Sustainability Plan: Strategies

The College will incorporate sustainability, resilience, energy efficiency, maintainability, and lifecycle cost considerations into the planning, design, construction, renovation, and operation of campus facilities. Projects should incorporate applicable codes, regulations, and recognized industry best practices, as appropriate to the scope, function, budget, and intended use of the facility.

Areas of consideration may include:

• Energy efficiency and building performance
• Building systems optimization and commissioning
• Water conservation and efficiency
• Indoor environmental quality and occupant comfort
• Sustainable and durable building materials
• Waste reduction and construction material recycling
• Site stewardship, landscaping, and stormwater management
• Daylighting and high-efficiency lighting systems
• Building automation and controls
• Resilience, adaptability, and long-term maintainability
• Renewable energy and electrification opportunities, where practical

The College may utilize recognized sustainability frameworks, standards, certifications, and design best practices, as appropriate, to support project objectives. Design and construction guidelines will be reviewed periodically and updated as needed to reflect evolving technologies, regulatory requirements, operational needs, and sustainability best practices.

The Sustainability Committee will review criteria in the Design & Construction Guidelines periodically and make recommendations as deemed necessary to advance the College's sustainability practices.

Effective management of airflow, moisture, and heat transfer is important to maintaining occupant comfort, protecting building assets, and reducing energy consumption. As part of ongoing facility operations, the College may assess building envelope performance, indoor environmental conditions, and weatherization features when warranted by building conditions, energy performance trends, occupant concerns, renovation planning, or other operational needs.

Assessment methods may include indoor environmental quality evaluations, airflow and infiltration investigations, thermal imaging, building automation system data review, and other diagnostic techniques as appropriate. Findings may be used to inform maintenance activities, capital planning, recommissioning efforts, and opportunities to improve building performance and energy efficiency.

For new construction or renovation projects impacting mechanical systems, HVAC equipment will be integrated with a centralized building automation system (BAS). Classrooms, offices, and conference rooms will be equipped with occupancy sensors that communicate with the lighting and HVAC controls to allow equipment to enter standby when spaces are not in use.

During occupied hours, the College will typically maintain indoor temperatures at approximately 70°F ± 2°F during the heating season and 74°F ± 2°F during the cooling season, with exceptions for specialized spaces such as data centers, laboratories, and areas that house temperature-sensitive equipment or materials.

When lighting fixtures require replacement or where comprehensive renovations are appropriate, the Facilities department will update existing equipment to more energy efficient technologies, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Except where required for safety or security, interior lighting shall be turned off when spaces are unoccupied. The College will incorporate occupancy sensors, scheduling controls, and other energy-efficient lighting technologies into renovation and new construction projects. Where feasible, building automation systems will utilize occupancy and scheduling information to reduce HVAC operation in underutilized spaces and during unoccupied periods.

In accordance with the Florida State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF), building and walkway lighting levels will be maintained at an appropriate luminance to ensure safety during campus operational hours. Exterior lighting schedules will be designed to meet the educational and operational needs of the College while minimizing energy waste, light pollution and trespass. Lighting design shall balance energy efficiency, sustainability, and dark-sky principles with campus safety and security requirements.

Heating, cooling, and ventilating unoccupied or underutilized spaces can result in unnecessary energy consumption and increased operating costs. Because many campus spaces are occupied intermittently, effective space management can improve operational efficiency while reducing energy use. The Sustainability Committee will aid in the development and implementation of Space Management Guidelines that:

• Survey and update campus space inventories by room type, capacity and equipment
• Identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption through improved space planning and operational practices
• Promote the efficient utilization and scheduling of campus spaces
• Incorporate space utilization, energy efficiency, and sustainability considerations into facility planning, renovation, and new construction projects
• Promote best practices for the day-to-day use of common spaces
• Support continuous assessment and improvement of campus space management practices

Computers, office equipment, appliances, and other plug-load devices contribute significantly to campus energy consumption. The College will incorporate energy efficiency into purchasing decisions and, where practical, give preference to ENERGY STAR® certified equipment. Departments are encouraged to consider energy performance, operational needs, and lifecycle costs when evaluating equipment purchases, maintenance, replacement, and upgrade opportunities.

The College will encourage the installation of water-efficient plumbing fixtures and equipment in new construction and renovation projects. Where practical, WaterSense®-certified fixtures should be specified, and project teams should consider water conservation, lifecycle costs, maintenance requirements, and applicable code requirements when selecting plumbing systems and fixtures.

The College will promote responsible waste management practices that support sustainability, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance. In collaboration with campus stakeholders and service providers, the College will periodically evaluate waste streams, recycling opportunities, and material recovery programs to identify opportunities for waste reduction and diversion from landfills.

Priority will be given to reducing material consumption and encouraging reuse whenever practical, with recycling and other diversion strategies serving as complementary measures. The College may implement, modify, expand, or discontinue recycling and waste diversion programs based on operational needs, market conditions, available infrastructure, participation levels, and program effectiveness.

Waste management practices will be reviewed periodically to support continuous improvement, increase resource conservation, and advance the College's sustainability objectives. Opportunities to improve waste diversion, recycling, composting, surplus property reuse, and other sustainable materials management initiatives will be evaluated as appropriate.

Seminole State College of Florida has already begun the work of building curriculum around sustainability. The College has established an interdisciplinary Sustainability Certificate for first- and second-year undergraduates with course options in fields as diverse as renewable energy, construction, engineering, design, automotive technology, business, public policy, and physical and biological sciences.

