Water

Our main campus sits at the top of Burlington's hill leading down into Lake Champlain, so our campus's water management is crucial to keeping the lake healthy. We also focus on reducing the amount of water consumption in our buildings.

What We Do Now:

Encourage students to be mindful of their water consumption through education and sustainability challenges
Installation of low-flow shower heads in all residence halls
Modulation of boiler water temperatures
Regulate hot water discharge with hot water mixing valves
Replaced all campus washing machines with high efficiency models. See Laundry View for more information

A zoomed out picture of a side of Champlain College's Perry Hall, with students hanging out at the building and sitting on the grass in front of it.

BLUE Certification

The stormwater retention system at Perry Hall achieved BLUE Certification in May 2018 for being a watershed friendly building, making it the first non-residential building to be awarded this certification. Perry Hall features a green roof, pollinator garden, bioswale, and permeable walkway which all help to catch rain and prevent runoff into Lake Champlain.

Green Seal Cleaning Products

With thousands of certified products, services and spaces from the world’s leading companies, the Green Seal certification mark is a universal symbol that a product meets the highest benchmark of health and environmental leadership.

champlain college student shopping in the campus store

BYO Water Bottle

In 2014, the Champlain College College Council passed and approved a resolution that Champlain College will no longer sell plain bottled water in campus vending machines or at the Bookstore. Additionally, bottled water will not be available at most catered events with some special exclusions.

This resolution was based on the campus community’s concern regarding various issues with bottled water (ex: privatization of a public resource, access and equity, waste in production and disposal, etc.) Instead, the campus community wanted to create an environment where access to free, safe drinking water is easy for all.

Did you know?

Tap water is more strictly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency than bottled water is by the Food and Drug Administration.

Get Involved in Water Conservation

Tap into Champlain

Producing bottled water uses vast amounts of energy and resources and creates millions of pounds of waste. Here in Burlington, we are fortunate that Lake Champlain provides us with clean, healthy drinking water (which is far less expensive than bottled water). Most buildings at Champlain have water fountains or water refill stations.

Stop the leak!

A leaky faucet can waste over 200 gallons of water a year! Put in a Facilities Request work order if you find a leak.
Facilities Request
Keep Your Showers Short

If you reduced your daily shower time by just 1 minute, you could save 900 gallons of water per year. By reducing time in the shower, you’ll conserve both water and energy to heat the water.
Brushing Break

Do not leave the faucet running while brushing your teeth, shaving or doing dishes. You can save up to 64 cups of clean drinkable water just by turning off the tap while brushing.