What should we be doing?

What We're Doing Now

Campus Departments:

Other Areas on Campus

Community Support

Maintenance Dept.

  • We have eliminated the central plant steam system and have installed new & more energy efficient boilers in each building.

  • We are continuing to upgrade our old light fixtures to newer energy efficient T8 bulbs & electronic ballasts.

  • We have implemented the installation of occupancy sensors in our newly renovated buildings and are planning on installing them in hallways and other appropriate areas around campus.

  • We have installed low energy LED Exit signs in Butz Hall and are continuing the project around campus

  • We have installed energy efficient hallway lights on all floors of Butz Hall east.

  • We are continuing to replace incandescence bulbs with energy efficient fluorescence bulbs wherever practical.

  • We recycle all of our fluorescent bulbs and batteries with a company in Bethlehem.

  • We recycle all metals, glass, plastic, paper & cardboard so the impact at Allentown’s landfill is minimized and complies with city ordinances.

  • We use low flow toilets, urinals, shower heads & aerators in all of our facilities to reduce water consumption & overloading the sewage treatment plant.

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Grounds Dept.

  • We use Merit insecticide along with Mach 2, both of which are EPA registered as “green” chemicals that limit the impact on the environment. We also use horticultural oil which is environmentally friendly because it has no toxins, but works well as another type of pesticide. All pesticide use is kept to a minimum and usually done on spot applications.

  • We use Landscapers Choice as our ice melt because once again it’s environmentally safe.

  • We go “green” when it comes to aeration & fertilization by using organic materials on our athletic fields and other areas on campus as needed.

  • We take great pride in promoting healthy green grass, shrubs and trees. We are constantly removing old decaying trees and replacing them with newer and healthier trees so we can continue to produce oxygen and absorb the harmful carbon dioxide that exists in the air we breathe.

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Custodial Dept.

  • Our Custodial Supervisor has recently met with a vendor who supplies “Green” cleaning solutions.

  • Rags are used in place of paper towels where possible. Rags are bleached and washed for re-use.

  • New floor mops requiring less water than old mop and bucket method are being implemented. Also uses new green cleaner.

  • Currently use Windsor Sensor vacuums. They have a 99.9% filtration system and a triple-lined filter bag, decreasing dust back in the air.

  • New Green Cleaning Products:

    • G-Force washroom cleaner #71 replaces Bathmate

    • Raindance #5 General Purpose floor cleaner replaces Sundance

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Bookstore (managed by Barnes and Noble College Bookstores)

  • As the ecological  movement continues to gain traction and awareness, green remains one of everyone's favorite colors, including ours. In addition to encouraging our stores to join local campus initiatives encouraging our stores to "go green," we are also exploring and implementing a broad array of eco-friendly processes including:

    • Offering re-usable bags as an alternative to plastic (available later this year).

    • Offering used textbooks.

    • Installing recycled  floor covering and eco-friendly carpeting when remodeling.

    • Switching to energy efficient lighting.

    • Loading more of our store operational guides online to reduce paper usage and waste

  • Inside our stores, green is also popping up all over.  From notebooks and greeting cards made of recycled materials to organic and Fair Trade chocolates, our selection is broad, practical, and continues to be well received by our students.

  • Beginning this fall our Barnes & Noble College bookstores began carrying edun LIVE t-shirts. These items create sustainable employment for thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Edun LIVE t-shirts that not only look and feel good, but also do good by creating sustainable employment for thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa. The entire manufacturing process for all edun LIVE garments, from growing the cotton to shipping the product, occurs in developing countries like Lesotho, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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Information Technology

  • Hewlett Packard toner cartridges from all computer labs are sent to HP Recycling

  • Old computer equipment is recycled

  • Duplexing (double-sided) printers are installed in every computer lab and res hall lab.