Where appropriate to the program of study, Seminole State will continue to develop new courses and training programs related to sustainability, its ethics, science and technologies. However, sustainability can also be infused throughout the curriculum, such that it becomes a theme integral to all courses and programs.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which envision a more equitable, resilient and sustainable world, present a broad scope of social, economic and environmental concerns and touch on a wide range of academic fields of inquiry. These global goals can be used as a lens for investigating how each discipline contributes in its own way toward a sustainable future.

The Sustainability Committee and the Facilities Energy & Sustainability Manger will collaborate with faculty across the College to integrate environmental awareness and responsibility into existing courses and student learning outcomes. Professors will be encouraged to identify thematic links between their course material and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—both within career programs and the Arts & Sciences—and the College will consider providing support to faculty in their work to realize this alignment. The College will formalize these connections and create a forum for sharing lesson plans on discipline-specific sustainability topics and applications.

Campus energy projects, green-built renovations and other sustainability initiatives on campus may also serve the educational mission of the College by providing real-life examples of applied sustainable design and problem-solving.

Where possible the Facilities Energy & Sustainability Manager will work to make project documents and data available to faculty for use as resources in the classroom, both to enhance critical discussion and to serve as templates for hands-on projects and interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities.

Consequently, as the College progresses toward achieving its sustainability goals, the campus itself will evolve into a living laboratory for sustainable systems thinking, and interdisciplinary and co-curricular learning.

For sustainability to become a part of the College culture it must be highly visible on campus, not merely a topic for occasional lecture and discussion. The physical landscape, whether natural or built, presents an immersive learning opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members.

Educational displays will be designed to highlight and provide context for sustainability initiatives on campus and to underscore the environmental and economic issues at play. Key topics for explication include a project’s technical details, its impacts on the natural environment, its relation to the campus Sustainability Plan, and its thematic links with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As the institutional culture evolves toward the values of sustainability, Seminole State College of Florida will seek to incorporate sustainability content and principles into all facets of the student experience in the classroom and beyond.

Campus sustainability initiatives should encourage participation from academic departments, student clubs, organizations, and campus services, and welcome feedback and innovative ideas from the student body at large. 

The College will support student-led initiatives that further the institution’s mission and vision for sustainability, such as the formation of a Student Sustainability Council, the establishment of a Sustainability Colloquium, or the development of a new campus program. The Sustainability Committee may help to provide guidance and make recommendations as needed.

For Seminole State College of Florida to serve as a model for sustainability in the community, the College must take initiative to raise awareness about the principles of sustainable development and encourage community-wide participation. The College should share its goals and document its progress toward achieving them. 

Each new iteration of the Sustainability Plan will be shared through the College website, along with project results to date. The Sustainability Committee will announce its meeting times, locations and agenda in advance and encourage students, faculty and staff to attend and share their ideas. Minutes will be posted regularly.

The Sustainability Committee will collaborate with academic departments and student groups to support community educational and cultural events that highlight current issues in sustainability. The College will further publicize its sustainability initiatives through its Newsroom and social media accounts.

To emphasize that sustainability is an essential feature of Seminole State’s identity and a guiding ethos in its relationships with the broader community and the natural world, the College has committed to “promote sustainability and minimize environmental impacts” as a part of its 2025 Strategic Plan. By reducing waste, curbing emissions, and promoting environmental education and sustainable practices to students and staff, Seminole State hopes to engage community members, to enhance educational outcomes, and to better serve Seminole County and the Central Florida region.  

Among its strategic goals, Seminole State College of Florida endeavors to foster community partnerships that will strengthen its educational programs, enhance its facilities and create new opportunities for its students, employees and community. Through its years of service, the College has amassed a vast network of industry and community partners—both through necessity of its operations and through the impact of its workforce and career training programs.

Where applicable the College will seek to leverage its relationships with local businesses to achieve its goals of modeling sustainable practices and educating its community on the principles and the technologies that support sustainable development. 

Experts from local industry, government and nonprofits can enhance instruction and promote student development through internships and volunteer opportunities; the sponsorship of hands-on projects; the proffering of case studies for classroom discussion; guest lectures or instructional tours; and service on program advisory committees.

Colleges and universities may face unique obstacles and opportunities in their pursuit of sustainability initiatives, but by virtue of their educational charges they hold a surer responsibility to emulate best practices and deliberate planning. Led by its Sustainability Committee, the College will seek out opportunities to collaborate with other institutions of higher education, to share best practices in sustainable operations and the integration of sustainability into curriculum. 

Seminole State College of Florida is a member of the Global Council for Science & the Environment (GCSE) and has contributed to the organization’s Community College Handbook for Sustainability Education & Operations, an iterative journal highlighting case studies on sustainability initiatives in public two-year colleges. The Sustainability Committee recommends that Seminole State College of Florida also join the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and will periodically assess the benefits of participating in other national organizations.

Within the State of Florida, Seminole State College was a founding signatory in Spring 2021 of the Central Florida Higher Education Partnership for Sustainable Development (HEPSD), a regional consortium of colleges and universities dedicated to promoting sustainability on campus, in the classroom and in the broader community. Additionally, faculty and staff from the College have been designated Community Fellows of the Center for Global Economic & Environmental Opportunities (GEEO) at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

Within its service area, the College will continue to build on its relationship with Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) and create more connections in the PreK-12 space to educate students of all ages and backgrounds on the principles of resilience and sustainable development.