The College of Southern Maryland is committed to reducing our impact on the environment. We continually strive to improve our environmental performance over time and to initiate additional projects and activities that will further reduce our impact on the environment.
CSM is committed to:
Complying with all applicable environmental regulations;
Preventing pollution whenever possible;
Educating our staff and students on our environmental program and empowering them to contribute and participate;
Communicating our environmental commitment and efforts to our students, staff and our community; and
Improving over time by striving to measure our environmental impacts and by setting goals to reduce these impacts each year.
Initiatives
Bee Campus
The College of Southern Maryland is a certified affiliate of the Bee Campus USA Program. CSM’s Bee Campus USA plan includes the planting of native, pollinator-friendly plants and a least-toxic integrated pest management plan, along with ideas for awareness events and student service-learning projects enhancing pollinator habitats.
La Plata Campus Community Education (CE) Building Silver
Prince Frederick Campus Building B Silver
Regional Hughesville Campus Center for Trades and Energy Training (CT Building) Gold
Center for Health Sciences (HS Building) Silver
Water-Filling Stations
Filtered water filling stations are available to students, faculty, staff, and visitors on all campuses.
More than 90,000 water bottles have been saved from going into the landfill!
Highlights
Planting Native, Pollinator-Friendly Plants
The College of Southern Maryland is a certified affiliate of the Bee Campus USA Program. CSM’s Bee Campus USA plan includes the planting of native, pollinator-friendly plants and a least-toxic integrated pest management plan, along with ideas for awareness events and student service-learning projects enhancing pollinator habitats.
CSM faculty, staff, and students joined the college's Environmental Sustainability Committee to clean up trash around CSM's four campuses in recognition of Earth Day.
Creating a "Bee-utiful" Mural
CSM Art Professor Bonnie Castlebury and her art students joined to recognize CSM's commitment to pollinators by creating a ‘bee-utiful mural on a SMO gas tank at the La Plata Campus last year.
CSM has an Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC), which meets regularly and provides leadership in all issues related to the college’s sustainability. Membership for the ESC include staff, faculty, and students, representing all campuses. The committee reflects the college’s commitment to responsible stewardship of environmental resources and aspires to work toward a sustainable campus life which protects and enhances the environment and health of the faculty, staff and students.
The purpose of the committee is to:
Identify sustainability opportunities and issues and make recommendations to the administration for changes (advisory);
Increase the campus-wide environmental awareness (education); and
Coordinate current and future sustainability efforts (coordination).
CSM’s Environmental Sustainability Committee fulfills its mission and purpose by establishing yearly goals and accomplishing Green focused projects and initiatives.
CSM's Environmental Sustainability Committee has identified the following goals to reduce the college’s environmental impact.
Goal 1: Increase energy efficiency and reduce energy costs
Goal 2: Decrease disposal of plastic bottles by promoting the use of on-campus filtered water filling stations through awareness campaign.
Goal 3: Increase recycling by staff and students on campuses.
Goal 4: Increase awareness of and promote sustainability efforts on campuses.