is necessary worldwide — and that change is possible.

Keep up with the Center for Sustainability

JCCC is developing even more resilient systems around sustainability that will lead the campus into the future. For more information, reporting dashboards and additional sustainability plans, visit the JCCC Center for Sustainability online.