A look at www.kirkwood.edu/kirkwoodgreen
Kirkwood Green website highlights Kirkwood’s sustainability practices
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (April 20, 2015)–To showcase the sustainability practices on Kirkwood’s main campus and at all of its county and regional centers, a Kirkwood Green website has been developed. The website can be found at www.kirkwood.edu/kirkwoodgreen and is segmented into waste, energy, water and curriculum.
Kirkwood goes beyond the basics when it comes to sustainability practices. Through successful techniques and resources, more than 71 tons of paper is recycled annually, food scraps are composted, bottle refill stations have been installed, an electronics equipment trade-in program was developed, and used but unopened soap and shampoo from The Hotel at Kirkwood Center is repurposed to fill needs across the globe. More than 675,000 square feet of facilities use geothermal heating and cooling, sensor-controlled lighting was installed and green cleaning techniques are utilized. In addition, Kirkwood’s 2.5MW wind turbine provides an estimated 5,600,000 kWh of clean, renewable electricity to the campus and offsets about 25 percent of electrical consumption.
It doesn’t just end with the facilities and grounds. Through the construction of the Iowa Sustainability Village on the main campus, students learn to use environmentally conscious tools and techniques using industry standard eco-friendly materials. Career programs and certifications, along with coursework through the Associate of Arts and Sciences programs, focus on support of the environment. Students can even study abroad to gain firsthand knowledge in sustainability construction and practices worldwide.
Kirkwood has been recognized at many levels for its environmentally friendly practices including the Environmental Excellence award from the Governor’s office and the Special Recognition in Waste Management award. In winning the overall Environmental Excellence award, the state noted that the college “has taken innovative and bold steps toward being a leader in environmental stewardship.” Kirkwood was also named winner of the Best School Recycling Program by the Iowa Recycling Association and recognized as a Tree Campus USA school by the National Arbor Day Foundation.