Berkeley College Bookstore Programs
Save Resources and Help Keep Landfills Clear
 The Berkeley Bookstore has partnered with Better World Books to reuse or recycle used textbooks and promote literacy. The Bookstore has set up bins to collect textbook donations, which are mailed to Better World Books. Any usable books are sold, and the funds donated to Better World Books’ nonprofit literacy partners. Books that are unsalable and not appropriate for donation are recycled, yielding 97% of the original books as usable fiber. In the past year, 801 donated textbooks from the New York and New Jersey Campuses have saved 15 trees, 9,169 gallons of water, four cubic yards of landfill space, and 2,667 Kilowatt hours of electricity, in addition to preventing the release of 1,150 pounds of methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
In other green efforts, the Bookstore reuses cardboard boxes and recycles any excess. Scrap paper is shredded and used as stuffing for packages. Plastic shopping bags are made from recycled materials. In addition, the New York City Midtown Campus Bookstore’s Bring It Back campaign recycles plastic shopping bags and will soon be expanding to other campuses.
Seasons Greenings
 The holidays offer many opportunities to practice sustainability. From decorating to gift-giving to menu planning, eco-conscious holiday celebrations can be a satisfying way to go green.
Check out the following links for green ideas:
Do you have other suggestions for sustainable holidays? Send your suggestions to ProjectGreenPath@BerkeleyCollege.edu.
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New Code Blue Emergency Phones Are Also Green
 The new Code Blue emergency phones that were recently installed at the Garret Mountain Campus are helping to protect both students and the environment. Units that were placed in remote areas of the campus are solar powered and use cellular transmission to send 911 calls to both the 911 call center and Berkeley’s security office. Some of the units also trigger preset targets in the College’s camera system, to provide an immediate view of the call site.
Photo courtesy of T&R Alarm Systems, Inc.
Berkeley Offers New Sustainable Degree: Environmental Management
A new degree program, B.S., Management - Environmental Management, is now offered online and at the Garret Mountain, Middlesex, Bergen, and Newark Campuses. New courses, including MGT 260 Environmental Management, MGT 316 Sustainable Enterprise Management, MGT 317 Environmental Regulations and Policy, and MGT 318 Environmental Ethics in Business have been added to the curriculum. In addition, SCI410 Sustainable Solutions has been added to the Liberal Arts and Sciences course listings.
Climate Action Forum Offers Virtual Panel Discussions
The Project GreenPath Committee was pleased to present a two-part virtual Climate Action Forum during the fall quarter. Faculty, students, and community members served as panelists for two discussions, “Climate Science: What’s Happening with the Climate?” and “The Ethics of Taking Action: Should I Be Doing Something?” Members of the Berkeley community were invited to submit questions for the panelists. The videotaped discussions may still be viewed by visiting the Climate Action Forum blog.
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The Freecycle Network Encourages Green Gifting
The Freecycle Network is a global grassroots network and nonprofit organization made up of more than 4,800 groups and over 6 million members whose mission is to “to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.” By joining a local group, members of the network can post messages about items they wish to give away or receive. Freecycle estimates that current worldwide efforts are keeping over 500 tons of garbage a day out of landfills.
Numerous local groups operate in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and provide a useful alternative to hauling useable items to the curb for garbage collection. To find a group in your location, visit www.freecycle.org.
Berkeley College Joins Other Colleges in Climate Commitment
In July, Berkeley College President Dr. Dario A. Cortes signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which commits the College to developing a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality. The commitment calls for Berkeley College to
- Create institutional structures to guide the development and implementation of the plan
- Complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions
- Initiate interim actions to reduce greenhouse gases while developing the comprehensive plan
Berkeley's action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports will be posted on the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment website.
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