Delta College Receives National Recognition for Sustainability

Delta College has been ranked 6th in the community college category for sustainability. according to the Top Colleges for Sustainability 2019 Sustainable Campus Index. The index, published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, recognizes top performing colleges in 17 distinct aspects of sustainability as well as overall. Of note, Delta received higher than the national average for all institutions in both the campus engagement and buildings category.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge relative progress toward sustainability. STARS was developed by AASHE with broad participation from the higher education community. Delta College has participated in the STARS reporting process since 2008.

Some of its recent sustainability highlights, according to Delta officials:

Last year, Delta was named one of the first colleges in the country to be a Bee Campus, managing insecticide and pesticide use to be more      pollinator friendly.

The new Downtown Saginaw Center was built for LEED certification, ensuring sustainable practices were considered throughout the        building process and in its operations. The first Delta College building project to receive LEED certification was the Health Professions         Building, which opened in 2014.

This past summer, students participated in the Citizen’s Climate Lobby Conference in Washington D.C., and also traveled to Costa Rica for a sustainability study abroad trip, learning about sustainable farming practices as well nature conservancy.