Austin Community College District (ACC) has been recognized with the GoPurple Award by Austin Water’s Utility Development Services Division for innovative water reuse efforts at the Highland Campus. The award celebrates organizations incorporating water reuse systems into building designs to preserve the city’s drinking water supply through sustainable and innovative or creative solutions.

ACC’s Highland garage cistern project is saving 1.8 million gallons per year of drinking water through onsite rainwater and AC condensate collection and reuse.

“It’s an honor to receive the GoPurple Award and be recognized for the sustainable innovation happening at ACC,” says Aziz Hussaini, ACC Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Planning, Construction & Sustainability. “We are deeply committed to environmental stewardship, and this project is just one example of how we’re designing our campuses to reflect that commitment. Sustainability is part of our long-term strategy to reduce environmental impact, conserve resources, and build healthy, future-ready learning environments for our students and community while saving money in the long run.”

The project is the first to receive funding through the City of Austin’s GoPurple Pilot Incentive Program, which supports initiatives demonstrating scalable and impactful water reuse strategies.

ACC remains at the forefront of sustainability in higher education. The College has made significant investments in green infrastructure across its campuses, with multiple buildings receiving top sustainability certifications. Highlights include:

  • ACC Highland Garage earned a Parksmart Silver rating for its innovative parking garage design and construction.
  • ACC Rio Grande Campus earned a LEED Platinum rating and was named the 2023 US Green Building Council(USGBC) Texas Project of the Year.
  • Highland Phase 1, Highland Phase 2, and San Gabriel Campus have achieved LEED Gold certification.
  • Round Rock, Hays, and Elgin campuses are all LEED Silver certified.
  • ACC diverts more than 50 percent of waste from landfills and is striving to become Zero Waste by 2040 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. 
  • ACC Elgin and Round Rock campuses already use 100% renewable energy from Texas wind.

Learn more about ACC’s green initiatives at austincc.edu/sustainability.