Sustainability Report 2014

2014 Sustainability Report

Letter From The President When I signed the American Colleges and Universities President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) for Lewis and Clark Community College in 2008, it came at a time of great economic upheaval in this country.

While “sustainability” and environmentalism have already captured the hearts and minds of activists, the Great Recession led many institutions to cut “green” funding in favor of cost efficiency policies. As an institution, we knew that “green” and cost efficiency were one in the same.

Focusing on long-term sustainability improves what we call the “triple bottom line” – People, Planet and Profit. Lewis and Clark understands that all three legs of that stool are vital for our institution to continue to gain a workforce, research and financial competitive edge in the marketplace.

Each leg of the stool aligns beautifully with our mission as a college to “empower people by raising aspirations and fostering achievement through dynamic, compassionate and responsible learning experiences.” By investing in green initiatives, we are actually investing in people by providing relevant academic and training experiences aligned with the jobs and needs of a 21st century economy.

From campus grounds projects to curriculum development, Lewis and Clark Community College continues to make aggressive strides toward its goal of campus carbon neutrality by 2058. In fact, as we continue to be recognized by local, state and national organizations for our leadership in sustainability, we are demonstrating that in many cases, you can actually save green by going green. As a charter member of the Illinois Green Employment Network (IGEN) Lewis and Clark benefits from best practices modeling and funding.

As this report demonstrates, we are ahead of schedule in meeting the goals outlined in our Climate Action Plan (2008) and embodied in our commitment to the ACUPCC. From 2011-2014, Lewis and Clark cut electricity use by 10 percent, or 1.5 million kwh. That accomplishment alone saved the college more than $40,000 in energy bills. Additionally, all of Lewis and Clark’s grid energy is supplied from 100 percent green sources – a goal we were very proud to attain.

Other headlines include further reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, due in part to reductions in commuting emissions, dramatic reductions in office paper usage, the installation of renewable energy technologies and training apparatus, and the implementation of campus energy dashboards that provide a space for students, staff, faculty and the public alike to follow along and join in on the journey to a sustainable future.

On the horizon, we see a state-of-the-art Alternative Energy Production Center (AEPC SM) which will house a Smart Grid Classroom and various types of renewable energy generation technologies capable of powering a new, cutting edge, Advanced Greenhouse Materials Application Center (AGMAC SM), which will be used to research advanced materials in the horticulture industry and train students, as well as provide locally grown food for campus stakeholders.

On the cover: The EcoRoad boasts pervious pavement, which promotes rain seepage into the water retention ponds and groundwater below the road, rather than running off the pavement. The project was paid for by a green fee, which is included in students’ tuition.

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AEPCSM and AGMAC SM will be centerpieces of Lewis and Clark’s future and ongoing commitment to sustainability, and we hope these and other actions will keep us on the leading edge of the movement for a more sustainable planet.

President of Lewis and Clark Community College Board Chairman, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Table of Contents 4 By The Numbers 5 Awards and Grants 6 L&C Honored with Governor’s Sustainability Award 7 L&C Recognized as a Gold-Level Compact School 8-9 “Green” Grants Received by L&C 10 Recycling 11 Recyclemania Taps Into L&C’s Competitive Spirit 12-13 L&C Dining Services Creates Compost From Food Waste 14 L&C’s Dream Machine Offers Rewards for Recycling 15 Building and Grounds 16 EcoRoad Installed to Prevent Stormwater Runoff Near McPike Math Science Complex 17 Sustainability Dashboards Track Progress Toward Campus Carbon Neutrality 18-19 Controlled Burns Play a Key Roll in Ongoing College Owned Land Habitat Management 20 L&C Receives One of Three Ameren Fuel Cells 21 Transportation 22 Green Pass Program Encourages Alternative Transportation 23 L&C Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions 24 Education and Outreach 25 L&C Instills Sustainability Into Curriculum 26 Water Fest Brings Hundreds of Fifth Graders to Campus fo Education Fun Day 27 Green Speakers Series Launched at L&C 28-29 Student Sustainability Association Gives Students an Outlet to Get Involved 31 Phase II Completed at NGRREC Field Station 32 RiverWatch Trains Citizen Scientists to Monitor Stream Quality 33 Earth Day Blossoms Into Earth Week 34-35 Letter From the Director www.lc.edu/green - 3

By The Numbers American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) progress

10% 65% 32%

reduction in purchased electricity emissions (1.5 million kWh) • All offset by purchase of 100% renewable energy • Amounted to a savings of $39,000 over two years

reduction in office paper reduction in greenhouse gas emissions overall

A 2013 Waste Analysis revealed that the college is diverting of its waste to recycling.

120

L&C has recycled

18,000

bottles of water from entering our waste streams

30%

pounds of batteries in the last year.

45

Each bottle filler’s filter is designed to prevent

L&C has recycled more than tons of e-waste since 2013, and 80 tons since the college started hosting drives.

30%

Up to of the waste in a landfill is compostable food scraps!

460,272

In the last year, L&C students in the Green Pass program have saved miles of automobile driving by carpooling, riding the bus, biking and walking to campus.

