Green Initiatives

The College’s Gateway Center, which opened in 2010, is a gold-level LEED certified building. It is the first LEED-certified building owned by Westchester County. Designed by the internationally-renowned architectural firm Ennead Architects, The Gateway Center highlights Westchester Community College’s institutional commitment to sustainable design initiatives. Click here for more information on sustainable features of the Gateway Center. Tours of the Gateway Center with a focus on the building’s LEED features are available to the college community and to the public. If interested in scheduling a tour, please contact Eileen McKee, Welcome Center Director, at (914)606-5626.

Below are various features of Westchester Community College’s Gateway Center that address the six LEED categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.

• The project site was carefully selected to reduce environmental impact and preserve existing trees by integrating the building into the natural slope.
• The building design includes two wings surrounding a green courtyard, connected by a multi-story glass lobby with dual-level access.
• Vegetated open space helps reduce stormwater runoff and the heat island effect while supporting local wildlife.
• Stormwater is captured and treated in four bio-retention basins and a rain garden with native wetland plants.
• Located near a bus shelter served by four bus lines to encourage public transportation use.
• The perimeter features a wildflower meadow that needs only one mowing per year, reducing maintenance.
• Landscaping uses native and adaptive plants that don’t require irrigation.
• A signage tour throughout the Gateway Center highlights its sustainable features.
• High-performance glass with low-E and fritted glazing reduces heat gain.
• The building is designed for optimal daylighting, reducing energy use by over 30%.
• Steel with high recycled content is used as the main structural material.
• 90% of construction waste was recycled during the project.
• Building materials and furniture were selected for recycled content, regional sourcing, and low maintenance.
• Exterior fieldstone was sourced locally and complements the campus’s historic architecture.
• Café tables and chairs are Greenguard certified, made of 82% recycled material, and 38% recyclable.
• Office furnishings include Silver Cradle to Cradle certified workstations and chairs made of 41% recycled materials.
• Low-emitting paints, adhesives, sealants, and carpets were used to minimize toxic off-gassing.
• Ventilation systems were flushed with fresh air for two weeks before the building opened.
• High-efficiency air filters remove 80–90% of dust and pollutants.
• Air ducts were sealed during construction to protect air quality.
• A carbon dioxide monitoring system ensures proper ventilation and air quality.
• A polycarbonate skylight provides diffuse daylight to interior corridors, reducing energy use.
• The north wing exterior uses long-lasting, low-maintenance zinc panels.
• Over 50% of the maple wood is sustainably sourced and FSC certified.
• Water-saving plumbing fixtures reduce usage by 30%, saving around 95,000 gallons annually.
• Toilets feature dual-flush options for additional water conservation.
• A green housekeeping and pest control program uses Green Seal-certified products.
• A custom brise soleil on the south façade provides shade and reduces heat gain without blocking views.
• Classrooms have operable windows and thermostats for individual climate control.
• A low-mercury purchasing policy reduces hazardous materials on-site.
• Ellipse tables used in classrooms are 99% recyclable at the end of their useful life.

The Gateway Community Organic Garden will provides 30 individual garden spaces for use by faculty, staff, students, and the children and their families who attend the Virginia Marx Children’s Center. The garden will offer a collaborative working experience where volunteer gardeners can share heritage seeds and plants as well as their knowledge of organic gardening.

Our vision for the garden’s impact to extend beyond the cultivation of plants to the growth of a community that will nurture new social networks and an active awareness of the larger issues such as biodiversity, the relationship between growing practices and the planet’s health, and the tremendous import of protecting our food sources.

Mission

To educate people about the environmental necessity, economic value, and natural beauty of native plants in the Northeast.

Why Native Plants?

Plants native to the Northeast are those that naturally occur in the region. Having evolved over thousands of years, they are suited to the area’s climate, weather conditions, and soils, and are less susceptible to its pests and diseases. Once established, native plants often require little maintenance.

Native plants provide valuable sources of food and shelter for wildlife and help protect water quality by filtering stormwater pollutants and reducing soil erosion. They also provide a regional identity, a geographic “sense of place.”

Save Time. Save Money. Go Native.

• Physical Education, Student Center, Technology and Science Buildings: new installation of energy efficient air conditioning/hvac systems,
• Technology, Science, Library, Student Center and PE Buildings: Roof replacement with low impact membrane (Leed’s points).
• Children’s Center, Knollwood Building: planned replacement of building chillers and increased BMS (building management system) controls for added for monitoring.
• Campus-Wide: Oil Spill Safety Procedure in place for deliveries during “off” hours.
• Buildings: Fluorescent bulbs now crushed and recycled.
• Grounds: Tree removal/trimming – chipped for decorative mulch.
• New Projects: All projects direct design firms to incorporate green initiatives and energy efficient equipment that are in compliance with LEED standards. Design firms are directed to incorporate storm water management practices that keep storm water on site and prevent them from discharging into estuaries. A Solar Power Feasibility Study is in progress, which is determining which buildings are candidates for installation of solar panels.

2013 Recycling Statistics

Pulp 24.060 tons

Commingled 1.3 tons

Recycling Units are located in buildings, outside at entrances and in parking lots on Campus. The blue units are interior containers and green, exterior. The unit labeling has recently been revised to reflect additional acceptable commingled items as well as further explanation of pulp receivables.

Janitorial Supplies

100% Recycled paper products
Enviro Solutions Neutral Cleaners:
Floor 84
Glass 77 NFP
Spray & Wipe 74
Neutral Disinfectant Concentrate 256
Cleaning stations (below) are located in the Academic Arts, Technology, Classroom and Student Center Buildings
Receiving/Supply Inventory

Recycled paper, pencils, blue books and folders.