BOSTON -- An increasing number of local college campuses are making a pledge to go green.

NewsCenter 5's David Brown reported that Salem State College has taken the Climate Neutral Pledge and is using new technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The environmentally conscious college extends from the main Salem campus all the way to the coastline where shellfish farming highlights conservation and sustainability.

Shellfishing is a unique trade and tradition to the Massachusetts coastline. It is a resource that is being harnessed by Dr. Joe Buttner of the Salem State Biology Department. Some of the courses offered deal with the environment by teaching students to shellfish, and in turn, return a valuable resource to the coastline.

"It's a win-win situation. The environment wins and we maintain a working waterfront -- and, instead of bringing in produce from out of state or across the sea, we are producing it locally so there are no surprises," Buttner said.

The programs have sustained and maintained the North Shore fishing tradition, while the clams' filtration system has cleaned water all along the coast.

"This is one of the ways that they clean because the material that we're flushing out settles to the bottom. It's removed from the water column," Buttner said.

During the last five years, 14 million shellfish have been farmed by Salem State.