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Editorial: Praising College Officials for much needed growth
The building of environmentally friendly structures are leading to a “greener” campus
While the Brahma colors are red and black, we are seeing a lot more “green” on the Pierce College campus this semester.
The planet is in big trouble environmentally, not just with climate change, but with the depletion of natural resources as well. We should be very proud of fact there are buildings on this campus that have been built to address both concerns.
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is making a $6 billion effort to ensure all nine campuses are moving toward being more “green,” and that endeavor should be celebrated and commended.
Pierce College’s three construction projects—the Center for the Sciences, the Child Development Center and the Student Services Building—have all been developed to be more sustainable and promote conservation.
LACCD Builds Green is the bond-funded program in charge of making the district more sustainable. The majority of the money comes from Propositions A, AA and Measure J.
According to their Web site, the $6.8 million Child Development Center will feature low-flow plumbing, energy-efficient light fixtures and daylight views so less electricity is needed to light rooms.
The $40.2 million Center for the Sciences buildings will have better energy performance and a “higher percentage of recycled and locally procured materials than ‘non-green’ facilities,” according to LACCD Builds Green.
The Student Services Building, which will now house most of the offered student services in one place, will feature similar energy-efficient components.
Already in place at Pierce are solar panels on top of Parking Lot 6 that produce 171 kilowatts of electricity to help provide power to the campus. This is the same amount of energy used by an average washing machine annually.
The S. Mark Taper Foundation Botanical Garden sits on two acres of land in the middle of campus, home to more than 615 plant species.
The Department of Water Resources has stated that 2009 will be the third year of drought in California. The drought tolerant nature of the garden has helped to reduce water consumption by 70 percent, a savings of 901,533 gallons of water annually.
In recent years, “green” building has moved from ugly, tire-lined domes to the beautiful structures that have been erected on our campus.
So as more and more “green” begins to cover the campus, perhaps it will help inspire us to bring it off campus as well.
