Download the 2012 CCBC Sustainability Report (PDF)
What is "Sustainability?"
Sustainability is generally recognized as the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely.1 This concept applies to all aspects of life on Earth and is commonly defined within ecological, social and economic contexts. The ecological context defines sustainability as the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future.2 The"social" context requires meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.3 In an economic context, a business is sustainable if it has adapted its practices for the use of renewable resources and is accountable for the environmental impacts of its activities.
CCBC's Efforts Toward Sustainability
In April 2008, the Community College of Baltimore County launched its effort to become a sustainable community college. As defined by the United Nations World Commission on Environmental Development, sustainability is “…development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.1 By highlighting the need for vision and commitment, this statement epitomizes the challenge faced by CCBC. It entails embracing a long-term perspective and a willingness to encourage a participatory problem-solving process. Incorporating a preference for sustainability in campus operations is an investment that will bring returns both in energy savings and improvement in quality of life.
CCBC has joined with 682 (as of March 2010) other institutions of higher learning in pledging to support the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment. The ACUPCC is a high visibility call for leadership to make campuses more sustainable and address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to reduce, and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus. With the belief that CCBC’s community can play a dominant role in addressing climate change, we are proud to participate in this effort.
On Earth Day April 24, 2008, CCBC joined 617 other institutions of higher learning in pledging to support the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The ACUPCC is a high visibility call for leadership to make campuses more sustainable and address global warming by garnering institutional commitments to reduce, and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on campus. With the belief that CCBC’s community can play a dominant role in addressing climate change, we are proud to participate in this effort.
Development of the CCBC Sustainability Committee
This commitment requires that CCBC embrace a long-term perspective and a willingness to encourage a participatory problem-solving process as it relates to sustainability and we are up for the task. Incorporating a preference for sustainability in campus operations is an investment bringing returns both in energy saving and improvement in quality of life. Adopting this perspective also presents educational opportunities for participation in decision making on a variety of sustainability options on campus. As energy costs continue to climb, the synergy between economic realities and sustainability are becoming far more evident. Looking ahead, the question becomes: In what manner will CCBC help create the future by rising to the sustainability leadership challenge? Our answer is the CCBC Sustainabaility Committee. The four sustainability areas CCBC embaraces are: 1) Climate Change and Energy, 2) Consumption Habits, 3) Transportation, and 4) Green Building.
Supporting the larger college-wide Sustainability Committee are three campus based committeess located at Caotnsville, Dundalk, and Essex campus sites. All committees endeavor to reduce the rate at which the College contributes to the depletion and degradation of natural resources while also increase its use of renewable resources. It is the mission of the Sustainability Committee to incorporate concepts of sustainability into all aspects of the academic and daily affairs of the College.
1 Definition of sustainability by the Regional Ecosystem Office.
2,3 This definition is used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It derives from an earlier definition by the Brundtland Commission in its report Our Common Future
