And the winner is...Rio Salado College!
On Oct. 14, 2009, Rio Salado College was named a winner of America’s Greenest Campus contest for having the highest average of carbon reduction per person. The contest, sponsored by Climate Culture, was the first nationwide challenge among colleges to reduce the carbon footprints of their students, faculty, alumni and staff.
Over the last 6 months, nearly 500 participating schools combined to save $4.5 million in energy costs and reduce their collective carbon output by 18.6 million pounds, equivalent to the annual amount of carbon emitted by 1,900 cars.
Rio Salado had the highest carbon reductions of 4.40%.
As a winner, Rio Salado College received $5,000, which will be put toward green initiatives.
Community Garden Project
Rio Salado College plans to use the contest award to help fund the Community Garden Project at its main campus, 2323 W. 14th St., Tempe. The community garden will be open to Rio Salado students pursuing a degree or certificate in its Sustainable Foods Program and Rio Salado employees. Food from the garden will be used in the Café @ Rio.
Classes will emphasize the movement toward sustainable food systems, including researching food sources, purchasing locally, and building relationships with local producers. As students progress through the program, they will complete fundamental culinary course work, focus on real food and prepare for hands-on learning experiences in the Café. The Café will work toward a goal of zero-waste.
Click here to learn more about Rio Salado College's sustainability efforts.