173

That equals metric tons of CO2 equivalence that was prevented from entering the atmosphere.

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Awards and Grants

Lewis and Clark’s innovative sustainability efforts have garnered a lot of attention across the state and nation earning the college numerous grants, contracts and awards including the inaugural U.S. Water Prize and the Illinois Governor’s Gold Level Sustainability Awards.

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L&C Honored with Governor’s Sustainability Award Lewis and Clark was the only community college to be honored this past fall with the 2013 Governor’s Sustainability Award, presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC).

After earning the award in 2011, Lewis and Clark has continued to make aggressive strides toward its lofty goal of campus carbon neutrality in 2058.

While some recent accomplishments constitute the successful continuation of previously recognized efforts, L&C has also launched many new initiatives in the focus area of energy conservation, renewable energy production, recycling and reuse, commuting and campus fleets and policy/behavior change/student engagement. At the same time, L&C continues to engage partners from sustainable industries and other non-profit and/or governmental agencies to formalize and solidify its commitment to achieve its sustainability goals.

Major activities and projects that were submitted for consideration of this award included continued energy reduction, replacement of inefficient boilers, installation of variable frequency drives, the beginning implementation of sustainable dashboards, smart grid classroom, fuel cell donation, purchase of renewable energy, recycling programs and drives, green pass program, NGRREC mesocosms, water refill stations and outreach/education activities.

Besides L&C, the ISTC honored 26 other Illinois companies and organizations but only one other higher education institution – the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – for significant achievements in protecting the environment, helping to sustain the future and improving the economy.

Refill and Reuse Water Bottles

L&C Director of Sustainability Nate Keener, left, receives the 2013 Governor’s Sustainability Award on behalf of Lewis and Clark from David Thomas, of ISTC, and Eric Heineman, far right, from Governor Pat Quinn’s office.

Lewis and Clark has two free water bottle filling stations, currently located in The Commons and in the Nursing Lounge, with four more on the way! Students who don’t have bottles to fill can come by the Sustainability Center to get a free, reusable one.

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St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association Recognizes L&C Sustainability For the last several years, the college has participated in the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association’s (RCGA) Green Business Challenge, a points-based checklist that provides a space for businesses and other institutions to improve upon baseline sustainability scores on a yearly basis.

Each spring, the Office of Sustainability counts up the number of sustainability “points” L&C will start with based on what has already been accomplished, and then the college spends six months trying to improve upon that points total by implementing new sustainability action items.

Last year, as in years past, the college improved upon its score, earning the Circle of Achievement Award. L&C started 2013 with 107 points, and ended with 124 points. Progress in waste reduction, hosting community e-waste drives, and the installation of sustainability dashboards all added to L&C’s growing point total.

L&C Recognized as a Gold-Level Compact School Governor Quinn and the Green Governments Coordinating Council (GGCC) recognized Lewis and Clark as a Gold Level Compact School within the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact program in Fall 2012.

Gold level recognition is given to schools that have signed the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Compact, successfully engaged their campus community in sustainability initiatives, made a commitment to greening operations and continue to make measurable progress toward improvement.

This level of recognition placed Lewis and Clark among top colleges and universities in the state, including University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology and Moraine Valley Community College.

“It is gratifying to receive statewide recognition for the vision and strategic

execution of our sustainability policies and practices at Lewis and Clark,” L&C President Dale Chapman said. “It was a college-wide effort involving scores of people at all levels of the institution and is certainly a team victory headed up by the Lewis and Clark Office of Sustainability.”

Notable green initiatives included the purchase of 100 percent green energy across all district facilities, inclusion of sustainability in the college’s strategic plan and a continuing commitment to be a carbon-neutral campus by 2058.

Notable green initiatives included the purchase of 100 percent green energy across all district facilities, inclusion of sustainability in the college’s strategic plan and a continuing commitment to be a carbon-neutral campus by 2058.

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“Green” Grants Received by L&C Lewis and Clark is an original member of the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN), which began in 2008 as a consortium of Illinois Community Colleges that work together to pursue sustainability strategies, with the idea that there is power in numbers.

The colleges combine forces to apply for grants and to purchase renewable energy and other equipment.

IGEN has funded a number of L&C green activities that have helped to further solidify the campus as a leader in the green movement.

L&C’s President Dale Chapman is proud to serve on the IGEN President’s Steering Committee.

Trade Adjustment Act Grants

In 2011, L&C worked with 17 IGEN schools to apply for and eventually receive a three-year Department of Labor Grant from the Trade Adjustment Act Community College Training Program in the amount of $19 million to create 31 online blended and hybrid degree and certificate programs in green career fields to train the green workforce of tomorrow.

As a consortium member, L&C received $697,000 to create the Stormwater Management certificate, the Smart Grid Technology certificate, and to purchase and install the latest in technology associated with those two programs.

In 2013, L&C received the last pieces of equipment from that grant. In total, the college was able to purchase a smart grid trainer, a wind and solar trainer, a GIS plotter printer and a host of home efficiency and auditing tools.

Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grants Fuel Cell Trainer

As part of IGEN’s Smart Grid funding initiative, the college was awarded $50,000 to add to its Smart Grid training capabilities with the purchase of a fuel cell trainer. Not only will the fuel cell trainer enhance our Smart Grid training capabilities; it will also be a perfect complement for the 5kW fuel cell that was recently donated to the college by Ameren Corporation. With this new piece of equipment, students will learn hands-on how a fuel cell trainer functions, and will have the opportunity to see a real-world application of the technology just outside the Hatheway Cultural Center.

Solar Panel Grant

In 2013, L&C received a $168,000 grant for the purchase and installation of solar thin film panels on the roof of the Trimpe Advanced Technology Center and two tracking solar panels in the yard next to Trimpe.

The thin film installation has an installed capacity of 42kW, which has the potential to generate more than 50,000 kWh per year. The “tracker” units in the yard are designed to mechanically turn to follow the path charted by the sun across the sky. One is made of polycrystalline solar cells and the other is made of higher efficiency monocrystalline solar cells.

Combined, the trackers have an installed capacity of 12kW, which has the potential to generate nearly 20,000 kwh per year.

Together, the Trimpe solar installation represents both a commitment to reduce energy consumption, but also an investment in the green workforce and economy of the future.

Campus Conservation Nationals

In the spring of 2014, the Sustainability Center teamed up with the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the Student Sustainability Association to select a building for an

energy reduction competition called Campus Conservation Nationals.

The team chose the Baldwin/Caldwell complex and spent three weeks cutting electricity consumption in a bid to beat the competition, which included several other Illinois community colleges.

To help bring a local flare to the competition and give people a leg up, IGEN made grant funding available to purchase energy saving equipment. L&C was awarded $350 to purchase seven “Smart Strips” and seven “Eco-Buttons.” Smart Strips are able to tell when several devices are controlled by one other device, and can turn off all the devices at once.

Eco-Buttons make it easy to put computers to sleep with the touch of a single button. Both devices were installed in Baldwin/Caldwell and will help to cut energy consumption well beyond the competition period.

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Recycling Over the years, Lewis and Clark has implemented numerous programs to encourage recycling and waste reduction on campus and off, through the addition of composting capabilities, more recycling bins on campus, incentive programs for recyclers, recycling competitions to bring out participants’ competitive spirits, and e-waste drives that are open to the general community.

Single-stream recycling now makes the process easier than ever for students, faculty, staff and visitors. All fibers (papers, magazines, cardboard,

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etc.), plastic and metal containers (bottles, cans, boxes, jars, etc.) can be recycled. The only things that can’t be recycled in the single stream program are wet waste (from the bathroom), food, Styrofoam, and hazardous materials, including e-waste.

The college recently instituted special stream recycling collection programs for printer cartridges, writing utensils and household batteries.

Alcoa Bin Grant Provides L&C With 75 New Recycling Bins The Alcoa Foundation partnered with national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and the College & University Recycling Coalition to provide 75 new recycling bins at Lewis and Clark. L&C was one of 35 colleges and universities to receive a portion of more than 11,500 recycling bins.

RecycleMania Taps Into L&C’s Competitive Spirit For the past several years, Lewis and Clark has competed in a nationwide Recyclemania tournament, to see which college campus can reduce, reuse and recycle the most on-campus waste over an eight-week period.

“Recycling reduces costs by cutting waste,” said L&C Student Sustainability Association President Johan Bester. “It’s all about economics really. The more we can reduce, recycle and reuse, the more we can save. The more we save and conserve, the more we’ll be able to do with our funding and resources. As a community at Lewis and Clark, we’re already recycling a good deal.”

L&C participates each year by encouraging students to sign recycling pledges, and by running a “Caught Green-Handed” campaign to reward students for “green” behavior. In 2014, the Student Sustainability Association and Green Pass participants hosted weekly informational tables about campus recycling and played “Trashketball,” a game where students were challenged to determine whether various waste items were trash or recycling and asked to shoot a basket into the right bin from about 10 feet away, in under 30 seconds. They were surprised to learn that most of what they throw away is actually recyclable.

Adjust Your Thermostat

Set it a couple degrees higher in the summer and a couple degrees lower in the winter to save money and help the environment.

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L&C Dining Services Creates Compost From Food Waste For several years, L&C Dining Services has been “dehydrating” all the food waste from the back-of-the-house. The next best thing aside from composting, the dehydrator drastically cuts down on the amount of food wasted on campus.

In April 2014, the college took it a step further, adding “post-consumer” composting to Dining Services’ previous ability to compost food that didn’t make it out of the kitchen, and helping the kitchen become a nearly zero-waste operation.

All food, and even the compostable dinnerware, is now being hauled off by Always Green Recycling, and taken to St. Louis Composting, where it becomes the black gold you put on your garden every year.

Recyling eWaste with L&C

Lewis and Clark’s Office of Sustainability hosts multiple e-waste drives each year in the Tolle Lane parking lot across the street from the Godfrey campus.

