Campus Resources

Aquinas College is now an "idle-free" campus, meaning no vehicle is permitted to idle longer than 5 minutes while on college property. An unattended idling vehicle poses not only a safety threat, but also a security risk. By limiting the amount of time vehicles are permitted to idle to 5 minutes, the policy helps to preserve the natural beauty of campus while simultaneously supporting AQ's pledge to the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Certain exceptions have been written into the policy to accommodate buses and diesel engines in extreme temperatures.

The excessive idling policy successfully traversed the sustainability initiative process in the spring, and received the final approval from Provost Gunnoe on April 28, 2011. (The proposal received a 5- on a 1 to 5 scale- in the Joint Sustainability Committee on March 2 and passed the Student Senate on April 20.)

Every year, Americans receive close to 4 million tons of junk mail. Some people have taken steps toward sustainability by recycling this junk mail instead of tossing it in the trash. While recycling is an appealing method, there is a more constructive action we can take: REDUCE.