Calendar for the budget preparation of the Green Fee Proposals

Are you a current student with ideas on how to make EvCC more sustainable? 

The EvCC Student Green Fee has funds available and will be accepting student proposals Jan 1st through Jan 31st, 2024

Submit yours to be a part of making EvCC a more sustainable place! 

For details and instructions or to learn about previously funded projects Click Here

In order to submit a proposal, please follow these instructions:

 First, download and save both the budget proposal form, as well as the SMARTS worksheet

Second, fill out the documents, saving them under the following format: ProjectPropsalName.Date.GreenFeeBPF and ProjectProposalName.Date.GreenFeeSMARTS

Finally, email completed documents to sustainability@everettcc.edu

Calendar for the budget preparation of the Green Fee Proposals.

To facilitate the handling of budget requests in preparation of the budget, the following dates will be adhered to:

January:

Opportunities will be provided for all members of the college community to submit budget proposals through the budget request forms. These forms will be sent to all organizational advisors and program directors including the Vice President of College Services. The budget for every project, program or activity must be developed by the students participating in the project, program or activity in conjunction with the appropriate advisor, coach or director. The budget request form should reflect the planned project, program or activity for the next fiscal year and shall be submitted to the Sustainability and Resource Conservation Manager and the ASEvCC Sustainability Officer by the published deadline (Late budgets subject to Student Green Fee Administrative Committee discretion).

February: 

The ASEvCC Sustainability Officer shall collect all budget request forms and prepare a master budget request. The Student Green Fee Administrative Committee shall also meet for a preliminary information discussion session(s) to establish goals and to develop schedules and procedures.

The Student Green Fee Administrative Committee shall invite the various advisors or student representatives to any project, program or activity requesting funding to present their proposals or, if they are from a current- funded program, their budgets. Presentations to the committee are mandatory if requesting a budget increase (written exceptions are subject to the Student Green Fee Administrative Committee discretion).

Requestors presenting to the committee will be scheduled and the scheduled sessions will be advertised by the ASEvCC Sustainability Officer and be open to all members of the campus community. Presentations will be limited to 15-20 minutes in length, including a question and answer period.

February/March:

Administrative Services personnel shall estimate the Student Green Fee revenue for the next fiscal year. The Student Green Fee Administrative Committee will determine a basic amount of revenue that are expected to be produced by each revenue-generating program. The sum of the Student Green Fee revenue and other program revenue will be the annual budget allocation. The Student Green Fee Administrative Committee shall meet to adjust the budget requests to the annual budget allocation.

March:

Account directors, advisors or other representatives of student groups requesting funding for a new program, project or activity, or submitting their budgets to the Student Green Fee Administrative Committee shall be notified in writing of the status of their budget and shall be advised of their

right to appeal. Appeals will be formally scheduled, and once heard, the Student Green Fee Administrative Committee will review them for possible adjustments.

April:

Two (2) open hearings will be advertised to the campus community so that viewpoints regarding committee recommendations can be heard.

The Student Green Fee Administrative Committee shall prepare a balanced budget and present its recommendations to the ASEvCC Student Senate at a budget hearing during a regularly scheduled meeting to be approved with a two-thirds affirmative vote.

The College President shall receive information regarding the budget as approved by the ASEvCC Student Senate.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green

Green Fee Funds

Are you a current student with ideas on how to make EvCC more sustainable? 

The EvCC Student Green Fee has funds available and will be accepting student proposals Jan 1st through Jan 31st, 2024

Submit yours to be a part of making EvCC a more sustainable place! 

For details and instructions or to learn about previously funded projects Click Here

In order to submit a proposal, please follow these instructions:

  1.  First, download and save both the budget proposal form, as well as the SMARTS worksheet
  2. Second, fill out the documents, saving them under the following format: ProjectPropsalName.Date.GreenFeeBPF and ProjectProposalName.Date.GreenFeeSMARTS
  3. Finally, email completed documents to sustainability@everettcc.edu

The funds generated by the Student Green Fee and all associated revenue, which is generated, are to be used as otherwise provided by law, rule or regulation of the Board of Trustees for the express purpose of advancing the sustainability goals of the College and the ASEvCC.

When authorized and approved in a manner consistent with this Financial Code, Student Green Fee funds may be used for, but shall not be limited to:

A. Projects, programs, activities or other opportunities for students and the campus community to engage in promoting or implementing sustainable practices in all campus operations.

B. Travel and per diem costs for students and staff members on authorized travel status while participating in sustainability related student programs, activities or conferences.