  • Recycle program for CDs and DVDs (Coming Soon)

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Dining Services (Parkhurst Dining Services)

  • With assistance from organizations like PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) Parkhurst is helping to support and strengthen the local agricultural community while enhancing the freshness and quality of product offerings by using such local vendors as Bucks County Coffee, Harrisburg Dairies, Hershey’s Ice Cream and Pocono Produce. We guarantee that at least 20% of our products at any given time are locally grown/produced.

  • All coffees brewed in our retail location are Fair Trade certified. This guarantees that our coffees are purchased from farms that offer decent working conditions and fair wages to the workers. This also guarantees that the farmer is offered a fair market price for his coffee.

  • We use no processed or pre-cut fresh vegetables in our dining locations. We use fresh, whole vegetables and fruits that can be prepared accordingly at the location. Recently there have been outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with pre-cut vegetables.

  • We currently offer Greenware, a 100% corn-based packing product for all “to-go” items in our retail operation. We are looking to expand in this area in the near future.

  • We are using the Xpressnap napkins program at all dining locations on campus. This program offers napkin dispensers which help control consumption by dispensing one napkin at a time.

  • We have negotiated a contract with Valley Proteins to pick up and recycle used frying oil to be converted to bio-diesel fuel to enable an individual or business to run their diesel engines on 100% waste vegetable oil.

  • For heart health sense we use 100% non-trans fat frying oil for all our deep-frying needs.

  • We offer milk, meats and poultry that are free of growth-hormones. Also, no artificial ingredients or flavoring are injected into any of our meat or poultry products.

  • We offer foods prepared to order in small batches to help reduce the amount of waste at the end of meal times.

  • We produce our own croutons and bagel chips from leftover product (such as the end pieces of bread) to further help reduce waste. To cut down on paper waste, we encourage the use of reusable coffee mugs in our retail operation by offering coffee refills (using these mugs) at a discounted price.

  • We are working with the Alliance for Sustainable Communities – Lehigh Valley along with a CCC student representing sustainability issues to explore further efforts that we can pursue as it relates to sustainability.

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Purchasing:

  • LVAIC purchasing consortium has worked with our LVAIC Office Supply Vendor, Office Depot, to make it easier for departments to identify green and recycled products on their online ordering website. They now have a link on their ordering page to a "Virtual Catalog of Green Products", and all items that are made with recycled materials are clearly identified.

  • As of this past fall, Cedar Crest College has increased the amount of networked copiers in an effort to reduce the necessity of a printer on every desk, which also reduces the amount of ink and toners used.

  • Old college cell phones are donated to a local women's shelter for 911 calling use, which eliminates the amount of equipment going into landfills.

  • Approximately 400 million cartridges end up in landfills every year each taking up to 1,000 years to decompose. Recycled Cartridges can be remanufactured, conserving resources and using 80% less energy than manufacturing new ones. Cedar Crest College is teaming up with Office Depot to recycle inkjet and laser toner cartridges.  The College is placing clearly marked cardboard collection boxes, one for inkjet cartridges and one for laser cartridges, in each of the residence halls and academic/administrative buildings. When a box is filled, the College will send it back to Office Depot for remanufacturing.

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Other Areas:

  • Our Science Department uses all 100% recycled paper in their copiers and printers. We are assessing whether to expand campus wide.

  • Whenever possible we donate items to local organizations and charities rather than disposing of them. For example, last year we donated bed and bath linens to Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. as well as Allentown Rescue Mission.

  • LL Bean, our preferred uniform vendor recently dropped its longtime catalog printer Verso Paper after the company was unable to meet Bean's new guidelines for recycled content and sustainable forestry practices. See this link for more info www.sustainableisgood.com/blog/ll_bean/index.html

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Community Support:

  • There are many areas where we help sustain local businesses. Our print shop supports local businesses by purchasing paper locally. The College Center also purchases supplies such as ID cards and supplies for the ID card system from a company based in Fleetwood, PA. Sustaining local businesses not only helps to support the local economy by providing more local jobs, but it also reduces the distance a product travels therefore, reduces transportation while substantially reducing emissions.

  • The LVAIC purchasing consortium has worked with our vendors to offer more, and identify green and recycled products as part of their presentations.

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