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PC will implement five sustainability initiatives this spring, including planting an organic garden and replacing the gas-powered hospitality cart with an electric- and solar-powered one.

Green efforts also include forming a team of students to increase energy efficiency in campus buildings, providing a station for campus community to inflate vehicle tires, and replacing actual shark specimens with plasticized varieties in biology labs.

“The projects that we have selected,” said Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology and GreenHose Committee chairman Dr. John Inman, “will challenge all members of the campus community to consider how their actions affect the present condition and future of our earth.”

Organic Garden

The GreenHose Organic Garden will be located beside Martin Soccer Stadium on the east side of campus. Organic gardening specialist Daniel Parson will supervise the project, receiving help from students.

The organic garden will provide the opportunity for students enrolled in Environmental Science (Biology 215) and the freshman seminar “How Does Your Garden Grow?” to learn about gardening hands-on as they earn course credit. Work-study students, in addition, will also be available to maintain the one-acre garden. Preparing the garden will begin this spring.

“The garden,” said PC communications writer and GreenHose Committee member Stacy Dyer, “symbolizes PC’s sustainability effort and gives the campus community the chance to enjoy home-grown foods.”

The organic garden will sustain itself economically as the crop will be sold after harvest. PC plans to sell some of the produce to Sodhexo, the College’s foodservice contractor, to be served in Greenville Dining Hall. Crops will also be available for purchase to students, faculty, and staff in Springs Campus Center and potentially to local distributors.

Seedlings will be available for purchase to the campus community periodically throughout the year.  

Electric- and Solar-powered cart

Another GreenHose sustainability initiative approved by the College includes replacing the gas-powered hospitality cart with an electric- and solar-powered one. The cart will serve the same purpose as the current one, most notably escorting visitors—prospective students and friends of the College—across campus.

“By utilizing a golf cart that is solar-powered for these tours,” said sophomore business major and GreenHose Committee member Logan Berry, “I will be able to demonstrate the elements of both GreenHose and PC. I will be able to promote sustainable living and illustrate the leadership Presbyterian College embraces and continually instills in students.”

“Power Hogs”

A third GreenHose initiative includes forming a team of work-study students to detect air filtration losses in residence halls and buildings across campus. Campus Services staff will train these “Power Hogs” to repair drafty windows and doors and make other energy-efficient repairs.

“Inflation Station”

Students in this past fall’s Environmental Studies class discovered that as many as 40% of the tires on campus are under-inflated, several to the point of being dangerous. A new air compressor, recently donated to the College, will be placed near the information gazebo beside Douglas House. The “Inflation Station” will provide the campus and the Clinton community a place to properly inflate vehicle tires at no charge.

Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage, reduce greenhouse gasses, and improve the safety of the vehicle.

Plasticized shark specimens

Each year the Biology Department dissects several dogfish sharks when studying the reproductive system of the species in one freshman major-level and two upper-level biology courses. Using and then disposing of the actual specimens causes several problems.

Fixed in formalin, the specimens create health concerns in the storage and handling of tissues. Although disposal at a crematory is a better alternative than disposal in a landfill, the process is costly and contributes to a still undefined pollutant to the air. 

Furthermore, the stock populations of sharks are dwindling worldwide. The gestation of the dogfish shark is 22 months, and maturity is not reached until 18-20 years of age. While the brood size is typically four per season, PC biology classes use and then dispose of between 18 and 24 cadavers each semester.

Plasticized specimens provide the anatomical detail needed for college-level studies and will be used in labs for years to come. This more environmentally responsible practice will alleviate the health concerns, waste disposal problems, and minimize one more cause of species depletion.

Green Hose

The sustainability programs are the result of an anonymous donor’s $30,000 gift to PC to establish an environmental sustainability program on campus.

The GreenHose Committee consists of faculty, students, and staff of Presbyterian College and has met since the fall semester to discuss the College’s sustainability needs and to consider GreenHose proposals. All members of the PC community were eligible to submit a proposal to establish a sustainability program on campus.