EPA Awards MMC with Green Power Partnership

By choosing green power, MMC helps to advance the voluntary market for green power and the development of those sources. The College is using nearly 2.9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 100 percent of the organization’s electricity use. According to the EPA, MMC’s green power use is equivalent to the electricity use of nearly 300 average American homes annually.

“We are honored by the EPA’s recognition of our sustainability efforts and proud to be an institution that takes bold action to foster a clean environment,” said President Kerry Walk. “Climate change and environmental decay are two of the greatest challenges facing our society. By using green power to reduce air pollution and shrink our emissions, MMC is putting our values as an institution of higher learning into practice.”

Under the leadership of Matthew Lundquist, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology, and Elizabeth Scott ’21, the College's Lowerre Family Terrace is maintaining a thriving ecosystem.MMC has a long tradition of increasing environmental awareness and engaging in environmentally sustainable practices. Some of the College’s efforts and initiatives include:

• Purchasing 100% of its power from renewable sources;
• Partnering with Bright Power, an energy and water management consulting company;
• Installing a building management system (BMS) that electronically controls utilities like heating, electricity, and cooling;
• Replacing Carson Hall’s north-facing windows, improving energy efficiency;
• Using organic, pesticide-free landscaping tools;
• Piloting an on-site, self-sorting recycling program;
• Significantly changing dining services through Chartwells, including a waste-reduction program, more plant-based food options, and sustainable eating utensils;
• Implementing the Free Water Campaign, in which water filling stations were installed and the sale of bottled water was prohibited on campus; and
• Leading projects by team members Matthew Lundquist, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Scott ’21 to identify, quantify, and improve the ecosystem services provided by the Lowerre Family Terrace.

MMC reinforced its commitment to environmental sustainability through the creation of a related Strategic Plan Implementation Network (SPIN) Team in early 2019. Its membership spans students, faculty, staff, and executive leadership and the group works to propel sustainability initiatives.

MMC's piloted recycling initiative keeps our terrace looking clean and green.“Through the efforts of our team, especially our dedicated students, MMC is making great strides to improve sustainability on campus as well as contribute to the environmental wellbeing of New York City,” says Dr. Lundquist, a memeber of the SPIN team.

MMC students interested in contributing to a greener future for the College are encouraged to join SustainMMC, an activist registered student organization focused on realizing a greener campus through school-wide and community events. Those interested in studying sustainability should check out our major and minor in Environmental Studies. These programs prepare students for careers finding sustainable solutions to environmental problems in a rapidly urbanizing world.

To learn more about MMC’s sustainability efforts and how to get involved, visit our Sustainability at MMC page.

About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase green power use among U.S. organizations to advance the American market for green power and development of those sources as a way to reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 800 Partners voluntarily using more than 69 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium-sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower.

Published: April 22, 2021