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Lane Community College 2006 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Application

Category

Community college or other two-year institutions

Contact

Jennifer Hayward
Sustainability Coordinator
Lane Community College
Eugene, OR
(541) 463 5594
haywardj@lanecc.edu

Governance & Administration

Lane Community College has taken great strides in the area of governance and administration. Our sustainability team includes three dedicated full time staff: a Sustainability Coordinator; a Recycling Coordinator; and an Energy Analyst. This team reports to the Vice President for College Operations who is very passionate about sustainability. A Sustainability Committee, which meets monthly, advises the sustainability team and often takes an active role in implementing projects. A Sustainability and Learning Committee, which is comprised mostly of faculty is also very active.

Evidence of Lane's institutional commitment to sustainability during the last two years includes:

• Hosted Anthony Cortese from Second Nature in October 2005. Dr. Cortese conducted roundtable discussions, did classroom presentations, a radio interview, a keynote and workshop at the Oregon Bioneers Conference, and advised college administration on strategies for adopting the Talloires Declaration and moving sustainability forward.
• Signed the Talloires Declaration in November 2005. Prior to our President signing the Declaration, it was approved by our governance councils and by our Board of Education.
• Made sustainability the theme and focus of the 2006 spring in-service training day. This mandatory all staff training included keynote addresses and workshops. Additionally, the college served an essentially zero-waste, vegetarian lunch to staff on that day.
• Developed a draft Sustainability Core Value which, if adopted, would be incorporated into the college's existing core values of Learning, Diversity, Innovation, Collaboration & Partnership, Integrity, and Accessibility. Lane employees' response to the draft Sustainability Core Value has been overwhelmingly positive. We expect to have the new core value adopted through our governance system and our Board of Education by fall 2006. The draft core value can be found at http://www.lanecc.edu/sustainability/s_learning.html.
• Adopted three sustainability-oriented policies that were approved through college-wide governance councils in the spring of 2006. These policies were on recycling, energy conservation, and design and construction. They can be found on the web at http://www.lanecc.edu/sustainability/resources.html. Highlights of the policies include:
• Making measurable, annual progress toward zero waste through education, life-cycle purchasing, waste reduction, and expanded reuse and resale programs.
• Making annual measurable progress toward energy independence through conservation, use of efficient systems, life-cycle purchasing, and use of on-site renewable resources.
• Educating, training, and supporting the college community in methods to support resource and energy conservation.
• Meet or exceed U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System certified standards.
• Construct climate responsive energy efficient facilities using integrated design.
• Offset the negative impact of construction such that there is no net loss of current ecological functions on the college's property.
• Maintained memberships with AASHE, Association of Oregon Recyclers, National Recycling Coalition, and USGBC.
• Received an Association of Oregon Recyclers recycling organization of the year award.
• Highlighted as sustainable campus of the month on the EFS website.
• Hosted many on campus workshops and lectures as well as prepared many articles and other materials for on campus distribution to help incorporate sustainability into the fabric of Lane.

Operations

Following are many of the sustainability practices that Lane has integrated into operations.

• Reused or recycled 61% of waste materials in 2005/2006. Lane has been tracking and continually increasing this rate since 2003/2004. One of the biggest contributing factors to this recycling rate is that all surplus property is handled by our Recycling Program. Our Recycling Coordinator ensures that as much surplus property is reused as possible and non-usable property is dismantled and recycled.
• Reduced energy use by 16% in 2005/2006 compared to 2004/2005. The college went from an energy utilization index of 90,882 btu/ft² to 76,167 btu/ft². The majority of energy savings came from ensuring that building conditioning and lighting only operate when areas are being used. Other simple projects such as promoting behavior changes among staff and students and installing motion sensor devices on reach-in coolers also contributed to that savings.
• Began purchasing 10% wind power from our local utility in December 2005.
• Increased renewable energy use further by installing a 1.5 kw photovoltaic array in 2006 as well as beginning to use an ultra-low sulfur diesel blend with 20% biodiesel as our back up fuel in our boiler.
• Set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 through additional energy conservation and renewable energy use. We also plan to re-evaluate the goal this year to determine whether it can be achieved sooner.
• Use Green Seal Certified cleaning chemicals called Sustainable Earth.
• Use a no-VOC latex paint for all interior walls.
• College grounds staff work toward water conservation and habitat restoration by:
• Using native landscaping principals. We have a large native landscaping installation around our science building and other native plants around campus.
• Installing plantings that are designed to only be watered for the first five years.
• Minimizing turf and allowing it to go dormant over the summer by not watering.
• Student volunteers helped Lane retrofit water faucet aerators from 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm) to 1.5 or 0.5 gpm. Over 100 faucets have been retrofit to date, but all campus bathroom faucets are planned for retrofits.
• Foodservices works to reduce waste by offering reusable plates and utensils, providing a $0.15 discount for use of your own mug when purchasing beverages, and composting food trimmings. Foodservices composted over 13 tons of food trimmings in 05/06.
• Foodservices focuses on serving local and organic foods. In 2005/2006, raw produce sales increased by 450% because Foodservices began selling whole organic fruits and vegetables. Foodservices also shifted to 20% more local food purchases last year. For the last two years, much of the coffee sold on campus has been organic. However, in 2006/2007, all coffee and espresso sold on campus will be organic and fair trade.
• Completed a Long-Range Transportation Plan which focuses on strategies for reducing single-occupant vehicle trips to campus. Sustainable transportation strategies that the college has already implemented include purchasing two hybrids vehicles for the motorpool and providing "free" bus passes for all students.

