In response to the College of Marin Board of Trustees’ 2004 resolution on environmental stewardship and sustainable facilities, and recognizing a need to contribute to a global reduction in greenhouse gases, the Marin Community College District is focusing sustainability efforts around several key initiatives and educational opportunities:

Renewable Energy
A 16-structure system at the Kentfield campus’s Diamond Physical Education Complex includes 72 photovoltaic panels and is expected to produce 210 kilowatts of electricity, enough to supply approximately 50% of the PE Center’s power needs.

LEED Certification
LEED certification requires new and modernized buildings to be energyefficient, reduce water consumption, and maintain high air quality. Examples of LEED credits include recycled or recyclable building materials, transportation demand management, green roofs, and tobacco smoke control. All six current Measure C building projects are registered, and at least one of the projects is expected to reach at least gold certification.

Geothermal Heat Exchange Systems
Both COM campuses have installed ground-source heat exchange systems for several bond-funded projects. These systems, installed under existing parking lots, will heat or cool piped water in a closed loop feeding to building heating and cooling
equipment. This system will reduce
the amount of energy required to heat
and cool the new buildings.

Environmental Impact Reports
Since the Board certified EIRs for the Measure C bond program in November 2007, the District has been moving forward with implementation of mitigation measures, which, like LEED, are diverse in nature. Some of the mitigation measures, such as transportation demand management, overlap with LEED credits. Others, such as cultural resources monitoring, are specific to this program.

Instructional Programs
Various instructional programs at the College of Marin have also recognized the critical need to build a sustainable world and are contributing their own
initiatives. Examples include three highly visible IVC programs:

• The Center of Sustainable Horticulture
• Water Management and
  Technology Education Center
• Solar Panel Certificate Program

In addition, the student-led the Environmental Action Club is working on recycling, composting and other waste management initiatives.

College of Marin Construction Update

Facility Project Overviews —
Click here to see details about all major construction projects.

Construction projects at College of Marin have been going full steam ahead for the past two years. The Diamond PE Center at the Kentfield Campus reopened its doors this fall, and construction continues at the new Main Building and Transportation Technology Complex at Indian Valley Campus. The new Fine Arts Building and Science / Math / Central Plant facility have broken ground at the Kentfield campus. All of these projects are using sustainable building principles that will conserve energy and water and meet LEED standards.