12 Fewer Cars Worth

BLOGGER'S NOTE: The following was provided by Montgomery County Community College.

Working together, Montgomery County Community College's two campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, took second place in Pennsylvania in the national 2014 RecycleMania competition.

RecycleMania is an eight-week nationwide competition, held Feb. 2 through March 29, during which colleges and universities competed to see who can reduce, reuse and recycle the most campus waste. 

MCCC has participated for seven consecutive years. 

It was the second consecutive year, MCCC placed second among all higher education institutions in Pennsylvania in the competition’s Waste Minimization category, collecting 17.248 pounds of combined trash and recycling per capita. 

South Hall of Montgomery County Community College's

West Campus here in Pottstown.

Nationally, MCCC ranked 11th in Waste Minimization among public two-year colleges and 22nd overall. 

In the Per Capita Classic category, MCCC finished ninth among public two-year institutions nationally, with 4.658 pounds of recycling per capita. 

This positioned the college as 20th in Pennsylvania and 279th overall. 

In the Grand Champion category, MCCC scored a 27.002 percent cumulative recycling rate, positioning it eighth in Pennsylvania, 14th among public two-year institutions, and 142nd overall. 

MCCC collected a cumulative 37,390 pounds of recycling — an eight percent increase over 2013, ranking it 11th among public two-year institutions nationally, 14th in Pennsylvania, and 249th overall in the Gorilla Prize category. 

According to the U.S. EPA’s Waste Reduction Model (WARM), MCCC’s recycling efforts during the competition resulted in a greenhouse gas reduction of 63 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is translates to the energy consumption of five households or the emissions of 12 cars. 

MCCC was among the first institutions in the country to sign American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in 2007. 

The College’s sustainability efforts are led by a team of faculty, students, administrators, support staff, alumni and community members that comprise the President’s Climate Commitment Advisory Council. 

 To learn more about MCCC’s Sustainability Initiative, visit its “Think Green” blog at mc3green.wordpress.com. 

To learn more about RecycleMania or to view the full list of results, visit www.recyclemaniacs.org.