C. Salaries or compensation for students, who are employed by the Office of Sustainability, or as otherwise needed for temporary positions and internships relating to projects funded by the Student Green Fee funds.

D. Supplies and materials considered essential for the day-to-day operation of the Office of Sustainability, including those for outreach and education, such as general office supplies; collateral and give-away items; posters, flyers, and other advertising mediums; technology deemed necessary for student use within the Office of Sustainability.

E. Promotion of and limited support for curricular and co-curricular programs that have a sustainability-related education component.

F. Subsidies or supplements to campus programs, departments and services (including contracted services) if such subsidies or supplements result in improvements to students’ access to sustainability resources, education, or demonstrates the capability to make the services of a contracted vendor on campus more sustainable.

G. Dues for institutional memberships in recognized sustainability professional organizations, provided that the legality of such an expenditure is first established in consultation with the legal advisor of the College.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green

Green Fee Project Examples

Are you a current student with ideas on how to make EvCC more sustainable? 

The EvCC Student Green Fee has funds available and will be accepting student proposals Jan 1st through Jan 31st 2024

Submit yours to be a part of making EvCC a more sustainable place! 

For details and instructions or to learn about previously funded projects Click Here

In order to submit a proposal, please follow these instructions:

  1.  First, download and save both the budget proposal form, as well as the SMARTS worksheet
  2. Second, fill out the documents, saving them under the following format: ProjectPropsalName.Date.GreenFeeBPF and ProjectProposalName.Date.GreenFeeSMARTS
  3. Finally, email completed documents to sustainability@everettcc.edu.

Green Fee Project Examples

Many other colleges and universities in the Pacific Northwest (and nationwide) have taken to student fees to fund their sustainability and environmental goals. Here are some examples of projects they funded through these types of fees. Below are examples of projects that have been undertaken on other campuses, or potential project ideas generated by students for our campus.

Bike Rentals 

Bicycling is one of the most efficient modes of sustainable transportation in urban and suburban areas. Its a healthy and sustainable way to get around, and allowing students to rent bicycles has several benefits. Now with our two student housing buildings, a program like this just makes sense for our campus!

Climate Action Plan 

The climate action plan will build on our past progress and use the campus to confront the difficult questions posed by climate change and test promising new solutions that move the college, and the world, away from fossil fuels. 

It also helps students to understand and address the impacts of the climate crisis, empowering them with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to act as agents of change. The international community recognizes the importance of education and training to address climate change.

Eco-Scholarships

Some colleges have used the funds from their sustainability fees to offer mini-scholarships to STEM students, specifically those studying environmental sciences or engineering.

ADA Compliance and Improvements

Some colleges have invested in improving their accessibility standards for individuals with short and long-term disabilities. Sustainability isn’t just about protecting the environment, it also incorporates principles of social justice and equity, and one way to promote these principles is by removing barriers that may make it challenging for specific groups of people to achieve educational success.

Water Bottle Fill Stations

Did you know that in the United States alone, we go through enough disposable water bottles in one week to stretch around the globe two times. That’s a lot of plastic that ends up in landfills, estuaries and oceans. Though we already have a few water bottle fill stations, most buildings on campus still need to be retrofitted so we can continue to reduce our campuses reliance on disposable water bottles.

To learn more about Project Examples

Click here: https://www.everettcc.edu/administration/college-services/facilities/sustainability/evcc-green-fee/project-examples

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green

Green Fee Background

Are you a current student with ideas on how to make EvCC more sustainable? 

The EvCC Student Green Fee has funds available and will be accepting student proposals Jan 1st through Jan 31st 2024

Submit yours to be a part of making EvCC a more sustainable place! 

For details and instructions or to learn about previously funded projects Click Here

In order to submit a proposal, please follow these instructions:

  1.  First, download and save both the budget proposal form, as well as the SMARTS worksheet
  2. Second, fill out the documents, saving them under the following format: ProjectPropsalName.Date.GreenFeeBPF and ProjectProposalName.Date.GreenFeeSMARTS
  3. Finally, email completed documents to sustainability@everettcc.edu.

Background of the Green Fee:

In May 2018, EvCC students had the opportunity to vote on whether to assess the proposed Student Green Fee, a $0.50 (fifty cent) per credit fee, with a maximum of $7.50 for 15 credits that would fund various sustainability and environmentally-focused projects and activities on campus while giving the student body more influence over how the campus approaches sustainability. 

