Just a few of the plants that you might soon see on campus!
It seems that everywhere you look on the EvCC campus there are beautiful plants and flowers, but did you know that many of those plants are started right here in the EvCC Greenhouse? The greenhouse was almost demolished in 2008, but thanks to capital funding the roof was redone, and the greenhouse is now better than ever!
A few starts and larger plants.
The EvCC Greenhouse is currently used by a variety of plant lovers.
The Students for Environmental Action (SEA) club grows plants in the greenhouse to sell at different events throughout the academic year to raise funds for club activities.
Classes such as Sustainable Food Systems utilize the greenhouse for various classroom assignments.
The EvCC Grounds Department utilizes the greenhouse and surrounding nursery area to care for numerous seasonal plants that they use around campus throughout the year. That’s why, no matter the season, our campus always looks its best!
Calla Lily
It’s a jungle in here!
Humans aren’t the only ones who use the greenhouse!
As we near the opening of the election on the Green Fee, some of us are curious to hear what students have to say about it. The Green Fee Committee has began collecting statements from students across all demographics; ASB Senators, club members, student leaders, and students at large. Here are a few of our favorites:
“My name is Evonne Aguirre; I’m a student senator here at Everett Community College and I am in support the Green Fee Initiative. Every day I see my peers not only working hard at creating bright futures for themselves, but also are coming together in support of protecting our planet through continued efforts to keep EvCC eco-friendly. This student-led initiative reflects the care that we as students share for wanting to foster a healthy environment, and the Green Fee has the potential to help us reach our goals of creating a future for our planet that’s as promising as our students. I’m proud of what our students have accomplished so far, and I’m excited to see what new heights we can reach when we pass the EvCC Green Fee Initiative!”
– Evonne Aguirre, ASB Senator
“I’m supporting the green fee because I think that for the price of my breakfast from Starbucks once a quarter, promoting sustainable programs on my college campus is a no-brainer. Being a good steward of the Earth is something I think we should all want to do, and this has got to be the absolute easiest way to do it.”
– Cameron Calder, ASB Senator & Social Justice and Current Events Coordinator
“I support the Green Fee because great things start from small community. In this era of technology, we need more initiative to keep the Earth safe while working on new innovations, and i know this Green Fee is a good start!”
– Zarith Sofiy Mohammad Azlan, ASB Senator & Student Ambassador
I’m voting green because I believe in funding opportunities for students to become more engaged in sustainability on campus.
– Katherine Abdallah, SEA Club President
“I support the Green Fee Initiative because I know that my small contribution will lead to a more sustainable campus, thus making a positive impact for generations to come. Together we can lead the way to a sustainable future by supporting this initiative. “
– Emmerson Hunter, ASB Senator
“I’m voting green because it’s the responsible thing to do!”
– Marlene Barnes, Student-at-large
Thanks to all those who provided a statement. If you’d like to provide one, just email your statement to sustainability@everettcc.edu.
EvCC Grounds works hard to manage campus grounds with an eye towards sustainability. This ethic was demonstrated recently when a tree located west of the Olympus building outgrew it’s location.
Rather than cutting down the tree, campus grounds employees John Syson, Brent Sall and Scotty Smith used campus equipment to relocate the beautiful Liquidambar Styraciflua or Liquid Amber (commonly known as an American Sweetgum).
At 30 inches in diameter and 30 feet tall, the average cost for a commercial move or purchase of a tree this size would have been $1500.00 – $2000.00! Grounds transplanted the tree for about $70.00.
The tree was removed from the Lot “A” west flower bed and planted in Lot “C” on the hillside.
“I’m happy to report that our latest shipment of laptops refurbished by 3R Technology just arrived at the Homes of Hope India orphanage in Bangalore. This facility provides housing, meals, and education for over a hundred young women and girls from one of the most disenfranchised and under-served communities in the world. These laptops help ensure much-needed education and training for their academic and employment future.” Many thanks to you and all our customers for helping us make these donations possible! Your commitment to environmentally sound and ethical electronics recycling makes a tremendous difference…”
–Glen Giados, the CEO of 3-R Technology, regarding the more than 5 tons of electronic waste that Everett Community College and local community members have recycled by partnering with 3-R Technology/Recycling in the past 3 years during EvCC Sustainability recycling events.
