Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 35.38
Liaison Rachael Rost-Allen
Submission Date June 17, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Johnson County Community College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.20 / 4.00 Kim Criner
Student Sustainability Engagement Coordinator
Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Is the institution utilizing the campus as a living laboratory for multidisciplinary student learning and applied research in the following areas?:
Yes or No
Air & Climate ---
Buildings ---
Dining Services/Food Yes
Energy Yes
Grounds Yes
Purchasing ---
Transportation ---
Waste ---
Water ---
Coordination, Planning & Governance ---
Diversity & Affordability ---
Health, Wellbeing & Work ---
Investment ---
Public Engagement ---
Other ---

A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Air & Climate and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Buildings and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Dining Services/Food and the positive outcomes associated with the work:

Students enrolled in the Sustainable Agriculture Practicum (part of our Sustainable Agriculture Certificate Program) maintain the campus's 2+ acre farm fields using sustainable methods such as crop rotation, cover cropping, integrated pest management and more. This produce is served by dining services, used in the prep kitchens of our culinary program and featured in special campus events to engage other students in local foods. Students are learning sustainable farming skills while producing food that is prepared and consumed right here on campus, lessening the need for items transported in from outside vendors.


A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Energy and the positive outcomes associated with the work:

Students in the Solar Technology Certificate Program have built and installed a number of functional photovoltaic installations on campus, including five personal device charging stations available to students across campus; a 3KW array on the roof of the Compost Shed, providing electricity directly to our 2 cubic-yard in-vessel compost system; and another 3KW grid-tied "lab" array that is reassembled every semester by a new cohort (functional and supplying electricity approx. 10 mos of the year). Thus the campus is able to offset utility loads with alternative energy and operate our compost project with little added energy footprint.


A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Grounds and the positive outcomes associated with the work:

Students in Physical Geography Lab - GEOS 141 - test standing and running water in the ATB Creek, Stoll Pond, and the forebay of the main vegetated submerged bed of the campus stormwater management project each semester - 3 areas of campus where stormwater runoff collects. All students participate and this usually takes 1-2 lab sessions. Each lab session is 2 hours in length.
When water levels and conditions are advantageous, students also test the bioretention cell and the drain of the main vegetated submerged bed, which are mid- and post- points in the stormwater management system. Variables measured include: gps location, elevation, temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (conductance), total alkalinity, total hardness, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphates.
The goal is to record a history of water quality and to contrast the stormwater submerged bed areas with the non-mitigated ATB creek to compare and contrast variables and measure efficacy of the stormwater system. (Soon to add northern forested creek as a 3rd site of comparison).


A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Purchasing and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Transportation and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Waste and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Water and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Coordination, Planning & Governance and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Diversity & Affordability and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Health, Wellbeing & Work and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Investment and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory for Public Engagement and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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A brief description of how the institution is using the campus as a living laboratory in Other areas and the positive outcomes associated with the work:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s campus as a living laboratory program or projects is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Building Energy Dashboard can be added to Energy category when up and running, in next report.

Add Josh Smith's BUS:Human Relations HR/Employee wellness project to next report (will they repeat semester to semester?)

Lynne is adding two new locations to the testing in spring 2014: "This semester we will be adding the JCCC Pond, and when water is available, the north forest creek by the College Blvd. entrance." May add dissolved Oxygen to the variables: "I am hoping to add dissolved oxygen this semester."


Building Energy Dashboard can be added to Energy category when up and running, in next report.

Add Josh Smith's BUS:Human Relations HR/Employee wellness project to next report (will they repeat semester to semester?)

Lynne is adding two new locations to the testing in spring 2014: "This semester we will be adding the JCCC Pond, and when water is available, the north forest creek by the College Blvd. entrance." May add dissolved Oxygen to the variables: "I am hoping to add dissolved oxygen this semester."

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