The drives, held in partnership with CJD E-Cycling and the Riverbend Growth Association, give students, faculty, staff and community residents an outlet for properly disposing their electronic waste, since Illinois prohibits landfill disposal of such objects. While some companies charge as much as $20 for the service, L&C’s drives are free.

“Since the law took effect, we have diverted more than 80 tons of hazardous electronic waste from our landfills,” said Director of Sustainability Nate Keener. “That translates directly to local jobs and a cleaner environment. These events have been a huge success thus far, with no signs of demand letting up any time soon.”

Make Your Own Soap

Most kitchen and bathroom soaps contain sulfates and other chemicals that are not good for our waterways, but making soap at home is cheap, easy and better for the environment. With just a few basic ingredients you can find at a local grocery store, you can make laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo and other products.

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L&C’s Dream Machine Offers Rewards for Recycling Located near the bookstore in Grand Central on L&C’s Godfrey campus, stands a machine that offers participants rewards for recycling called the Dream Machine.

First time users set up their rewards cards and connect them to online accounts right at the machine, using easy, on-screen prompts. Each time they return to recycle a bottle or can, they swipe their rewards cards at the machine to earn points toward prizes at www.pepsicorecycling.com.

“Too often, recycling is seen as extra work with no reward. The Dream Machine simplifies the process at the same time that it offers rewards for people to do the right thing,” said L&C Director of Sustainability Nate Keener.

In 2013, the Office of Sustainability paired up with Veterans Services on campus, so that each time the machine was used, PepsiCo made a donation to help disabled military veterans get the training they need to start their own businesses.

L&C Sustainability Club member and Army veteran Max Parks recycles a plastic bottle in the blue barrel near L&C’s Dream Machine. Those who want to recycle and support disabled veterans can toss their can or bottle in the barrel, and the Veterans Club will take care of the rest.

Take a class

Lewis and Clark has a number of offerings to build students’ skills for the new Green Economy, which already employs some 2.7 million Americans. These include full programs like Restoration Ecology and certificates for Stormwater Management and Smart Grid Technology, as well as standalone courses like Solar Design and Installation and Sustainable Principles.

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Buildings and Grounds Lewis and Clark has implemented a number of green features across campus buildings and grounds to help with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2058.

From the Godfrey campus’ eco road, which helps manage stormwater runoff, to native landscaping, creek restoration, and prescribed burns and trail maintenance efforts to control invasive plant species, the college works to keep its physical campus grounds sustainable and earth-friendly.

Academic programs like Restoration Ecology participate in this effort with native plantings and experimental plots throughout the woods and gardens. The

Butterfly Garden near the Hatheway Cultural Center stands as a testament to the great work students can do in this area.

L&C also involves its students, faculty, staff and visitors in the sustainability effort through the offering of filtered water bottle fillers, EV Charge stations and recycling bins around every corner.

Other sustainable building features include occupancy sensors, which turn lights off when rooms are empty, LED lighting, energy efficient computer labs, solar panels and more.

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EcoRoad Installed to Prevent Stormwater Runoff Near McPike Math and Science Complex An EcoRoad was installed in 2012 in front of the McPike Math and Science Complex on Lewis and Clark’s Godfrey campus to prevent stormwater runoff into nearby water retention ponds.

The road boasts pervious pavement, which promotes rain seepage into the groundwater below the road, rather than running off the pavement. The project was paid for by a green fee, which is included in students’ tuition.

Bottle Fil ers Make Free Filtered Water Available on Godfrey Campus In 2012 and 2013, the college installed filtered water bottle fillers in The Commons and in the Nursing Lounge. In 2014, Lewis and Clark will install four additional fillers.

The bottle fillers allow people to get fresh filtered water on campus for free, helping them avoid not just the cost of buying a bottle of water, but also the hazardous environmental impacts associated with the petroleum intensive process that makes plastic bottles.

Few people realize that the source of water is usually printed right on the water bottle label. Most are surprised when they learn that many popular brands of water get their produce straight from the municipal source we all use - the tap. If the label says the source is “from a municipal source” or “from a community water system,” you can bet this water came from somebody’s faucet.

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Sustainability Dashboards Track Progress Toward Campus Carbon Neutrality In 2013, Lewis and Clark installed two sustainability dashboards on the Godfrey campus that allow students, faculty, staff and the general public to view real-time energy usage data for each metered building on campus.

Buildings can be compared side-by-side or individually, and energy trends can be tracked over the past hour, day, week and month.

Users can explore a map that highlights several “green features” on campus, like the electric vehicle charge stations, filtered water bottle fillers and native landscaping.

“We think the dashboards will spark competitiveness and challenge people to implement energy saving practices, just to see if they can make the meter move. Even small changes can make a big difference, and the dashboards will give us a chance to experiment with the effectiveness of various strategies like smart power strips and ‘eco-buttons,’” said Director of Sustainability Nate Keener.

Similar dashboards can be found in the lobby of the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station.

L&C students, from left, Athena Whitty, of Godfrey, Eric Welch, of East Alton, and Austin Alred, of White Hall, interact with one of the dashboards, located in Reid Hall. Photo by Laura Inlow, L&C Media Specialist

Grow Native Plants

Native plants evolved in their local/regional home over thousands of years, but alien plans don’t provide habitat or food in many cases, and don’t interact positively with the environment.

