Greetings Bellevue College Community,
As I prepare for my last day at Bellevue College, May 9th, I want to thank you for the opportunity to work with you in building a more sustainable college, campus, and community.
Together, as students, faculty and staff, we have accomplished great deal in the last few years. We reduced greenhouse gas emissions for the first time in recorded history and won a national Climate Leadership Award. We are leveraging more than $3 million in energy grants. Our drive alone rate decreased more than 12%, and through student initiative, we installed the first EV fast charger on college campus west of the Mississippi. As of this quarter, sixty-five faculty have been through the Integrating Sustainability workshop, hundreds are teaching sustainability concepts, and we reached more than 3,000 students this past Earth Week alone. Perhaps most importantly we have created the institutional foundation for further progress by establishing the Office of Sustainability.
Given this, and all of your commitment and demonstrated support, I feel very confident that this effort will continue to flourish. I was offered the opportunity to do some professional development and research across the Atlantic and will be departing shortly. I look forward to following and supporting Sustainability at Bellevue College from afar and I will back in the Northwest soon. There’s so much more to do; and I encourage you all to be the change you want to see!
Deric Gruen
Sustainability Director
Bellevue College
Last Updated April 28, 2014