College of Lake County recognized as one of the nation’s most environmental colleges
The College of Lake County can boast about being part of an onward movement toward sustainability, as it’s been recognized as one of the nation’s most environmental colleges by The Princeton Review, an educational services company that annually puts out the green guide.
“The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2023 Edition” reports on colleges’ recycling programs, availability of environmental studies, use of renewable energy and guidance for green jobs.
The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief, Rob Franek, noted in the guide that the staff has seen an increasing level of interest among students in attending green colleges.
Of the more than 10,000 college applicants polled for its 2022 College Hopes and Worries Survey, 77% said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to apply to, or attend, a school.
“We strongly recommend CLC to the increasing number of students who care about the environment and want their ‘best-fit’ college to also ideally be a green one,” Franek wrote.
Being listed in “The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges” shows how CLC is in the same league with other colleges and universities, said David Husemoller, CLC sustainability manager.
Examples of how the college is preparing students for the challenges a changing climate poses are plenty, he said. Husemoller said sustainability is incorporated into many different aspects of the curriculum, not just what would seem obvious such as environmental studies.
“Any kind of job can intersect with sustainability,” Husemoller said.
In a computer science class, students are taught that programs, software and applications aid in the research of the world’s ecological balance. One way is by measuring carbon emissions.
And in a French class, global engagement programs may be discussed.
Another sustainability feature the college offers in the form of technology in its campus is a geothermal heat exchange system that has 159 wells that are 500 feet deep.
The water that percolates underground heats and cools the Grayslake campus, which Husemoller said saves a lot of energy.
Also at the Grayslake campus, a Science and Engineering Building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certified by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council.
This is the highest level of certification achievable in the rating system. Earning a total of 90 points, it is the greenest new construction building in Illinois, Husemoller said.
Recently, the Board of Trustees adopted the college’s renewed sustainability plan for the next three years, which reinforces CLC’s goal for carbon neutrality in 2042.
“Our current and prospective students want to know they are receiving their education in a college that mirrors their commitment to eco-friendly practices to reduce the carbon footprint and they want to be a part of the solutions to move us forward, ‘’ CLC President Lori Suddick said.
Husemoller said a highlight that shows the college’s commitment to future generations is the newly constructed student services building at the Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan that features new technology, such as bird-safe windows with dots on outside glass that reflect light and help birds see the window better to avoid striking it.
Other window elements are the electrochromic glass that darkens windows with light sensors; especially useful for those early summer mornings when a room can get very hot.
The new construction also has a chilled beam HVAC system that saves energy by running heated or cooled water through a heat exchanger in the ceiling. And nearly 200 solar photovoltaic panels on the roof are components that make the new building designed to LEED Platinum standards. Husemoller said it can become officially certified after one year.
To show the community all the new construction offers there’s an open house scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 13.