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Controlled Burns Play a Key Role in Ongoing College Owned Land Habitat Management Lewis and Clark Restoration Ecology students took part in a controlled burn of portions of the Godfrey campus woodlands in the fall of 2013, with the objective of controlling the spread of invasive plant species.

These types of prescribed burns are addressed in the woodland’s overall management plan and are connected to ongoing forest and prairie habitat management and restoration activities at L&C. National Great Rivers Research and Education Center SM personnel assisted the Great Rivers Land Trust and The Nature Institute with a controlled burn at the Palisades Nature Preserve in the fall of 2012. Approximately 60 acres of upland oak-hickory habitat were burned.

The Palisades Nature Preserve sits on the river bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, and contains a unique assemblage of hill prairie and upland oak-hickory forest habitats.

The site is owned by Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation, and managed cooperatively by the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center SM and Great Rivers Land Trust.

L&C Restoration Ecology students, in blue, participated in a controlled burn of portions of the Godfrey campus in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Great Rivers Land Trust, The Nature Institute, and the Alton, Godfrey and Edwardsville fire departments. Photos above and left by Laura Inlow, L&C Media Specialist.

Tim Schofield, of the Nature Institute, begins a controlled burn at the Palisades. NGRREC employees helped the Great Rivers Land Trust during a controlled burn of the Palisades. Photo by Megan Cosgriff, NGRREC Field Biologist.

Alley Ringhausen, of the Great Rivers Land Trust, and Tim Schofield, of the Nature Institute, look at a map of the Palisades in preparation for a controlled burn. Photo by Megan Cosgriff, NGRREC Field Biologist.

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L&C Receives One of Three Ameren Fuel Cells Lewis and Clark President Dale Chapman announced in 2013 that the college would be the recipient of one of the nation’s first alternative energy, state-of-the-art fuel cells, which was installed on the Godfrey campus in April 2014.

The college was one of three Midwest schools, including the Missouri University of Science and Technology and University of Kentucky, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Ameren in 2013 for the purpose of installing and operating a fuel cell.

A fuel cell generates electricity from natural gas by a chemical reaction, which produces an electrical current that can be directed outside the cell to do work, such as powering an electric motor or illuminating a light bulb or a city.

L&C’s fuel cell will generate 5kW power, provide a teaching opportunity for L&C faculty in an important alternative energy technology, offer Ameren a fuel cell demonstration site for its strategic partners, and provide data on fuel cell technology associated with dashboard systems for both Ameren and L&C’s Sustainability program master plan.

The fuel cell is located outside the Hatheway Cultural Center in a gated area, and the waste heat will heat the Olympic-sized swimming pool inside the building.

“Not only will Lewis and Clark be reducing our grid costs and producing energy, but we will also be working with Ameren and their strategic partners to better understand and research the benefits of fuel cell technology and how this new technology can help the college achieve its sustainability goals,” Chapman said.

Ameren donated the $80,000 fuel cell, along with the $25,000 cost for installation.

Image Courtesy of ClearEdge Power

Use Online Resources

Visit www.lc.edu/green to learn more about L&C’s green initiatives, but check out AASHE.org to learn more about other green efforts, EcoWatch.com for the latest environmental news, or greenlivingtips.com for more green tips.

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Transportation Lewis and Clark has made strides toward carbon neutrality in recent years, especially where the reduction of greenhouse gases is concerned.

The college has changed its campus fleet into a “green fleet,� which includes trucks that run on diesel or propane, and smaller, electric powered golf carts.

Free EV charge stations on the Godfrey campus and at the NGRREC Field Station allow electric vehicle owners to charge up at no cost.

L&C also offers an incentive program called Green Pass, which gives students rewards for taking alternative transportation to campus, including carpooling or public transportation.

All of these efforts, along with efforts to save on electricity, have led to a dramatic 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2011.

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EV Charge Stations Added to Godfrey Campus and NGRREC Field Station In 2012, L&C installed electric vehicle charging stations on the Godfrey campus and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station.

The charge stations help the college meet the goals laid out in the Climate Action Plan to reduce emissions that come from commuting to campus. Electric vehicles don’t emit greenhouse gases, and since Lewis and Clark purchases 100 percent green energy, all the emissions associated with electricity usage are offset.

Green Pass Program Encourages Alternative Transportation L&C students can earn some green while going green with the Green Pass program, which serves as an incentive for people to utilize alternative transportation – carpooling, taking the bus, riding a bike or walking – to campus at least once per week.

Green Pass participants receive a monthly reward, including gas cards, bus passes and meal vouchers.

Commuting is the single largest contributor to L&C’s greenhouse gas emissions profile and represents the biggest challenge to overcome in the effort to achieve campus net carbon neutrality by 2058.

To participate in the Green Pass program, students utilize the green transportation of their choice and track their mileage. Once a month they submit a report of their monthly activities. They must then complete one volunteer sustainability activity each month to maintain eligibility.

