At A Glance

Outdoor Environment
We are blessed with a beautiful backdrop in Middletown to study and work “up on the hill” with scenic views of the Connecticut River Valley. In Meriden, we are part of a vibrant downtown community, constantly reinventing itself.
The MxCC community has provided much care and attention to its physical appearance on both campus locations to provide opportunities for education and enjoyment outdoors. On the Middletown campus, students, faculty, and staff schedule ongoing “trail maintenance days” to remove invasive species and gardens-1clear walking trails through the forest. You’ll find a variety of planned nature ‘pockets’ including herb, rain, veterans’, and diversity gardens, an intentional meadow, and Presidential’s Permaculture Orchard.
Daily Operations
  • “Green” office, classroom, kitchen, and bathroom products produced with a higher percentage of recycled materials are purchased whenever possible.
  • Environmentally-safe pest control chemicals are used and only when absolutely necessary. We have ended the use of herbicides or pesticides on grassy areas on the Middletown campus.
  • Printed materials (including catalogs and course schedules) are replaced with digital versions whenever possible.
  • Printers are set to default two-sided printing.
  • Water bottle filling stations (fountains) have been installed on both campuses eliminating waste from nearly 49,000 plastic bottles.
  • Ongoing exploration of green chemistry techniques in science laboratories.
Energy Efficiency Measures
  • Twenty-five percent of MxCC’s electricity is purchased from hydro, thermal, solar, natural gas and other environmentally friendly sources.
  • Motion sensors have been installed in all classrooms and work spaces. Parking lot lighting is set on automatic timers.
  • Parking lot signage on the Middletown campus is solar-powered.wrong way-1
  • Commuting via bicycles, carpools or  mass transportation (including bio-friendly buses) is highly-encouraged. A majority of students on the Meriden campus are able to take advantage of mass transportation.
Recycling
  • e-waste recycling-9Annual e-cycling events and “Flippin’ Free” swap are held every April during Earth Week. Each year, over 37,000 pounds of electronics are diverted from the waste stream through the e-cycling event.
  • Yellow suggestions boxes for waste reduction across the campus solicit ideas from students, faculty, and staff. An annual waste audit occurs during Earth Week.
  • About 18,000 pounds of waste metal are recycled from MxCC’s two campus locations each year.
  • On an ongoing basis, an “Electronics Plus” recycling station located in the MxCC Library (Middletown) allows for the collection and proper disposal of small elecelectronics, CFL bulbs, gift cards, batteries, printer cartridges, and more.

 

Source: MxCC Sustainability Report (2014)