News Releases
News from
Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
SOURCE: Jennifer Hayward, sustainability coordinator, (541) 463-5594
Lane Community College to sign international declaration for sustainability
EUGENE - Lane Community College will become part of a worldwide effort for a sustainable future when President Mary Spilde signs the Talloires (pronounced "tal-whar") Declaration on Wednesday, December 7. The Declaration is a 10-point action plan for teaching and operating in ways that help achieve environmental literacy and sustainability. The signing ceremony will be held from 2:30-3 p.m. in the lobby of the Center for Meeting and Learning, Building 19, main campus.
The Talloires Declaration was created in October 1990 when 22 presidents, rectors and vice chancellors of colleges and universities from all over the world convened in Talloires, France to voice their concerns about the state of the world and create a document that spelled out key actions colleges and universities must take to create a sustainable future.
More than 300 colleges and universities have signed the declaration. LCC will be the second institution of higher education in Oregon (following Lewis and Clark College) and the first community college in Oregon to sign the document.
In signing the declaration, Lane pledges to: 1) increase awareness of environmentally sustainable development; 2) create an institutional culture of sustainability; 3) teach environmentally responsible citizenship; 4) foster environmental literacy; 5) practice institutional ecology; 6) involve all stakeholders; 7) collaborate for interdisciplinary approaches; 8) enhance capacity of primary and secondary schools; 9) broaden service and outreach nationally and internationally; and 10) maintain the movement.
As part of Lane's commitment to "greening" higher education, the college began purchasing 10 percent wind power from EWEB in November 2005. Lane is EWEB's largest wind power customer.
Other steps that the college has taken:
- Hosting the second annual Oregon Bioneers Conference in October.
- Offering more than 30 courses that address sustainability issues.
- Supporting a student project to make and use biodiesel on campus.
- Collaborating with the Mayor's Roundtable on Public Education for Sustainability.
- Operating an award-winning recycling program that recycled over 55 percent of the college's waste in fiscal year 2004/05.
See http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html for more on the Talloires Declaration.
###