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Ridefinders Promotes Carpooling while MCT Offers Public Transit L&C has partnered with Ridefinders, a regional rideshare program, to help promote carpooling to campus. As a partner, the Office of Sustainability is the campus point of contact for the Guaranteed Ride Home program. If you participate in Ridefinders and your carpool partner leaves you stranded (for whatever reason), the Guaranteed Ride Home program provides you with up to four free taxi rides (up to $125 value) to your destination each year.

Madison County Transit (MCT) oversees Ridefinders. Working in conjunction with the other St. Louis area organizations, MCT provides an important link in the chain of seamless regional transportation services. MCT is dedicated to providing public mass transportation within Madison County, Ill. by providing the community with numerous public bus routes, a paratransit service for the disabled and elderly, and bikeway development.

Visit www.lc.edu/Public_Transportation to learn more.

L&C Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions Lewis and Clark is moving closer to its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by fiscal year 2038 and by 100 percent by FY 2058.

L&C plans to do so by becoming less reliant or completely free of the energy grid, significantly reducing the use of eco-unfriendly materials and substances like plastic and harmful inkjets, optimizing recycling, drastically reducing the use of paper, conserving and reducing the use of other resources like water, and using education to transform L&C’s district into a culture of sustainability.

“This all translated to a 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since the last report in 2011.”

- Sustainability Director Nate Keener

A 2013 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Update from the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) highlights the college’s campus energy and greenhouse gas reduction efforts, including a 10 percent reduction in purchased electricity from 2012, a dramatic 43 percent reduction in student commuting emissions and a six percent reduction in faculty commuting emissions.

“This all translated to a 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since the last report in 2011,” said Sustainability Director Nate Keener.

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Education and Outreach Inside and out of the classroom, L&C inspires its community to “Think Green.

Live Green.�

The college not only features a number of sustainability-centered academic programs and courses, both credit and non-credit, but also infuses sustainability into the general curriculum.

The college offers an opportunity for students to get involved with campus sustainability through the Student Sustainability Association, annual Earth Week activities and events and through the Sustainability Center, located on the Godfrey campus. The center includes a lounge where students can host meetings, study, research or just hang out, and a library of resources available for check-out, from books on sustainable ethics, to pamphlets with specific steps to

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reduce water and energy usage, to movies about sustainable farming practices.

Guest speakers visit campus throughout the year to touch on various sustainable topics from green building to transportation and more.

L&C also gets the general community involved through various outreach efforts, including the annual Water Fest event, where elementary school children come to campus to learn about water quality and conservation issues; RiverWatch, a program that trains citizen scientists to monitor water quality issues in their communities; and through the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center’s Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station, which is open weekdays (Mon-Fri) for self-guided tours and 11:30 a.m. Friday for guided tours.

L&C Instil s Sustainability Into Curriculum Lewis and Clark has worked diligently over the past couple of years to develop several programs and certificates, like Restoration Ecology and Biological Laboratory Technician, among others, which are aimed to help students graduate and go to work in a number of sustainable career fields.

Other programs have infused sustainability into their courses and curriculum to help further the college’s sustainable mission.

L&C’s Automotive program includes sections on electric vehicles, and the Architecture program focuses heavily on LEED building standards. A number of classes, like Environmental Sociology, stand individually but work toward degrees nonetheless. Some stand entirely on their own, but provide valuable skills, like two Solar Installation courses.

Still other classes are offered by our Continuing Education program, and teach skills that might be more valuable in the home, such as courses on saving money on energy bills and growing a garden.

Programs • Architectural Technology (AAS) • Automotive Technology (AAS) • Biological Laboratory Technician (AAS) • Environmental Technician (AAS) • Restoration Ecology (AAS) • Water Quality/Waste Water Technology (AAS)

Certificates • Smart Grid Technology (Certificate of Completion) • Storm Water Management (Certificate of Completion) Courses • ADCG 150, Sustainable Principles • ADCG 258, Architectural Building Systems • ADCG 259, Construction of Buildings • ANTH 232, Cultural Anthropology

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CECK 952, Camp Green Thumb CEHG 163, Garden Fresh CEHG 455, Saving Green While Going Green CEHG 590, Vegetarian Basics CEHG 091, Sustainable Farms Tour CEPE 466, Eco Basics: Home & Office BIOL 130, Fundamental Biological Science BIOL 132, Human Biology BIOL 134, General Botany BIOL 135, General Zoology BIOL 138, Field Biology BIOL 139, Applied Entomology BIOL 145, Natural Resources & Environmental Science BIOL 146, Natural Resources & Environmental Science with Field Work BIOL 165, Ecological Principles CHEM 141, General Chemistry I CHEM 142, General Chemistry II CHEM 202, Fundamentals of Water Chemistry EDTR 285, Greening the Curriculum ERTC 132, Water Supply Operation GEOG 132, Geography World Regions GEOG 205, Human Geography LAND 130, Intro to Landscape Architecture PHIL 240, Contemporary Moral Problems (Ethics) PHSC 131, Physical Geography PHSC 135, Environmental Geography PHSC 145, Introduction to Geology & Physical Geography PRCS 135, Safety, Health and Environment PRCS 265, Process Troubleshooting SOCI 134, Introduction to Environmental Sociology SOLR 120, Solar Design & Installation SOLR 121, Grid Tied Solar Design SOLR 122, Solar Hot Water Technology TECH 152, Introduction to Materials

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Water Fest Brings Hundreds of Fifth Graders to Campus for Educational Fun Day Each fall, hundreds of fifth graders from local schools come to L&C’s Godfrey campus to participate in the college’s annual Water Festival, which has been running for 11 years now.

