Articles - Winter 2007 - return to index
Sustaining
students, business,
and community
Sustainability at Lane Community College is transforming the lives of students, businesses and the community.
The college has won several sustainability awards. It's no wonder. Lane now recycles 60 percent of its waste, from paper to food scraps. Pesticide use was reduced from 650 pounds in 1999 to 9 pounds in 2003. Aspire is printed on recycled paper. These are just a few of the reasons why Lane won a national Campus Sustainability Leadership Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the only community college to do so.
Our curriculum includes two-year degree programs in energy management and renewable energy. Students also learn about sustainability in science, economics, and political science courses. When our students leave Lane, they take a strong ethic and knowledge of sustainable practices into the community and the workplace.
BizCenter clients practice sustainability too. For instance, Organically Grown started out as a farmer's cooperative. Today, they're the Northwest's largest wholesaler of organic produce.
Besides practicing and teaching sustainability, Lane participates in the City of Eugene’s Sustainable Business Initiative, and in December 2005, we became Eugene Water and Electric Board’s largest commercial wind power customer.
For more information, visit 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/sustainability.
