At ACC, we don’t want to just talk about going green – we want to make it happen! The college has rolled out a number of initiatives that are making us better stewards of the environment.

To make this happen, ACC prepared the foundation by collecting ONE DOLLAR from each college student for each credit hour, this Green Fund set Austin Community College on our way in 2009 to implementing sustainability initiatives.

Being that ACC is a commuter college with no on-campus housing and campuses scattered throughout Central Texas, transportation was identified as a good place to start, also 2010 Greenhouse Gas Inventory showed that the Commuting is responsible for 41% of the college’s GHG emissions.

Since 2009, the college has rolled out a series of interlocking TDM (Transportation Demand Management) strategies, there is no single solution to this challenge.

ACC’s first initiative was to reduce single occupant vehicle miles. Encouraging carpooling was a no-brainer, but increasing mass transit ridership was important.

So, the green pass was born! Electric Car Charging Stations are fast becoming a hit with staff, students and the public, as are incentives for driving fuel-efficient cars.

Since the Green Pass program started, there’s already been a shift in how people commute to the campuses, with a greater percentage using alternatives to single occupant vehicles. Bus ridership is up, and indications show a positive impact on overall greenhouse gas emission.

Our students are helping ACC go green one dollar at a time.