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Richland College Receives EPA WasteWise College/University Partner of the Year Award

Release Date: 03/22/2011
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Joe Hubbard at 214-665-2200 or [email protected]

(DALLAS – March 22, 2011) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced Richland College in Dallas has received the 2010 WasteWise College/University Partner of the Year Award. During 2009, Richland participated in RecycleMania for the first time, using thoughtful collection strategies to recycle more than 66 tons of materials and divert another 65 tons of waste from landfills during ten weeks of competition.

“Congratulations to Richland College for receiving the WasteWise College/University Partner of the Year Award,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Their efforts remind us of the importance of recycling which helps create a more sustainable culture.”

Richland has made a concerted effort to reuse items ranging from inter-office envelopes to old classroom doors, which are turned into desks for use around the campus. In 2009, Richland focused particular attention on waste prevention surrounding campus construction projects. Rather than tearing down several buildings that were no longer in use, Richland moved the structures to another area of campus and turned them into carpenter shops, and a furniture and custodial supply center. During construction of Richland’s new LEED Platinum designed and constructed science building, Sabine Hall, more than 87 percent of the construction waste was recycled, including 204 tons of concrete, 47 tons of metal, 600 tons of demolition debris, and more than 5,000 tons of sand, dirt, and soil. The soil was used to add height to berms on the north side of campus, which will provide a windbreak and reduce heating costs for buildings in the winter. Richland’s 2009 waste reduction efforts resulted in greenhouse gas emission reductions of nearly 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 220,000 gallons of gasoline. For their outstanding level of commitment to sustainability, Richland also received the 2009 Business and Industry Environmental Award from the Richardson Chamber of Commerce.

“Richland College is honored to accept the 2010 EPA WasteWise College/University Partner of the Year award as another significant accomplishment in our ongoing commitment to our Richland College vision to be the best place we can be to learn, teach, and build sustainable local and world community,” said Richland’s interim president Dr. Kay Eggleston. “We are committed to being leaders in our community and beyond by modeling ways to minimize global-warming emissions and educating our students and graduates to help achieve a future of climate neutrality resulting in a robust natural environment and an abundant quality of life for future generations.”

WasteWise is a free, voluntary EPA program through which organizations eliminate costly municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. WasteWise members can join as partners, endorsers, or both. WasteWise helps its partners meet goals to reduce and recycle municipal solid waste and selected industrial wastes.

More information on EPA’s WasteWise program is available at https://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/wastewise/index.htm

For news about Richland’s sustainability efforts, please visit http://www.rlc8.dcccd.edu/media/?cat=11 .

More about activities in EPA Region 6 is available at https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.html

EPA audio file is available at https://www.epa.gov/region6/6xa/podcast/mar2011.html