Sustainable Steps

The College continues to reduce its carbon footprint

Solar carport

Three solar arrays were completed in April and are now tied in to The Claremont Colleges system. Two of the arrays are located near the southern half of the Drinkward Residence Hall parking lot and the third is sited near the eastern edge of Linde Field. Approved by the board in September 2019, the arrays will supply roughly 8% to 10% of the College’s power needs.

“It’s a typical power purchase agreement partnership with First American Education Finance,” says Rick Vanzini, HMC’s senior director of capital projects. “There’s no upfront cost to Harvey Mudd for the 25-year agreement. The system produces energy, they own it and we pay a fee to First American Energy which pays all the upfront costs.”

With the College’s first solar project in place, students are providing input for the location of another carport or rooftop structure.

E.V. Charging stations

Gifts from Tom Bleakney ’69 and Marcus Witte P18 P21 have allowed the College to add two new dual-port charging stations in the Parsons Building parking lot. Along with another dual-port station installed in 2015—also funded by Bleakney—there are now six charging spots available to the HMC community. Bleakney and Witte have provided a 1:1 match to raise $30,000—toward a goal of approximately $60,000—to cover recent installation costs and to fund additional ChargePoint stations at the solar carports. To join the effort, contact development@hmc.edu.