EvCC is ready to break ground on the wildlife habitat (Bird Garden) installation, funded by EvCC, Snohomish County Conservation District and the Pilchuck Audubon Society. Pre project pics of the largely turf covered area between the West wall of Index B and the East wall of Graywolf hall show minimal landscaping and LOTS of grass…
The project, scheduled for completion in late September of 2017, will include native plants that are bird habitat friendly as well as a water feature.
The project will not only create a wildlife habitat, but beautify this corner of the campus.
EvCC and the Pilchuck Audubon Society are in the beginning stages of planning for a wildlife habitat installation designed to support the local avian population.
EvCC Sustainability team members Molly Beeman and Max Tinsley met with Jed Holmes, the Pilchuck Audubon Society’s Backyard Habitat Coordinator late last month to determine a suitable site on EvCC’s main campus to develop a bird friendly habitat.
EvCC Sustainability and Pilchuck Audubon are currently working on developing the necessary resources for this project, which will likely be completed by summer of 2018.
On completion, the project will provide habitable spaces for bird nest construction and native plants that attract insects to support the feeding of avian young.
The completed project will result in a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife certified backyard wildlife sanctuary for Everett Community College.
This afternoon, the ASB Senate approved a proposal to open a student body election on a sustainability fee. This comes at a time when the United States government has displayed an extreme lack of leadership on issues concerning climate change and the environment, noted as one of the reasons for approving this fee proposal. The motion was nearly unanimous, with only one opposing vote.
The fee, which would be set at $0.50 per credit with a maximum of $7.50 per quarter, is intended to establish a more inclusive sustainability initiative that empowers the student body to lead EvCC toward a greener future. Widespread support has been generated from groups and individuals across campus, such as the Students for Environmental Action Club and Student LIFE. Now that this fee is officially a student body referendum, the focus of the group behind the project will shift toward reaching out to the greater campus community to educate the students on what they will be voting on. The election is anticipated to be held in early Winter Quarter during the 2017-18 academic year.
The revenue from the fee will be allocated to three different funds. The Campus Sustainability Fund will offer grant opportunities to students, staff and faculty who have the desire to implement their own “green” projects. The Green Investments Fund is a way to leverage the limited amount of money available via revolving loans and rebates, to accomplish infrastructural improvements and energy efficiency retrofits. Finally, a portion of the revenue will be allocated to the Sustainability Office to create more student employment opportunities.
This referendum is significant, as it has been expressed that it will likely determine the future of EvCC’s sustainability efforts. The original funding is nearly diminished and the College is facing cuts in state funding. This pairing of dilemmas indicates that some of the programs currently in place would go away if no solution is found, and stalls in future projects are anticipated.
Check back soon for updates on this development, or contact the EvCC Sustainability Team to get involved or learn more by emailing sustainability@everettcc.edu.
EvCC’s Leadership Academy provides a professional development opportunity for college faculty, staff, and administrators to enhance skills with specific emphasis on leadership practices, working styles, diversity, communication, group dynamics, design thinking, change management and conflict resolution. The academy takes place over the course of eight months and focuses on building small teams who work together on a projects that give back to the college.
Team Hufflepuff: Elise Robinson, Lisa Jones, Brittany Padgett, Mile Labitzke, and Stephanie Coxon
For the 2016-2017 academy, Team Hufflepuff worked with client Pat Sisneros, Vice President of College Services.
One of Pat’s areas of focus was making sustainability more institutionalized at EvCC and for the college to eventually be recognized as a national leader for sustainability. Of course, we already know that EvCC is doing some great work with sustainability, but it turns out that we needed to do a better job at telling our story and encouraging everyone to get on board.
Team Hufflepuff tackled this project with the goal of completely revamping the college’s sustainability website with easier navigation, updated images, and action-oriented language. It would be an area to show off the great work that is already happening on campus as well as bring in new tools and resources to help spark greater interest on campus.
The Results – After 8 Months
A new campaign was created (Go, See, Do!)
The website structure and design was completely overhauled
A new dashboard was created on the website, based on EvCC’s Climate Action Plan
New photos were taken to highlight areas on campus where sustainability is happening