“The purpose of the Water Festival is to get children to connect with water issues, such as conservation, pollution and the presence of invasive species,” said Natalie Marioni, environmental education manager for L&C and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. “Through fun, interactive experiences like fishing, we are teaching children that water can be enjoyable, provide substance, and is vital for all life. The Water Festival is the perfect event to start the process of making better water stewards for our communities.”

Exhibits are set up each year to give students hands-on learning experiences, including lessons in water safety and geocaching, and special guest speakers are invited to lecture during the event. In 2013, the special guest speaker was native Guatemalan Ruben Gomez, who spoke to the children about poor water quality in his native country.

Fifth graders Bailey Tweedy, foreground, and Peyton Brown, of St. Ambrose School, lead classmates as they carry water jugs on their heads to simulate what it would be like to collect water in rural parts of Guatemala during L&C’s 11th Annual Water Festival. Tweedy is from Murphysboro, and Brown is from Godfrey.

Compost Your Food Scraps

Up to 30 percent of waste in a landfill is compostable. Get a bucket with sealable lid and set it next to your trashcan to collect leftover fruits, veggies, egg shells, coffee grounds and dry papers. When it’s full, take the bucket outside and start a pile with your food scraps, mixed with dry leaves. Over time, the organic matter will break down, and eventually you’ll end up with something close to dirt! From the earth, return to the earth!

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Green Speakers Series Launched at L&C In the spring of 2014, L&C started offering students interested in a career in environmental sustainability the opportunity to learn from 14 different professionals during the Green Speakers Series.

Professionals from a wide variety of industries, including green construction, composting and sustainable transportation, presented information to students and answered any questions they had during sessions.

“Many L&C students are interested in joining the ranks of more than 2.7 million people employed in ‘green collar jobs’ in the United States, but they just do not know where to start,” said Sustainability Director Nate Keener. “Our Green Speaker Series gave students the opportunity not only to learn from experts in a variety of green industries but also ask them questions.”

L&C Restoration Ecology students John Allison, far left, and Jimmy Greene discuss fracking with Green Series Guest Speaker Jim Kron, right, of SCI Engineering, during the first Green Speaker event on Jan. 23, 2014.

Eliminate Phantom Loads and Unnecessary Power Users

Did you know that unused items plugged into outlets continue consuming energy?

Unplug electronic items when not in use, or use a smart power strip to turn off the power.

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Student Sustainability Association Gives Students an Outlet to Get Involved In 2012, a group of concerned students launched the Student Sustainability Association (SSA) with the mission of “promoting sustainable living and concern for the environment through education and active participation.”

What started as a one-to two-person student club has blossomed into a highly visible, active group that routinely packs the room for lively biweekly meetings during which they discuss global and local environmental issues and to plan outreach and impact events on campus.

They host a native plant sale during Earth Week and lead the campus printer cartridge recycling campaign. They are the main student-led organization on campus promoting environmental awareness and group members are routinely published in the college’s student newspaper, The Bridge.

L&C’s Sustainability Club gathers around plants, which they grew to sell during Earth Week. Each year the club, along with the Biology Club, cultivates a variety of vegetable and native plants to sell as a fundraiser.

Adjust Your Thermostat

Set it a couple degrees higher in the summer and a couple degrees lower in the winter to save money and help the environment.

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NGRREC Field Station Conference Room

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Phase I Completed at NGRREC Field Station Phase II of the National Great River’s Research and Education Center’s Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station was completed in early 2014.

The new wing adds approximately 8,000 square feet to the building, including a water quality laboratory, a wildlife research laboratory, office space and a new, large conference room overlooking the Mississippi River.

The conference room allows groups of stakeholders and natural resources professionals, including NGRREC employees and members of the community, to discuss river issues and management strategies at the Field Station.

Another component of Phase II, the Field Station’s aquatic mesocosms, were also completed. They consist of three 50-foot by 6-foot concrete raceways, which can each be split into two channels and are capable of pumping more than three million gallons of water per day, while keeping its plankton community, sediment and nutrients intact. NGGREC’s system of mesocosms is unique on the Mississippi River.

NGRREC is an innovative center for research, education and outreach located near the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers in East Alton, Illinois. Lewis and Clark’s National Great Rivers Research and Education Center SM is a partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Prairie Research Institute’s Illinois Natural History Survey. For more information about NGRREC, visit www.ngrrec.org.