Curriculum & Research

Lane Community College offers a two-year degree program in Energy Management. Students in this program learn to apply basic principles of physics and analysis techniques to the description and measurement of energy in today's building systems with the goal of evaluating and recommending alternative energy solutions that will result in greater energy efficiency and energy cost savings. As a second year option within the Energy Management Program, Lane offers a Renewable Energy Technician Program. The coursework in this program prepares students for employment designing and installing solar electric and domestic hot water systems. An advisory committee made up of renewable energy practitioners guides program development.

Lane's Northwest Energy Education Institute offers continuing education certificate programs in several different areas of energy conservation.

Lane's Chemistry Program has infused the concepts of green chemistry into its curriculum including coordinating a Green Chemistry Club for students. Students from the Green Chemistry Club have worked with Sustainability Program staff to make a biodiesel processor. The students made the first batch of biodiesel on campus using waste kitchen grease from the campus kitchen. The biodiesel produced, will be used to fuel the campus boiler.

Lane owns several acres of forested hills on which faculty maintain and use nature trails for instruction. Additionally, the college recently purchased approximately 30 acres of wetland property across the street from our main campus facility which it plans to use for instruction. The property has a wide array of wildlife and native plants. College Operations conducted a tour of the property for faculty this summer so that faculty can begin planning for field trips and curriculum involving this natural area.

Several Learning Communities provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary study in sustainability. "Ecotrails: Stewardship and the Sacred Landscape" is a learning community that links Ethnobotany with Writing 122. The Learning Community "Reconnecting with Nature: Science, Spirituality and Political Activism" links Political Science, Biology and Religion.

In partnership with the local utility, Lane installed a demonstration 1500-gallon rainwater harvesting system that is used to support a "Water and Society" class that teaches about water conservation, water recycling, and stewardship.

Many other efforts to make sustainability a central focus of the formal curriculum have been made by the Sustainability and Learning Committee. In the last two years, this Committee:

• Conducted a survey of all faculty asking them to self-identify areas in which faculty incorporate sustainability concepts into curriculum.
• Obtained funding to provide 50 hours of curriculum development to faculty who are interested in integrating sustainability concepts into their work. Funds were distributed during spring 2006.
• Obtained funds to hire a quarter time faculty Sustainability Coordinator for fall 2007. This coordinator will help the committee move forward with obtaining further curriculum development funding. The Coordinator will also help the Committee pursue other efforts such as graduation requirements in sustainability.

Community Service and Outreach

In 2005, Lane Community College began hosting the Oregon Bioneers Conference. This conference promotes practical solutions and innovative strategies for restoring the earth and communities. The conference was attended by about 330 community members, staff, and students in 2005 and the college expects attendance to be about 450 in 2006.

Lane further promotes Bioneers' mission by broadcasting Bioneers Plenaries on its cable TV stations during quality primetime hours.

Lane participated in the City of Eugene Sustainable Business Initiative. This initiative started by the Mayor of Eugene, included roundtable discussions in many different industry and educational sectors. Lane Community College served on the Steering Committee as well as in many of the roundtables. The initiative culminated in draft recommendations to the City Council on incorporating sustainability principles into City operations and services and using sustainability principles to boost the local economy. These recommendations include partnering with Lane Community College to expand technical assistance to local businesses interested in sustainable practices.

Because of Lane's work with the Sustainable Business Initiative and Lane's other work for sustainability, Eugene's Mayor presented Lane with a "community sustainability" award in January 2006.

Earth Week events at the college are free and open to the public. For the last two years, these events have included films series, workshops, and a large demonstration waste audit.

Lane's Sustainability staff does outreach outside of the college including presentations at the 2004 North American Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education, the 2006 HOPES Conference at the University of Oregon, the 2006 Association of Oregon Recyclers Conference, and the 2006 Crops to Classroom Forum at Portland Community College. Lane's Sustainability program will host a booth at the Lane County Fair this week.

Lane's sustainability staff are frequently featured in the local media discussing such issues as water conservation, energy conservation, and recycling. In 2005/2006, Lane's sustainability program appeared in two television spots, six newspaper articles, three articles in trade publications, and five radio interviews.

Lane's sustainability efforts are not just limited to environmental protection. Outreach and programming that support an equitable society are too numerous to name. One of these programs that reaches out to the community is Specialized Support Services (SSS). This program provides jobs, jobs training, and life-skills training to adults with developmental disabilities. According to the Oregon Rehabilitation Association, the population that SSS serves has the highest unemployment rate of any group in America. SSS strives to empower the severely disabled to become involved and valued members of our community.

Lane provides exceptional outreach to our community's Native American population. Native Americans have among the lowest college enrollment and graduation rates. Yet Lane serves more than 650 self-identified Native American students, more than at any other United States community college. Lane has collaborated with tribal officials, developed an outstanding academic program, hosts an annual Pow Wow, and offers services such as the Native American Student Program. Lane has also recently broken ground on a longhouse which is the next step to build on this success.

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