PORTLAND, OR - From Portland Community College: Portland Community College is doing its part to combat climate change, and people have taken notice. The state's largest college won the annual Second Nature Climate Leadership Award for two-year colleges. The honor recognizes innovative and advanced leadership in sustainability, climate mitigation, and resilience at signatory campuses of the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments. Second Nature and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Loyola University Chicago and Portland Community College are the lone recipients.

PCC has done its part to reduce pollution and energy use. The college has managed to reduce energy consumption by 65 percent per square foot since 2006, counts nine LEED-certified buildings including a net zero LEED Platinum center in its portfolio, and has three solar installments totaling more than 700 kilowatts.

"This is a big deal, since the network includes hundreds of member institutions leading the charge in climate action," said Briar Schoon, PCC's sustainability manager. "We are honored to have won this award, which validates the great work PCC is doing to advance sustainability and affect positive change."

All of these efforts support its Climate Action Plan, created and signed in 2013. Its mission is to reduce the college's carbon footprint and "promote healthy, equitable systems." Also, PCC has:

* Improved indoor air quality with the reduction of flame-retardant fabrics. Used recycled-content office supplies, which account for 27 percent of annual office purchases.

"Many organizations don't even look at these emissions because they're too difficult to tackle, but PCC is taking the challenge head-on," said Schoon.

Second Nature offers these awards in partnership with the USGBC since 2015. Award winners are recognized as part of the Greenbuild Leadership Awards Program, benefiting from global publicity opportunities. Second Nature is the largest organization working to advance climate solutions in higher education. PCC's President Mark Mitsui sits on the steering committee, and PCC reports its climate progress to Second Nature annually.

"By prioritizing sustainable practices and environmental literacy as part of their mission, Loyola University Chicago and Portland Community College are leading the charge in mitigating climate change and fostering well-rounded and informed global citizens," said Jaime Van Mourik, vice president of Education at USGBC.

"We are thrilled to recognize this year's winners, honorable mentions and finalists for their dedication to creating a strong culture of sustainability and stewardship in higher education, and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps."

What PCC is Doing in Sustainability:

PCC has become a leader in the field of sustainable purchasing. In 2013, the college was invited to be a founding member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, a national nonprofit that convenes buyers, suppliers and public interest advocates to develop programs that simplify and standardize sustainable purchasing. PCC is one of five schools and the nation's only community college serving on the Founders Circle.

This summer, the PCC Board passed a resolution to divest college money from fossil fuel-producing and socially irresponsible companies and investments. PCC is one of a handful of higher education institutions nationwide and the only community college in Oregon to have officially divested in this manner.

The college promotes sustainability education with a Sustainability Focus Award and 100+ sustainability-related courses. Students gain hands-on experience, leading projects through the student-funded Green Initiative Fund, which has provided more than $800,000 for innovative programs such as reusable to-go containers, learning gardens, waste education centers, office composting, and Earth Week events.

PCC is also a founding member of the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network, a UNU-IAS Regional Center of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development, helping implement Agenda 2030 and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The college hosted this year's annual Sustainability Symposium.

And finally, PCC was given the APPA: Leadership in Education Facilities with the 2016 International Sustainability Award in 2016. The award is designed to recognize and advance sustainability excellence in educational facilities and to applaud the integration of sustainable policies and "green" practices throughout all facets of an organization.

About Portland Community College:

Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon and provides training, degree and certificate completion, and lifelong learning to more than 75,000 full- and part-time students in Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas, and Columbia counties. The PCC bond measure of $185 million would improve workforce training programs to better align with current and future jobs, invest in training for Health and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs, and upgrade safety, security, longevity and disability access. If passed, it is estimated to maintain the tax rate of 40 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value for the next 16 years.

Visit PCC news on the web at http://news.pcc.edu/

Image via Portland Community College