With 70% of ballots in favor of the proposed fee and board approval, fee collection began in Winter Quarter of 2019. The uses of the funds from this fee include:

  • Creation of the Campus Sustainability Fund to provide funding and resources to the campus community in the effort to advance the sustainability goals of the College and the ASEvCC.
  • Student employment opportunities in the Sustainability Office
  • Supplemental funds for outreach, education and materials for the Sustainability Office.
  • ASB Senate and BOT approved the Student Green Fee Financial Code 
  •  and Agreement Document 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green or email to sustainability@everettcc.edu

How to reduce food waste this Holiday Season

Food is the highlight of many of our holiday traditions and memories. We can all think of a holiday dish that makes us smile and our mouths water instantly. Yet, about 40 percent of all food produced in the U.S. never gets eaten. In fact, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans waste 25 percent more than during the rest of the year. During the holidays, millions of pounds of uneaten turkey, gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes and other seasonal trimmings unfortunately end up in landfills.

Food is the single largest material disposed of in U.S. landfills today, amounting to each person tossing an average of 20 pounds of food per month into the trash at a cost of approximately $1,500 per year, per family. This wasted food also wastes money, time, labor, transportation, water and land used in food production. Aside from this waste, food decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen) in landfills releasing methane gas, a driver of global climate change that is up to 86 times more potent in trapping heat than carbon dioxide.

Here is some great tips to reduce food waste : 

For most holiday hosts, the fear there won’t be enough food is inevitable. But making too much — like cooking for an army in a mess hall instead of family and friends in your dining room — is a surefire way to end up with a food waste fiasco. An online party planning calculator, known as a the “Guest-imator,” can help.

Buy less food. It’s easy to get carried away buying all the yummy foods and treats grocery stores showcase during the holidays. But in reality, we often buy more food that we can cook and eat. 

Here are the “10 Best Foods to Buy in Bulk & Reduce Waste.”

Before you even head to the store, shop in your own kitchen. Chances are you don’t need a new bottle of vanilla extract or Worcestershire sauce, or yet another head of garlic. They’re all likely hiding in the back of your fridge. 

Try to use every part of the fruit or vegetable. Broccoli, kale and Swiss chard stems are more than just edible, they’re yummy. Don’t throw away lemons after squeezing out just a tablespoon. Slice and use them in water pitchers or zest their fragrant skins for sauces, pies and cocktails.

Healthy alternatives = less waste — Coincidentally healthier foods are the ones without as much packaging, for example homemade bread, fresh produce, meats from the deli rather than prepackaged on foam trays. Avoid processed foods in non-recyclable packaging.

Keep track of leftovers. Store leftovers in serving-size containers that you label with the contents and the date. It helps to put the most perishable foods in the front of the refrigerator so we can keep an eye on them. Plan to eat leftovers in the same week in which they were cooked. Otherwise, store them in the freezer.  Keep a list on your freezer door to remind you what’s inside.

Donate unopened excess boxes or cans of food to a food pantry. Donating leftovers can be hard because many food pantries will not accept cooked items for food safety reasons.

You can help fight hunger by wasting less food and turning your savings from that positive practice into lifesaving food for those who need it. 

Have a safe and Happy Holidays! 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green or email to sustainability@everettcc.edu

Sustainable Holidays

Each holiday season, there is so much money spent on presents, food, gift wrap, decorations, and lighting up our homes. Whether in-store or online shopping, it is so important for us to keep in mind that many of the trappings of the season end up in the trash and ultimately in landfill. While it’s a season to celebrate with our loved ones, let’s also try to focus on making this holiday season a more sustainable one. 

Here are some really easy ways that everyone can do: 

Try alternatives to gift wraps- Gift wrapping paper found in stores is cheap and convenient. But colorful and shiny foils are not recyclable. Even if you have a shredder, most wrapping paper contains dyes, glitter, and laminates and is often too thin to be recycled effectively. Try an alternative like a colorful section of the newspaper, or opt for the recycled, recyclable kraft paper and a beautiful, reusable ribbon.

Use LED Lights- Conventional holiday mini lights use a lot more energy than LED lights. LED lights not only help to save on energy but they last much longer – and they will help to reduce your carbon footprint. Even better, string some pom poms together for a chic, zero-energy solution.

DIY gifts- Gifting your friends and family something that you made yourself is thoughtful and touching. It could be handmade soap, candles, or a beautiful photo frame with your family picture in it! 

Eco-friendly gifting- Try choosing gifts that are sustainable and recyclable and that also come with recyclable packing. You could gift reusable items like water bottles, bamboo products, organic soaps, or wallets and accessories made from rescued off cuts of leather, recycled or sustainable materials. 

