April 22 was the 46th annual Earth Day – a day aimed at supporting environmental protection. You can’t live in a beautiful region like we do and not be awed by what Mother Nature has created around us.
College of the Rockies is dedicated to protecting the environment, to reducing our carbon footprint and to bringing awareness to sustainability. No wonder our very own degree is a Bachelor of Business Administration in Sustainable Business Practices.
In the past year or so, we have undertaken two solar projects – at our Residence and on our main campus’ Kootenay Centre building in an effort to reduce costs and to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Lighting upgrades have also taken place at our main campus to switch over to more energy efficient LED lights.
On April 6 2016, our Facilities department installed a water bottle filling station near the cafeteria. Students and staff can now get cold, filtered water through this filling station. As of Earth Day – April 22 – the equivalent of 1388 500ml disposable water bottles had been saved! Way to go College students and staff. The usage of the filling station will continue to be monitored and, hopefully, we will be able to add additional filling stations in the future.
While we continue to try to find ways to increase our sustainability throughout the year – some staff took time to celebrate Earth Day with a Community Forest cleanup. On their lunch break, armed with garbage bags and big smiles, they did their part give back. Way to go! You’re part of what makes us Small College Proud!