A "green" campus is one that integrates environmental considerations into all relevant activities, provides opportunities for students to study campus and local environmental problems, conducts environmental audits of its practices, institutes environmentally responsible purchasing policies, reduces campus waste, uses resources efficiently, and makes environmental sustainability a priority in its land-use, transportation, and building planning. What is Saint Mary’s doing to meet these goals?

Water Task Force Consultancy

The Water Task Force Consultancy (WTFC) of Saint Mary's College has been commissioned by the Contra Costa Economic Partnership to study and write a report on the economic impacts of a severe water shortage on businesses in the East Bay (Contra Costa and Alameda Counties). To learn more, go to the WTFC WEBSITE.

SMC Savings

The East Bay Municipal Utility District estimates Saint Mary’s will also save 4.3 million gallons of water each year from improvements made to toilets and urinals. The upgrades earn the college annual savings of over $14,000 on its water bill.

Food Services

Saint Mary's College spends 40 percent of its annual food budget on local items. Dining services also sources over 200 pounds of food each week from the on-campus garden. The college purchases exclusively hormone- and antibiotic-free milk and fair trade-certified coffee. All dining facilities compost pre- and postconsumer food waste. All dining facilities have also been trayless since spring 2008. Sodexo is committed to sustainability. Its Environmental Action Program offers information and tools to make customers, clients, employees, and society at large aware of environmental problems and how they can help.

Campus Wetlands

On the Saint Mary’s campus, there is seasonal, freshwater wetland forest, which is a valuable research and educational resource. It is a unique environment in the East San Francisco Bay region with its extensive stand of red willow.

Transportation

Our efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of transporation have been resoundingly successful. From August, 2010, through March, 2011, Saint Mary's students prevented 35,570 pounds of CO2 from entering the environment by using the bus instead of driving. The total for FY2010 was 39,332 pounds.

• Carpool to SMC
• Discounted "green" limo service<
• Bike to Campus
• Car sharing and public transportation

Purchasing

Saint Mary's purchases exclusively paper made from 30 percent post-consumer recycled content, and the college is in the process of replacing all of its conventional cleaning products with Green Seal-certified cleaning products.