Cerritos College Wins Green Leadership Award for Water Conservation

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Nov 17, 2014, 09:00 ET

NORWALK, Calif., Nov. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cerritos College received the Green Community College Leadership Award for its water conservation efforts that is saving the campus 30 million gallons of water annually.

More than 95 percent of the College's landscape and athletic fields are maintained by using reclaimed water. This is equivalent to the amount of water that 185 families of four would use for one year, and saves the District more than $20,000 annually. Other water conservation measures include the use of drought-resistant plants and California-native vegetation. The District is also re-landscaping more than one linear mile of frontage roads that will utilize a highly efficient drip irrigation system.

Dr. David El Fattal, vice president, Business Services, accepted the award on behalf of the College at the Green California Schools & Community Colleges Summit and Exposition. Dr. El Fattal was also featured on the Future of Zero Net Energy for Public Facilities in California panel, highlighting the College's Integrated Energy Master Plan. The Integrated Energy Master Plan is the first of its kind at a California community college and will be a model program through the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. The plan embodies a holistic approach that integrates energy planning with the College's educational and facilities master plan. The program is designed to reduce or eliminate the use of energy consumed by the campus' 41 buildings. This joint effort includes Cerritos College, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, Southern California Edison, and architectural and engineering firm Harley Ellis Devereaux.

The Green Community College Leadership Awards is sponsored by Green Technology Magazine and honors sustainability projects at California's community colleges in four categories: resource management, energy, curriculum, and green building.

"We are honored to receive this recognition," said Dr. Linda Lacy, president/superintendent, Cerritos College. "We are committed to resource conservation and are extremely proud of the progress we've made toward our water and energy conservation efforts."

For more information about Cerritos College's green campus efforts, please visit: www.cerritos.edu/greencerritos

About Cerritos College: Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college's district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently averages 23,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at http://www.cerritos.edu/.