TMCC is Going Green

Do you know all the ways TMCC is going green? From our mascot to our mission, TMCC is... green!

Every year, the twenty-second day in April inspires people around the globe to consider ways they can go green. Often, this manifests in planting trees, recycling programs and fostering awareness for the environmental well-being of our planet. But, did you know that the date of Earth day was specifically selected to maximize participation from college students because it fell right between Spring Break and Final Exams?

TMCC's Library Committee hosted the TMCC official Earth Day celebration last week as a celebration of sustainability, nutrition, curbing environmental changes, shopping local, and solutions for fostering a better relationship with our world.

In addition to the Earth Day event, there are a dozen ways that TMCC is “going green” year-round:

A Dozen Ways TMCC has Gone Green

1. TMCC Green Team. This isn’t the Mighty Lizards (see item 2), but instead a coalition of TMCC faculty and staff who are supporting the college’s environmental sustainability and resilience initiatives.
2. Vamos Verdes—Go Green! This season will witness the kick-off (pun intended) of the TMCC Soccer teams on August 15. You can go green by supporting our teams at games, by following us on social media and by cheering “Vamos Verdes!”
3. Energy Efficiency. TMCC has four solar arrays on the Dandini campus. Additionally, the college is increasing energy efficiency through LED lighting retrofits, replacing single pane with insulated windows, and upgrading our campus-wide building management system to achieve better integrated high-performance buildings.
4. Discount Bus Passes for Students, Faculty and Staff. The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) sells discounted bus passes to TMCC students faculty and staff. This enables you to reduce pollution, help the environment and save on gas while attending, teaching or supporting higher education.
5. Wizard's Warehouse. And we don’t just mean because Wizard is green! Instead, did you also know Wizard also has a warehouse?! TMCC, in partnership with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, offers food and personal item assistance to students, faculty, and staff at the Dandini Campus and the Meadowood Center through a program called Wizard’s Warehouse.
6. TMCC Recycling Program. TMCC recycles all office paper, magazines, newsprint, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles and print cartridge at our Dandini Campus, as well as our other learning centers.
7. Cupanion & Brita Hydration Stations. TMCC has 13 Brita Hydration Stations and other water bottle filling stations installed over four campus sites. Filters for the units are replaced every 2,500 gallons. To encourage our community to use refillable bottles, every semester, TMCC Sustainability runs a “Cupanion” campaign in which participants scan the number of times they refill their reusable bottles. This semester, two winners will be announced on May 1.
8. TMCC Gardening Club. Do you love plants or planting plants? The TMCC Gardening Club is for you. Founded in 2017, the club has created flower and vegetable gardens on campus. The Garden Club will have a table at the Earth Day event in the Student Center where students can make pots from recycled materials and plant seeds. Additionally, the club held its first garden clean-up day on Saturday, April 20. Stay tuned for more club events this spring and summer.
9. Salad bar in the on-campus cafe. They say you are what you eat, so if you stop by the salad bar in the TMCC Cafe, does that mean you’re green? (Well, maybe not, but you’re probably healthy!) Stocked with fresh veggies and plenty of options, this is a healthy meal option for students and staff who eat on campus.
10. The on-campus TMCC Bookstore. If you’re looking for something green, search no farther than our on-campus bookstore that stocks plenty of green-colored college swag. Green t-shirts, keychains, notebooks and refillable bottles with the green TMCC logo will have you decked out in green in no time!
11. FLAMES. The Financial Literacy and Money Education by Students (FLAMES) program will have you rolling in the green due to all the effective budgeting advice they offer throughout the year at free, on-campus workshops.
12.  We're green all over. Check out the TMCC logo: whether it’s for the College, our athletics program or the Fine Focus Learning Lab, if it’s TMCC, you better bet it’s going to be green!

Since 2016, TMCC has increased its efforts to bring awareness for the need for better, earth-friendly practices. In honor of Earth Day—and our community—we invite you to embrace the various ways you can make our campus a vibrant part of a healthy and sustainable future... and all the ways that you, too, can be "green."

For more information about Sustainability at TMCC, contact the Equity, Inclusion and Sustainability Office at 775-673-7027.