Around Campus
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Recycling and Waste Reduction
In 2020 COCC received a grant from The Environmental Center Rethink Waste project to complete waste audits in order to inform recycling efforts. With COVID impacting every aspect of life, the focus of the grant shifed to improving campus recycling education and infrastructure. New posters below will help everyone understand the campus recycling program!
Ask Noelle for poster prints to put up in your area!
READ: COCC works towards zero waste, The Broadside
Food Waste to Compost
Cascade Culinary Institute, Coats Campus dining hall, kitchen and cafe are collecting food waste for compost. Waste is collected in carts by our hauler and brought to the Deschutes County compost facility. Sodexo does a great job planning for limited food waste, but generally 40-70% of the total waste most cafeterias and restaurants generate is food scraps – spoiled fruits and vegetables, stale bakery items, kitchen trimmings, and leftover plate scrapings. This effort has a huge impact on reducing the amount of material going into the landfill.
Tree Campus USA
COCC is now a Tree Campus USA member!
Community Garden/Garden Club
Are you interested in gardening? Native plants? Natural habitats? COCC has a Planted Earth Garden Club. The garden space near Barber Library contains gardening beds, irrigation and inviting natural public spaces. COCC Grounds department has been using the community garden space to grow native plants for use on our campuses. Sarah Fuller, Professor of Botany has also engaged her classes in harvesting native species of grasses to help with native restorations. For full story see the Spring 2021 Newsletter. Check out the article in The Broadside about the work of these inspiring individuals!
COCC also supported the Bend Pollinator Pathway and started a Butterfly Garden near the bookstore in 2019 by partnering with the Deschutes Land Trust.
If you are interested in getting involved email Noelle.
Food
Since 2019 the dining hall has had a commitment to support local food! Sodexo has pledged to spend 17% of their food budget on products grown within a 250-mile radius, and a further 3% on food grown in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. Sodexo works with Agricultural Connections to order from local farmers and ranchers. This commitment to local agriculture provides healthy food options for COCC diners and contributes to a stronger regional food system.
A primary learning outcome of the Cascade Culinary Institute® curriculum model is to teach students about current industry standards that relate to sustainable hospitality industry practices. The Farm-to-Table course and Elevation restaurant serve as mediums where students are exposed to the principles of sustainability as it relates with food/beverage sourcing, waste management, and energy conservation.
Water Conservation
Campus Services has worked with the city of Bend and have completed irrigation audits. We are constantly monitoring and making irrigation modifications which are designed to increase water use efficiency by improving distribution uniformity. We have remote access equipment that sounds the alarm as soon as there are any leaks! For more details, see the Winter 2021 Newsletter.
Natural Choice Office Paper
COCC has made the switch to more sustainable office paper. Natural Choice is made with FSC Certified fiber in a low impact manufacturing process which creates less waste through efficient steam and grinding technologies instead of chemicals to create wood pulp. It is elemental chlorine free (ECF) and 100% percent recyclable again. The manufacturer estimates 92% less impact on the earth than standard copy paper.
Print off Energy Saving Office Ideas for your Office today!
