Keene State College kept its gold star rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in its 2024 report.
Kate Witte, KSC’s sustainability coordinator, said the college plans to continue with its sustainability goals, with the school still having room to grow and earn a platinum rating, the highest AASHE gives to institutions.
“Changes to infrastructure and electricity will be made as we switch over to LEDs to be more energy efficient,” Witte said.
Eco-Reps, an environmental advocacy student organization, “aims to promote student sustainability and give students a voice on campus. Student involvement is a huge factor in Keene State’s environmentalism and sustainability,” said senior Chloe March, the Eco-Reps president, who was able to share information regarding KSC’s environmentalism and sustainability progress.
“Keene State has renewable heating sources made from vegetable oil, one of the first campuses to do so. With that, 65% of campus has renewable heat as an energy source which reduces our carbon footprint dramatically,” said March.
According to the KSC sustainability website, the college plans to be on track for its carbon action goals. The goals include, by 2030, “cutting the carbon emissions in half, by 2050 being carbon neutral, clarifying as a zero-waste campus and having campus be powered 100% by renewables,” March said.
In addition, a new club has emerged on campus, the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Club, an academic-focused club that supports anyone who is in environmental studies and sustainability studies as a major/minor. “Big for academic focus, support the pursuit of sustainability and environmental protections. It is also open to anyone interested in the topic. We are welcome to all”, said March, secretary of the club.
March added, “How to make an impact is by planning to not use plastic bags when shopping, being educated about what is happening and voting are the biggest things you can do. All things that can help be sustainable.”
March continued, “While there is always room for improvement and more we could strive for, it’s also important to recognize that we have come a long way. It’s often said that individual options are the most important but it’s minuscule unless you spread that awareness to others. The goal is to create a ripple effect of collective individual acts and to make people feel empowered”.
Katie Aguilar can be contacted at
kaguilar@kscequinox.com