Use a container-grown Christmas tree- Though it seems like buying a plastic Christmas tree is more sustainable, but consider that when you decide to replace it after a few years, it will just end up as landfill. Instead, use a container-grown Christmas tree that you can plant in your yard during the spring. You could also use a potted tree and then opt for a recycling program if there is one in your city. 

Practicing sustainability may not always be easy, but it is a conscious effort that will reap rewards for us and for future generations. 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu

Recycling on Campus 

Recycling on campus is simple with EvCC’s comprehensive co-mingled recycling program! Blue and green recycling containers are located next to trash containers in all campus buildings. Use these containers as a single source for recycling for:

  • Paper
  • Plastic
  • Aluminum
  • Tin
  • Glass

Commingled Materials means acceptable items such as aluminum cans and foil products, steel or tin cans, bi-metal cans, glass bottles, jars and jugs, plastic bottles, tubs, lids, and containers, which are not separated by type, but are mixed (mingled) together in one container.

Recycle used batteries, printer and toner cartridges and compact fluorescent lights at of the following locations across campus:

  • Liberty Hall (LBH): 1st floor next to the North entrance doors, across from the Fitness Center.
  • Gray Wolf Hall (GWH): 1st and 2nd floors next to the bathrooms.
  • Glacier Hall (GLA): 1st floor Reception 101 next to the door.
  • Shuksan Hall (SHK): Main Entrance on top of the EvCC clipper box on the right.
  • Parks Student Union (PSU): 2nd floor next to the ATM near the bookstore.
  • Whitehorse Hall (WHI): Next to the staircase by the Main Entrance.
  • Olympus Hall (OLY): 2nd floor hallway next to copier.

Please remember to limit your deposit of CFL bulbs to 10 per day and make sure it’s free from plastic bags, ziplock or cardboard boxes. 

The more we recycle, the less garbage winds up in our landfills and incineration plants. By reusing aluminum, paper, glass, plastics, and other materials, we can save production and energy costs, and reduce the negative impacts that the extraction and processing of virgin materials has on the environment.

View practices for recycling from our partners at Waste Management

So remember to recycle right and make sure your recycling efforts don’t go to waste.

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability www.everettcc.edu/green or email to sustainability@everettcc.edu

Thanksgiving Recycling Tips

Thanksgiving is probably one of the few times a year you cook a whole turkey or bake a pie. And one of the few times you use a pie tin or an aluminum tray. But, with 46 million turkeys consumed each Thanksgiving, we had better figure out what to do with all those turkey trays. Those aluminum trays, and the pie tins too, are recyclable. Please clean them and place them in your recycling bin.

In fact, aluminum is some of the best material to recycle. It can be reused over and over again without losing it’s strength. Aluminum cans can be recycled and back on the shelves in 6 weeks. The cans are quickly melted down, reformed again, filled, and brought back to your grocery store self. You can recycle all your aluminum, tin, and steel cans. Leave the lids and labels on, no worry.

So as you clean up after your holiday feast, clean up the environment too, recycle your turkey pans and pie tins.

Recycle When Clean

Pie Tins

Turkey Trays
Cranberry Cans
Soup Cans
Broth Cartons

Don’t Recycle

Plastic Wrap

Soiled Paper Plates

Soiled Napkins

Food Waste

Plastic Silverware

Food Waste

Plastic Silverware

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  mzelenskyy@everettcc.edu

sustainability@everettcc.edu

Recycling Fall Leaves

The autumn season often brings many changes like going back to school, drops in temperatures, and even different vegetable sprouting from the ground. But one of the biggest and most noticeable changes year after year is leaves turning colorful shades of red and orange, eventually making their way to the ground, scattered across your yard.

But instead of immediately throwing leaves away after you remove them from the yard, consider recycling them for different uses and projects. Here are a few ways we can recycle leaves. All of which save room in the trash can and keep our yard in its best shape.

Garden Compost

Leaves make a great addition to homemade compost whether we’re composting with a bin or yard pile. Combined with kitchen scraps, grass clippings and other compostable materials, leaves decompose and create nutrient-rich compost for our garden. 

Winter Mulch

As winter approaches, we can eliminate the expense and hassle of purchasing mulch by recycling leaves into our own DIY mulch.  We can use freshly fallen leaves, dried leaves or a combination of both. Simply rake the leaves into a pile and redistribute them over garden plants or trees that need extra winter protection. The natural leaf mulch will decompose over time so there is no need to remove it after the winter season is over.

