Our Commitment to Sustainability

Small College. Big Sustainability Impact.

Goshen College has been recognized as a leader in the field of sustainability among small liberal arts colleges.

We are a community of scholars committed to working for restorative and hope-filled solutions to our world’s sustainability challenges. We are looking for students who share our passion for restoring right relationships with each other and creation. We hope you join us.

Academic Programs

At Goshen College, all students who are interested in sustainability can gain hands-on experiences regardless of their major.

    Interdisciplinary Courses

    Many Goshen College academic departments incorporate ecological stewardship concerns into their curriculum. A sampling of courses and programs:

    • BIOL 340 Field Experience in Environmental Biology – Taken by all elementary education majors. Participants develop and conduct interpretive programs in nature study for visiting school groups.
    • HIST 345 Environmental History – Explores conditions which have led to preservation or destruction of the environment, particularly in the non-Western world.
    • PJCS 320 Borderlands – Examines U.S./Mexico border dynamics as they influence politics, economics, migration, the environment and more.
    • PHED 255 Camping and Recreation – Hands-on experience in a wilderness setting. Emphasizes low-impact camping and learning from nature.
    • English professors sometimes choose environmental themes for literature or writing courses.
      A required public health course in the nursing department includes environmental health issues.
    • All Study-Service Term sites include field trips focused on ecological stewardship concerns.

    Green Campus Initiatives

    In recent years we have taken numerous steps to reduce our carbon footprint: converting 20 percent of lawn space to native plants and prairie restoration, adding a huge solar array to the roof of the Recreation-Fitness Center, and purchasing 100 percent of campus electricity from renewable sources. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

    • 100% Renewable Energy

      In 2013, President Jim Brenneman announced that Goshen College would begin voluntarily purchasing 100% of electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power. This single action reduces the college’s carbon footprint by about 45 percent.

    • Native Laboratory Prairies

      In recent years Goshen College has converted 12 acres of its approximate 55 acres of lawn to native landscaping, establishing several areas of low-profile native grasses and perennial wildflowers. In addition to creating a more diverse landscape, this project has led to an improved habitat for birds, small mammals and insects; a reduction in mowing and chemical herbicides; less irrigation; and improved air quality.

    • LEED Certification

      Rieth Village is an ecological field station for undergraduate programs at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center. Two cottages provide housing for up to 32 students, and a third cottage serves as the initial classroom and office building. In 2007, Rieth Village was awarded the platinum LEED certification (55 points) from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest level possible.

    • Solar power

      A 924 solar panel array on top of the Rec-Fitness Center roof completely meets the energy needs of the campus’ Church-Chapel building. As well, the SunShower Collector System is a student-driven and faculty-supported project that uses solar energy to heat the shower water in the Rec-Fitness Center.

    • Smart lighting

      Goshen College uses LEDs in many locations around campus, including the elevator lights and major parking lot areas. The college also has motion light sensors in many of its buildings and in outdoor lighting facilities to cut down on amount of energy used for lighting when not needed.

    • Geothermal power

      The college uses geothermal heat pumps for the Student Apartments, Recreation-Fitness Center, Good Library, Umble Center and a portion of the Union Building. Geothermal heat pumps use moderate temperatures in the ground to boost efficiency and reduce the operational costs of heating and cooling systems.

    • Climate neutrality

      In 2007, President Brenneman signed the President’s Climate Initiative, making Goshen College the second higher education institution in Indiana and the first Mennonite college to sign the landmark commitment to climate neutrality.

      Students Get Involved

      At Goshen College, students have initiated all sorts of green projects on campus. Join our environmental club, EcoPax, volunteer with our student-led composting program, plants trees on campus, research with the Algae Town project, oversee controlled burns of the campus’s native prairies, and much more!

      • Eco-PAX

        Eco-PAX is a Goshen College club focused on environmental stewardship and sustainability. Students take leadership in initiatives that promote ecological awareness, action, education and living, by forming connections on campus and in the larger community. Projects have included composting, recycling coordination, tree planting and Elkhart River trash clean-up.

        Eco-Pax Facebook Group »

      • Composting

        In 2010, GC students began composting food waste in the college’s dining hall. On a typical weekday during the semester, about 75 to 100 pounds of food waste is produced in the dining hall. At the end of the day, a student volunteer spends 15 minutes collecting the food waste from dining hall receptacles and dumping all of the contents into the campus compost bin, a large insulated wooden box located behind the dining hall dumpsters.

      • Solar Collector

        The SunShower Collector System is a student-driven and faculty-supported project that harnesses solar energy to heat the shower water in the Recreation-Fitness Center (RFC) at Goshen College. The unique system was designed by GC physics students and faculty members and built with the help of local contractors. Students are currently researching the properties of thermal heat transfer utilizing data from the collector system.