The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the environmental sustainability practices used at publicly supported community, junior, and technical college campuses in the eleven states accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges. The Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire was emailed to presidents of 270 public community, junior, and technical colleges in the 11 states with 137 respondents completing the questionnaire to determine the types of practices being used. Descriptive statistics were presented for each state. Energy conservation, recycling of solid waste, waste reduction practices, building construction and renovation, and reduction of toxic materials were the most frequently cited practices among respondents. The least frequently cited practices included environmentally oriented coursework, green purchasing, sustainable transportation, and sustainable food programs. Florida and North Carolina had the highest overall sustainability index score while Louisiana and Tennessee had the lowest sustainability index score. The study also explored the state level policies and processes being used by community college state systems that are either driving or restraining the sustainability initiatives in community college systems through interviews with state leaders in two southern states. Common themes among the interviews included the voluntary adoption of environmentally sustainable principles and the challenge for adoption of sustainability due to funding constraints. Finally, factor analysis was used to determine what factors influenced the participation or non-participation by the institution in various sustainability practices. Two distinct factor groups including operational reasons and participatory reasons were identified. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]