We’re a Top 10 Community College for Sustainability!

What do you get when you save $3.6 million in utility costs over eight years and compost 95,000 pounds of food waste plus divert 60% of your waste stream from landfills in a single year? You get a top ranking from one of North America’s most prestigious collegiate sustainability advocate groups.

JCCC has been named a Top Performer in AASHE’s 2019 Sustainable Campus Index, achieving the No. 10 spot overall among associate college institutions and No. 6 in the United States.

This acknowledgement shows the College is setting a local standard, shrinking its ecological footprint and teaching our community to be planet friendly.

"We are perceived in the region as a leader in promoting sustainability," says Jay Antle, Executive Director of the Sustainability Center and History Professor. "This ranking is a validation that we are doing good work here. The systems and programs we have in place provide serious and meaningful results. We are not green washing."

JCCC also was selected to host the Metro KC Climate Action Coalition Summit. Antle is encouraged that the College continues to play an active role in convening important community conversations. He estimates more than 700 people visited campus during the summit.

Be the change agent

The College joined AASHE because it empowers higher education leaders, administrators, faculty, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability breakthroughs.

"We work with and for higher education to ensure our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges," says Antle, who has been elected by his AASHE peers to be chair for 2020-2021. He will be the first community college member to serve as the organization’s chair. He ran on a platform of bringing more support to community colleges, which provide roughly half of all undergraduate education in the United States.

"My hope is that we will find seed money for many community college programs," he adds.

Nearly 700 colleges in North America comprise AASHE’s membership base, from community and tribal colleges to state, private and Ivy League universities. Currently 127 members are from community colleges.

"We are happy to recognize JCCC for its leadership in advancing sustainability," says AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. "I’m grateful for the work being done by this institution to help move society toward a more equitable and sustainable future."

Meet eco-friendly friends