Bellevue College will celebrate Earth Week next week, an activity begun a dozen years ago as an effort to promote environmental awareness and sustainable use of our planet’s resources.

The event has been sponsored by BC’s Sustainability and Science Association.

Since that first Earth Week, the college has worked to incorporate sustainable practices into its operations. A comprehensive project to upgrade campus lighting, water and HVAC systems to substantially increase energy efficiency is under way, promising to reduce energy consumption by 17 percent, water use by one-fifth, and carbon dioxide emissions by 2.2 million pounds annually. And just recently, it announced the pending installation of four electric car charging stations and the development of a car-sharing program featuring an all-electric Nissan Leaf.

“Earth Week gives our students and the public the opportunity to learn more about how sustainability and environmental issues are connected to everything we do,” said Dr. Robert Viens, dean of the college’s Science Division and organizer of Earth Week. “It’s vital for the college to incorporate this ethic into our teaching to provide our students the skills they need to live and work in a healthy, sustainable world.”