What exactly does “going green” mean?
Going green is a philosophy and social movement about environmental conservation and improvement.
What does going green mean for San Joaquin Delta College?
Delta College has collaborated with the Alternative Energy Consortium to develop a certificate program based on the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners guidelines.
This program will be offered at the Delta College South Campus at Mountain House.
According to the Educational Master Plan for Delta College, because Mountain House is near the Altamont wind energy farms, it was proposed the college develop a career technical emphasis on wind energy and solar energy installers and technicians.
The Mountain House campus is in the right location for wind and solar rays that would reduce the College’s reliance on the existent electrical grid.
The Educational Master Plan also states that once the program is started, it might serve as a base for expanding industrial technology and engineering programs at the College.
In addition, the Mountain House campus is also offering grants for local schools. Specifically targeting grades seven through twelve, the grant promises to bring alternative energy to the classroom. The effort benefits both the Delta campus and the community at large.
The deadline for schools interested in applying is Feb. 1, 2012.
We at the Collegian think this is a positive step for the campus.
If the program at Mountain House is expanded, it would bring about many positive changes.
Not only would it change the way we learn, but in the long run, the program will have paid for itself by saving the college money.
The efforts would also go beyond the now normal “green” elements on campus, including recycling bins and automatic light switches in the bathrooms.
We hope this is just the beginning of larger efforts to go green on the San Joaquin Delta College campus. We think being more environmentally friendly is a good move on the school and district’s part.
However, with the talk of a budget crisis, we can only hope the decisions regarding the programs at the Mountain House campus will be made mindful of spending more money than necessary.
