Dallas College

July, 2022

Since 1965, Dallas College has served more than 3 million students. Dallas College has been a member of GCSE since 2013 and one of the first community colleges to join and participate in the GCSE Leaders’ Alliance. Dallas College strengthens their community by modeling, teaching, and serving as an anchor institution for sustainable development in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Dallas College is educating and empowering more than 100,000 students each year to make sustainable decisions that help create an equitable society, a healthy environment, and a thriving economy. Dallas College is the only two-year college in Texas to earn a rating (Silver) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) on the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). 

Their commitment to sustainability impacts everyday decisions — from academic offerings to campus architecture and campus operations. They are champions of sustainable solutions, and also encourage their students, employees, business partners and community members to seek sustainable solutions. Their local and global sustainability efforts include: 

  • Two individuals looking at a silver Apple Laptop. One is a woman in orange and the other is a male in a dark navy jacket.Free educational outreach programs and events that engage hundreds of students and community members each year (e.g., Sustainable U Speaker Series, an annual Sustainability Summit and E-waste recycling events at seven locations throughout their service area) 
  • Departmental specific programs such as Sustainable Purchasing and Energy Efficiency 
  • Regular workshops to teach faculty how to infuse sustainability into their existing courses 
  • Collaboration with the cities they serve to connect students, faculty and employee’s projects to city initiatives. For example, Dallas College served as a convener for stakeholder participation in the design phase of the City of Dallas Comprehensive Environmental & Climate Action Plan (CECAP). 
  • Efforts to serve as science advisor to local decision-makers. For example, a Dallas College employee who serves on of the Environmental Commission advises the City Council on issues related to the environment and sustainability, as well as providing guidance on the implementation of CECAP. 
  • Projects to encourage students and faculty to be Global citizens, participate in the Global Citizenship Alliance (GCA) and promote education for engaged knowledge and responsible action in an interdependent world.  

Did you know? 

Dallas College’s downtown campus, El Centro, has experimented with adding electricity-generating wind turbines on the roof several times. Ironically, the neighboring high-rise buildings create a wind tunnel, and none of the prototypes have been able to withstand the fierce winds.