Overview
Sustainability is an all-hands-on-deck effort. To help realize sustainable change at SMCCCD, and better prepare our students to affect sustainable change at large, we aim to connect operational excellence with high quality education through coursework that incorporates sustainability and our Campus as as Living Lab initiative.
Our Goals
1) Creatively integrate environmental awareness, social responsibility, and sustainability into existing courses
2) Develop new curricula and training programs with a focus on sustainability
3) Institutionalize Campus as a Living Lab as part of the District curriculum
Integrating Equity into Curriculum Integration
By exposing students to sustainability- and equity-related projects, the District aims to inspire and empower its diverse student body to be climate solution leaders and impactful global citizens. Having more diverse voices and backgrounds leading the sustainability industry, and climate action at large, is key to equitable climate adaptation.
By the Numbers
Featured Projects
Campus as a Living Lab
SMCCCD Facilities Planning, Maintenance, and Operations Department has partnered with faculty and staff to use the campus as a living lab. Campus as a Living Lab (CaaLL) activities provide hands-on experience to students while providing operational efficiency to Facilities. Previous campus as a living lab activities have included: indoor water audits, waste assessments, plant identification studies.
Students: Sign up for a a hands-on lesson focused on sustainability issues at your campus.
Teachers: Request to have your class participate in an active sustainability lesson on your campus.
Staff: Have an idea for a way to engage students in your work? Submit a CaaLL lesson idea form.
Additional Resources
Courses that Incorporate Sustainability
Cañada College
Cañada College offers a Sustainability General Education Pathway where students "analyze what it means to be sustainable in our own time and in the past, and investigate how their actions impact the environment and other people worldwide."
College of San Mateo
College of San Mateo offers a Building Inspection Technology program which incorporates green building and energy codes. Qualified building inspectors are always needed wherever there is any type of construction.
Skyline College
Skyline College offers an Energy Systems Technology Management degree program, where you can receive a certificate in either Climate Protection Professional Skills Certificate or Solar Design, Estimation, Finance, and Sales Skills. Skyline also offers Environmental Science for Transfer Associate in Science Degree.