NGRREC’s aquatic mesocosms consist of three 50-foot by 6-foot concrete raceways, which are capable of pumping more than three million gallons of water to the system per day, while keeping its plankton community, sediment and nutrients intact.

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RiverWatch Trains Citizen Scientists to Monitor Stream Ouality The Illinois RiverWatch Network is a volunteer stream-monitoring program that seeks to engage Illinois citizens by training them as citizen scientists.

Each year at adopted stream sites in their communities, citizen scientists conduct habitat and biological surveys, including the collection and identification of small stream organisms called macroinvertebrates that serve as bioindicators of water quality. The program strives to collect consistent, high-quality data on the conditions of local streams and provide citizens with a hands-on opportunity to be better stewards of Illinois watersheds.

RiverWatch was initiated in 1995 as part of the Critical Trends Assessment Project (CTAP), an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) project designed to conduct a long-term, comprehensive assessment of the environment in Illinois. In February 2006, responsibility for RiverWatch was officially transferred to the National Great Rivers Research and Education CenterSM (NGRREC) with support from the Office of Lieutenant Governor. NGRREC’s unique location, strong partnerships, and mission make it an ideal home for RiverWatch.

Learn more at www.ngrrec.org/riverwatch.

Matt Young, L&C’s new RiverWatch biologist, uses a net to gather specimens from China Creek, which is located on L&C’s Godfrey Campus.

Get Involved!

There are hundreds of national, state, local and campus organizations that advocate on behalf of environmental action. The Student Sustainability Association (SSA) at L&C was founded to spread the word about and engage in sustainable best practices for a greener world.

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Earth Day Blossoms into Earth Week Lewis and Clark Community College’s Office of Sustainability devoted an entire week to Earth Week in 2013 and 2014. The purpose of Earth Week is to provide focused programming about the environment and promote sustainable solutions to environmental problems.

Earth Week 2013 and 2014 included the Art of Recycling Contest, which aimed to raise awareness about recycling at L&C in honor of Earth Day. Participants were encouraged to make art by using materials eligible for recycling at L&C. The winners received $200 in prizes.

Activities also included a bottle lottery, Bioneer workshops, electronic vehicle demonstrations, a Bike to School Day and an E-waste Drive. In an effort to learn more about what was being thrown away and what was being recycled, Sustainability Director Nate Keener and a crew of volunteers also conducted a waste analysis in 2013. Volunteers sorted trash and recycling to determine how much of what was thrown away could actually be recycled.

For 2014, the Sustainability Center partnered with the STEM Club, Student Sustainability Association, and American Institute of Architecture Students for a wide range of activities, including an Organic Farm Tour, an invasive honeysuckle removal work day, and a demonstration of renewable energy and efficiency equipment.

Biology Club members discuss invasive species during Springfest 2013, which coincided with Earth Week.

Sustainability Director Nate Keener, right, mans the Sustainability Club’s table during Springfest 2013.

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Letter From The Director Sustainability calls on us to adopt an open, collaborative process for ushering in a world concerned with the triple bottom line of “People, Planet and Profit.”

In that spirit, L&C’s Office of Sustainability released this report, which covers 2013 and the first quarter of 2014, and demonstrates the progress we have made in carrying forward our commitment to campus carbon neutrality by 2058.

While this report looked into the past, we must always look to the future if we are to succeed.

It’s time to start tackling the hard task of being a true agent of change. When we do sustainability right, we not only enhance the triple bottom line, but we also unlock truths that are innate to humans since the dawn of man, but from which we’ve strayed for too long.

When we install a solar panel, we lessen our impact on the planet and benefit from lower energy bills, while ensuring jobs for green energy workers. We also immerse ourselves in the truth that the sun makes all life possible.

It fuels photosynthesis, which grows the trees that purify our air, and the food that sustains all life on earth.

When we enroll students in a Restoration Ecology program, we build skills in the worker of tomorrow that have positive impacts to local habitats, but we also reinvigorate and carry forward an age old wisdom that we are of the earth, and that our health is dependent on the health of the planet upon which we tread. Students graduating from programs like this ensure that that wisdom is carried forward in perpetuity.

When we utilize native landscaped rain gardens and porous pavement, we improve hydrology while avoiding costs associated with filtering drinking water, which lowers water bills. We also come to fully appreciate our connection to land and water. Native plants sustained local ecosystems for eons, but in recent years have been displaced by aggressive alien invasive species that don’t contribute to local ecosystems. The water cycle sustains our fragile existence. Less than 1 percent of the water on the planet is available for us to use for drinking, yet we continue to pollute our waterways with mankind’s most pernicious potions.

Our progress as a campus and community go far beyond a list of actions presented in a document. We’re working toward true change, and that involves creating relevant coursework to ensure that the leaders of tomorrow can build on the lessons of today. It involves being an active member of the community, realizing that our success is tied to that of our neighbors. It involves leading by example and letting others lead by theirs.

The challenge ahead of us is a great one, and we’ve only just begun. Immerse yourself in a greater truth.

Sustainability is calling! Join us!

Director of Sustainability Lewis and Clark Community College

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Lewis and Clark is an inaugural winner of the U.S. Water Prize.

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