Commitment to Sustainability and Environmental Compliance

Dallas College believes that our organization has a financial, social and environmental responsibility to the community to ensure a healthy and sustainable future for Dallas County and its citizens.

Dallas College is committed to sustainability

• We comply with local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations
• We actively promote and participate in conservation and pollution prevention activities
• We continuously integrate process improvements in our operations
• We purchase environmentally responsible goods and services
• We educate other Dallas College departments on how to make sustainable purchases

Compliance is a shared responsibility

The environmental performance of Dallas College’s contractors, vendors and consultants directly affects our ability to protect the environment and comply with environmental laws and regulations.

If selected as a contractor, vendor or consultant, you also will be responsible for knowing and complying with the environmental protection laws, ordinances and regulations which apply to the work you do for Dallas College.

We prefer to purchase environmentally preferable products

Environmentally preferable products and services have a lesser or reduced negative effect on human health and the environment when compared to competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

Examples of environmentally preferable products and services

We demonstrate our commitment to sustainability in these ways:

• We comply with local, state and federal environmental laws and regulations.
• We actively promote and participate in conservation and pollution prevention activities.
• We continuously integrate process improvements in our operations.
• We purchase environmentally responsible goods and services.
• We offer sustainability programming in the following areas:
  • Academics
  • Administration and Planning
  • Operations

  • Outreach and Engagement
  • Urban Agriculture
• We document Dallas College’s sustainability efforts in:
  • Strategic Sustainability Plan (link to Executive Summary)
  • Resilience and Climate Action Plan (in development)

Dallas College supports local and global goals

• Dallas College sustainability planning includes existing Climate Action Plans developed by the individual campuses before the consolidation into one, new Dallas College.
• The Dallas College Campus Climate Action Plans established mid-range and long-term goals for:
  • carbon neutrality
  • data collection and reporting
  • energy efficiency
  • alternative and renewable energy
  • water conservation
  • behavior change
  • green building
  • waste and recycling
  • landscaping
  • transportation
  • fleet management

  • sustainability education in workforce careers and academic transfer
  • distance learning
  • telecommuting
  • student engagement
  • community engagement
  • public private partnerships
  • funding and financial incentives
  • employee development and training
  • purchasing
  • and new buildings outlined in the Campus Master Plans to meet needs of enrollment growth
• More recently, the Dallas College 2019 Bond Program outlines the new building needs to meet enrollment growth projections by 2030. The program includes sustainability features in all new buildings and outlines goals to meet the THECB 60x30 Plan for workforce, technology and decreasing student debt.
• Sustainability Features of New Buildings on Phase 1 include:
  • Building orientation optimized based on local sun paths and shade
  • Engagement with local and regional supplies
  • Building materials with post-consumer recycled content
  • Utilization of low-flow plumbing fixtures for water conservation
  • Products and colors for exterior hardscapes that reduce heat island effect
  • Design to provide access to quality transit systems
  • Design to provide micro-mobility
  • Passive and active daylighting strategies for occupied spaces
  • LED lighting for energy conservation
• Dallas College has a goal to streamline these six plans into one Resilience and Climate Action Plan (RCAP) by 2025. In the interim, these six campus plans serve as a guide for our sustainability goals in Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Administration:
  • Brookhaven Campus Climate Action Plan
  • Cedar Valley Campus Climate Action Plan
  • Eastfield Campus Climate Action Plan
  • Mountain View Campus Climate Action Plan
  • North Lake Campus Climate Action Plan
  • Richland Campus Climate Action Plan
• Dallas College Aspirational High Performance Building Guidelines
• City of Dallas Comprehensive Environmental and Climate Action Plan (CECAP)
• City of Dallas Resiliency Plan
• City of Dallas Urban Forest Master Plan
• City of Dallas City-Wide Plans
• Roadmap to Net Zero Buildings: Ten Big Steps
• City of Dallas Local Solid Waste Management Plan (Net Zero Waste by 2040)
• The Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments – Five of Dallas County Community College District’s seven colleges signed Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitment and one college signed Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment.
• United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Other regional municipal plans:

• City of Cedar Hill Sustainability Action Plan
• City of Coppell Vision 2040 Plan’s Smart City Natural Resource Components
• City of Desoto Comprehensive Plan’s Environmental Components
• City of Farmers Branch Sustainability Plan
• City of Irving Comprehensive Plan’s Conservation, Sustainability and Green Initiatives
• City of Lancaster Comprehensive Plan
• City of Mesquite Comprehensive Plan