Sustainable Campus

The Beauty of Green @DCTC

Dakota County Technical College is committed to advancing sustainable campus operations that protect the environment and conserve natural resources while creating a collegiate environment conducive to teaching, learning and community involvement. Sustainability has become a buzzword in many sectors of society, but the term still serves as a vast green umbrella for projects and initiatives that champion the biodiversity and geodiversity crucial to the health of our planet's ecosystems. Sustainability in practice is simply wise stewardship of systems vital to human prosperity, including such social mainstays as the environment, economics, health care, education, agriculture, international relations and technology. Sustainability in essence is the inescapably decisive means to support life in every nook and zone of the global ecosphere.

The DCTC Operations department is a driving force behind green practices that save money and reduce energy usage on the college's main campus in Rosemount, Minn. Operations personnel conduct a wide range of remodeling, renovation and construction projects in-house using green materials and energy-saving technology wherever and whenever possible.

The upcoming Transportation and Emerging Technologies Renovation Project is an ideal example of how the college is taking sustainability to the next level. Made possible by $7.23 million in state funding, the project—scheduled to begin fall 2012—will eliminate $3.5 million in deferred maintenance and slash the college’s Facilities Condition Index from .29 to .22 while cutting energy consumption by as much as 30 percent. For more green details on the project, read "Vital Renovation Project Gears Up" on DCTC News.

Common Green Darner (Anax junius), a regular visitor to the DCTC Rosemount campus

Green Thumbs Up

DCTC sustainability accomplishments and objectives

LEED Silver Certification a working goal for college construction projects
Landscape Horticulture greenhouse solar panels provide supplemental heating
- Saves on natural gas costs
Energy Emissions Inventory and Baseline Determination Report completed by TKDA engineers (see below)
Energy Analysis completed Edward H. Cook & Associates, P.A. (see below)
Landscape Horticulture students participated in design aspect of front parking lot project
Landscape Horticulture only PLANET-accredited hort program in Minnesota
LEED for Existing Buildings under review for possible implementation
Campus-wide recycling program implemented following baseline study of monthly campus trash generation
- Student Senate took leadership role, purchasing 45 recycling containers that were distributed throughout campus
- Two days of student training provided by TKDA and Allied Waste
New occupancy sensors and lighting controls installed
Energy management system updated
New green purchasing guidelines implemented
Toyota Prius added to college vehicle fleet
- Promotes fuel efficiency in motor pool
100 percent postconsumer recycled paper towels and toilet paper provided throughout main campus building
- No chlorine or chemicals used during production.
Photovoltaic panels provided electricity for press box and concession area at Ames Soccer Complex
LEED Accredited Professionals on campus
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) student chapter on campus