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With the tide of sustainable infrastructures becoming more and more expected in an era of high-energy costs, Pasadena City College is setting precedent by ensuring that “Measure P Projects” will be environmentally conscious. Measure P, the grand plan to renovate the college with modern facilities and currently under construction, is broken down into various segments, each adhering to different standards.

Two out of the three structures, being built just west of the R building, are to conform to the CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Arts) with the third (the Arts Complex) to fall under ‘LEED certification’, a nationally used guideline system for low energy buildings.

“We are definitely looking to move forward, to be good citizens of the world by learning to better use the resources we exhaust,” said PCC President Paulette Perfumo on the campus’ approach towards more effective energy consumption.

‘Green’ construction regarding schools consists of the utilization of natural elements such as light, clever ventilation, awnings, and opening windows inside classrooms.

The impact of each green utility greatly cuts into annual energy consumption seen in their non-green counterparts. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit group, over one-third of all energy consumed in the U.S. stems from the demand streaming from buildings and with over two-thirds of all electricity going to the same source.

Conversely, a ‘green building’ has the potential of reducing those rates by nearly 25 percent.

The recent signing into law a statewide ‘green building’ code left questions as to whether or not the campus was simply adapting to avoid penalty rather than taking initiative.

Perfumo reassured that “Measure P”, as well as any proceeding works, will have LEED certification.

“We are working with a lot of other agencies to look at all the things we can adjust to better suit a cleaner running campus now, and in the future,” said Perfumo.

Speaking as to why the two other facilities received different certification while the Arts Complex was tagged for LEED, Director of Facilities and Engineering Richard Van Pelt stated that, “The Board of Trustees has decided that the new Center for the Arts will be LEED certified.”

With a deadline still buried in dust often kicked and swirled on a backdrop of busy students finding their classes, its still not definite if the ‘green’ effect will be felt but PCC is off to a good start.

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