Craft Projects

Most craft projects will not use the large amount of leaves accumulated throughout the fall. However, drying and preserving a few to use in craft projects is a great way to recycle leaves and provides free, natural material for our projects. To preserve leaves for use as art, clean and dry them before laying flat between two sheets of wax paper. Stack them in between two heavy blocks of wood until they dry or use a homemade botanical press.

You can make holiday yard decorations using large amounts of leaves and heavy-duty trash bags. Fill the bags with leaves and shape them into pumpkins, scarecrows, snowmen and other yard decorations. Paint the bags and place them throughout your yard. Make a string garland, display them in a bowl or just scatter them on the table for a pop of fall color.

Using colorful leaves is simply the easiest and most festive way to celebrate the turn in the weather, and what’s more, they are free! 

Click here for the Best Leaf Craft Ideas! 

https://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/g1899/fall-lea

WHY IS RECYCLING IMPORTANT?

Recycling is important to ensuring our planet remains healthy. There are many great reasons and benefits to recycling which include:

Reduces landfill waste

Conserves natural resources such as oceans and forests

Helps lessen the burning of fossil fuels which can decrease the emission of greenhouse gas. 

Recycling Events on campus: 

Electronics Recycling Event

3R Technology is providing FREE drive up and drop electronics recycling on campus in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 from 10am to 2pm.

View the accepted electronics list

Styrofoam Recycling Event

Students for Environmental Action (SEA) & the Marysville Community Food Bank invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F 

November 15th 10am-2pm  

Expanded Tip Sheet 

Please consider bringing a donation for the Marysville Community Food Bank of non-perishable food or monetary donations. We hope to collect as much styrofoam as possible! Help us spread the word to your family, neighbors, and friends. 

For more information about this event please contact Laura Wild, Club Advisor at lwild@everettcc.edu

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  mzelenskyy@everettcc.edu

sustainability@everettcc.edu

America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products.  It is celebrated each year on November 15th.

Why is recycling so important?

Recycling helps extend the life and usefulness of something that has already served its initial purpose by returning it to its raw materials and then using those materials to produce something that is useable. It’s part of the three golden rules of sustainability (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and has a lot of benefits both to us humans and to the environment. Virtually all the planet is impacted by how much we recycle.

Recycling Events on campus: 

Electronics Recycling Event

3R Technology is providing FREE drive up and drop electronics recycling on campus in Lot F (next to the large recycle dumpster) on Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 from 10am to 2pm.

View the accepted electronics list

Styrofoam Recycling Event

Students for Environmental Action (SEA) & the Marysville Community Food Bank invites you to be an environmental hero! Bring clean styrofoam, packing peanuts in bags or boxes, bubble wrap and plastic film to be recycled–for FREE! Parking Lot F 

November 15th 10am-2pm  

Expanded Tip Sheet 

Please consider bringing a donation for the Marysville Community Food Bank of non-perishable food or monetary donations. We hope to collect as much styrofoam as possible! Help us spread the word to your family, neighbors, and friends. 

For more information about this event please contact Laura Wild, Club Advisor at lwild@everettcc.edu

Set New Green Goals on America Recycles Day

Even though America Recycles Day is just a day, think of it as a day to start new recycling goals for the upcoming year. Here are some ideas to consider for America Recycles Day.

  1. Find out if carton recycling is available in your area.  If it’s not, talk to the local recycling center about recycling cartons. The Carton Council has some great resources.
  2. Stop throwing away clothing and household textiles. Find a local clothing recycler or contact Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) to find out where to donate.
  3. Avoid plastic bags by bringing your own bag, or simply declining the bag when you can.  When you have excess plastic bags, dry cleaner bags, or newspaper bags, bring them to your local retailer to recycle.
  4. Talk to your kids about recycling.  Beyond the typical paper, plastic, and aluminum, how can they recycle their clothes, toys, or electronics? How can they use recycled items into art projects or gifts?
  5. Get familiar with what you CAN and CAN’T recycle.  Here is a great refrigerator list, and a few more items you probably forgot.  Recyclable items can also vary by where you live, so check with your local recycling center too.
  6. Buy recycled when you can! When you purchase items that are made from recycled materials, you help eliminate the need for virgin materials. Buying art made of recycled materials can be even more meaningful. 

Find out what you can do to help make a difference in our environment every day. Whether you’re at home, on the go, in the office or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by reducing, reusing and recycling. Visit the links below to see how, and check out our Think Green Before You Shop poster for questions you can ask yourself before shopping to reduce, reuse and recycle more. 

Learn more about EvCC Sustainability!  www.everettcc.edu/green

Mariya Zelenskyy – Media and Outreach Coordinator  sustainability@everettcc.edu