Green Resources

By taking personal responsibility for the environment we can all make a difference.

Colby participates in the EPA New England College and University Integrated Strategy. This program is aimed at educating colleges and universities on sustainability practices and includes a self-audit compliance measure. Through this voluntary inspection, Colby removes itself from the EPA's scheduled compliance inspection list. In addition to reducing the amount of time and energy the EPA expends in compliance investigations, Colby demonstrates its committment to environmental protection by taking the role of assurance on itself.

Colby is a charter member of the Green Campus Consortium, which works with institutions of higher learning in Maine to find environmentally sustainable means of development and management based on principles of economic sustainability.

Campus ecology climate action plans for 2008. (PDF)

With Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified green buildings, green dining halls, 100-percent green electricity purchases, environmentally friendly electricity production, resource conservation practices, and other initiatives, Colby is pursuing a multifaceted approach to campus greening. (PDF)

By making thoughtful green purchasing choices on produce, fish, and other goods that are served, Colby can obtain fresher and often healthier foods and can have a positive effect on the regional economy. This approach benefits local farmers and the fisheries industry by helping to create and expand a market for their products. (PDF)

All new buildings are built to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards, and all renovation projects follow LEED principles and are certified whenever possible. All construction project managers at Colby are LEED-accredited professionals. Colby's LEED-certified buildings include:

Schair-Swenson-Watson Alumni Center, 2006, Silver

Diamond Building, 2008, Standard

Cotter Union/Colby Bookstore, 2009, Silver

Pierce residence hall, 2009, Gold

Perkins-Wilson residence hall, 2009, Gold

(Date is year certification was received.)

The goal of Project RESCUE (Recycle Everything, Save Colby’s Usable Excess) was an ongoing program to reuse and recycle unwanted household items, clothing, and appliances left behind by students at the end of the academic year. In addition to avoiding disposal costs for these materials, the program addresses concerns about waste. (PDF)

Colby has employed environmentally responsible practices for years, but in 2008 the College took a more coordinated approach to making senior week and commencement events green. Alaina Clark '08 narrates a video highlighting Colby's green initiatives, including Green Graduation, led by Colby's Environmental Advisory Group.