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Sustainability for Students

Every action you take gets us closer to our goal of a 100% renewable energy campus by 2050.

It’s simple to be sustainable at JCCC. The moment you walk on campus, fill your water bottle at a hydration station and secure your bike at an on-campus bike rack. Bring real change to campus when you become a member of the Student Sustainability Committee (see below).

Make your academic journey “green” too! The Center for Sustainability works alongside faculty to develop courses and keep your skills updated. Coursework explorations include:

  • Interior Design — Learn about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and the efficient lighting technologies in practice throughout campus
  • Electrical Technology — Work with renewable energies
  • Automotive Technology — Service hybrid and electric cars in theory and practice
  • Sustainable Agriculture — Plant, tend and harvest a 2.5-acre farm plot on campus
  • Theater — Promote sustainability through prop and set design, costume creation and energy conservation

What will make jobs “green” are the skills you bring. New technology and fresh perspectives applied to existing trades and professions help you stand out from other applicants.

Earn a certificate in sustainable agriculture or learn about sustainable issues in other academic classes. JCCC offers two course options to integrate environmental concepts into your education.

1. Sustainability-themed courses

These courses either have sustainability principles woven throughout or are a dedicated unit of study regardless of the section or instructor.

Curious if your degree program includes a sustainability course? Search the class schedule or contact your department chair.

2. Cross-curricular Sustainability-related Course Sections

Learn about sustainability for the first time or see it from a new perspective. Sustainability-related course sections have sustainability concepts woven into the course content, from examining economic production in anthropology to exploring practical sustainability solutions in environmental science.

  • ANTH 130: World Cultures
  • ARCH 120: Introduction to Architecture
  • ASTR 120: Fundamentals of Astronomy
  • ASTR 122: Astronomy
  • BIOL 110: Nutrition for Life
  • BIOL 121: Intro Biology for Non-Majors
  • BIOL 125: General Botany
  • BIOL 127: General Zoology
  • BIOL 132: Introduction to Public Health
  • BIOL 135: Principles of Cell & Molecular Biology
  • BIOL 150: Biology of Organisms
  • BIOL 235: General Nutrition
  • COMS 180: Intercultural Communication
  • DIET 151: Nutrition and Meal Planning
  • ECON 230: Principles of Macroeconomics
  • ENGL 217: Literature by Women
  • EVRN 124: Oceanus: Essential Oceanography
  • EVRN 130: Environmental Science
  • EVRN 131: Environmental Science Lab
  • GEOS 140: Physical Geography
  • GEOS 141: Physical Geography Lab
  • GEOS 145: World Regional Geography
  • HON 250: Honors Forum: In Search of Solutions
  • HPER 104: Yoga
  • HPER 202: Personal and Community Health
  • PHIL 140: Business Ethics
  • POLS 135: International Relations
  • POLS 175: Environmental Policy and Law
  • PSYC 220: Social Psychology

Sustainability in Specific Degree Programs

These degree programs have integrated significant sustainability coursework.

Continuing Education Sustainability Courses

Keep learning about sustainable practices by topic without earning a degree. In Continuing Education classes, get individualized attention from instructors in small, familiar classes.

Sustainable practices play many roles in our Continuing Education courses, from gardening to energy. Visit CE & Me and search for topics that interest you.

Want to impact JCCC’s next sustainability project? Make your voice heard by joining the Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) and have a voice in the allocation of the Sustainability Initiatives Fund.

The Sustainability Initiatives Fund is supported by a $1-per-credit-hour fee that advances JCCC toward a more sustainable campus.

In 2009, a student-led team of JCCC Honors students lobbied the president and the Board of Trustees and petitioned their peers to approve the Sustainability Initiatives Fund. Over 1,500 signatures were collected leading to projects like irrigation improvement at Open Petal Farm and a solar EV parking canopy. The Committee’s efforts were noticed in 2021, when the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) awarded them a Champion of Sustainability award.

Apply to Become an SSC Member

Save your seat during the spring semester for the following academic year. If you are interested in serving on the SSC, contact the Center for Sustainability, Sustainability Education and Engagement Coordinator.

SSC Projects

Check out the projects and initiatives that were made possible by the Student Sustainability Committee and the Sustainability Initiatives Fund at JCCC.

Fall 2021

Apply for Project Funding

Do you have an idea, small or large, to help make JCCC more sustainable? Or are you working on a project that complements our sustainability focus? Your idea might qualify for funding. Apply soon!

Leave a lasting impact on campus and the student body by taking part in JCCC’s Sustainability Idea Contest.

Build a healthier campus. Support safer and climate-friendly services. Embrace lifestyle change that enrich sustainable portfolios.

Submit a proposal outlining your ideas for creating a more sustainable campus. You can include transportation, energy efficiency, upcycling, waste management and other sustainability-related efforts.

Proposals will be judged on:

  • Ability to be implemented
  • Total benefit to the campus
  • Depth of research and detail of proposal
  • Sustainability influence
  • Reach of impact

Submissions should also address the estimated project budget, including cost savings, environmental impacts, awareness raised and any other financial information necessary to plan for the implementation.

Submit proposals and supporting materials to sustainability@jccc.edu by April 30.

Questions? Call 913-469-8500, ext. 2883.