Maryland Higher Education Commission

Completed projects:

• Removed inefficient 5-year old oil-fired boilers and replaced with efficient gas-fired boilers.
• Switched to biodegradable cold and hot cups, hot cup sleeves, takeout containers, trash bags, plates and flatware.
• Created an appropriate recycling stream with its waste management provider and has started an aggressive recycling program for materials and containers. All office and public areas have been outfitted with recycling containers.
• Environmentally friendly cleaning chemicals are now in use.
• Water coolers were installed and outfitted with filters for treating tap water rather than using plastic bottles.
• The NLC draws from certified sustainable seafood resources.
• Buy local produce to save on fuel and carbon emissions.
• Newer facilities have motion sensing valves on its sinks and toilets to reduce water usage. Signage in each dorm room notifying guests that towels on racks will not be replaced and encouraging them to use their towel more than one day.
• The fixtures have been outfitted with high-efficiency compact fluorescent lights. 150 to 250 watt spotlights have been replaced with CFL’s.
• Guest rooms are filled one floor at a time, one building at a time where practicable. All residence building and public space are kept at reduced temperature settings until occupied.
• Xerox machines were replaced with machines that use 20-25% less energy and use environmentally friendly toner. EA toner is chemically grown and uses no fuser oil making it environmentally friendly with better copy quality. The College also has copy stations and all workers in the area use the same machine. Each machine copies, prints and faxes double sided.
• The College placed USP’s in the IT server room to regulate power and reduce the electricity requirements.
• Two employees bring their dogs to work to help reduce the goose population. This greatly reduces the need for maintenance staff to clean the sidewalks and common areas, thus saving water. This also eliminates the issue of nesting birds who frequently attacked students.

Projects In-The-Works:

• Green Workplace Representative Certificate Program

This program will provide union members and working people with the knowledge and training to become leaders in the field of green workplace auditing and climate change response. The NLC curriculum will provide working people with a practical guide for taking proactive steps to promote sustainability in their workplace. The goal of this program is to build cooperative labor/management partnerships in the workplace around the concept of sustainability that are safer and more productive, that enhance the competitiveness of American firms in the global economy, and that contribute to the health of the planet. Curriculum for this program, when complete, will be forwarded to MHEC for approval.

• Green Labor Journal, a monthly electronic newsletter

The Green Labor Journal will be a monthly, electronic newsletter that delivers timely and lively news and analysis of energy, climate, economic, clean technology, and education and training issues related to green jobs and careers – from the perspective of the American labor movement. Monthly topics to be covered include: Feature Article (on green jobs and workplaces); Cleantech Tracker; Affiliate Actions, NLC Green Education and Training; AFL-CIO Center for Green Jobs; and Did You Know? (news, updates, links, events, data and networks). Readers will be able to share and comment on Green Labor Journal articles and on green ideas and initiatives in the workplace.

• Re-vamped website

Our current website is undergoing a big construction overhaul and will include an entire page on going green.

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