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As an engaged higher education community that promotes an active and informed citizenry, we play an important role in addressing climate change. We support students as they expand their understanding of environmental issues across all disciplines and put their knowledge into action through volunteerism, advocacy and the careers they pursue. We comprise faculty whose research and teachings are connecting us to our environment. And we encourage administrators to uphold an expressed commitment to sustainability.

Every day, our students demonstrate outstanding leadership on environmental issues by:

Spearheading research projects that explore facility management strategies to reduce water usage, and maximize recycling and composting.
Leading an Electric Car Club that is doing research and development to build a better electric car.
Building and repairing bikes with recycled parts.
Operating an on-campus cafe serving fair trade and organic coffees and teas and furnished with recycled furniture.
Organizing an annual environmental symposium that explores immerging trends in conservation with leading environmentalists from around the world.

Our academic programs with an environmental focus cut across all three schools:

The Lewis & Clark Law School created the first environmental law program in the country in 1970 and houses the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center and International Environmental Law Project. http://law.lclark.edu/dept/lawac/practical_skills.html#peacclinic
In 1995, the undergraduate college established an environmental studies major that offers engages students in local, regional and international environmental projects.
In 2007, the Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling held its first course on eco-psychology, developing strong ties between mental health and our relationship with the environment.

As an institution, we have incorporated environmentally sensitive practices into our operations and planning. In 1991, Lewis & Clark incorporated sustainability and green building into the institution's master plan to guide future expansion. In 2001, we created an institution-wide Sustainability Council to promote environmentally responsible practices. These efforts have resulted in LEED-certification for our two newest buildings, green power for our facilities, and low-impact solutions for a number of major renovation projects.

Our best green projects are the products of collaboration between students, faculty and the administration. For example, under the direction of Focus the Nation Director and Lewis & Clark professor Eban Goodstein, students conducted the first-ever greenhouse gas inventory of the campus, which led to Lewis & Clark becoming the first college in the nation to reduce greenhouse emissions in compliance with the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Students took the unprecedented step of voting to raise their student activity fees to help off-set the costs of compliance.

We invite you to learn more about Lewis & Clark and all of its sustainability efforts at www.lclark.edu.

Focus the Nation is a project of the Green House Network, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization based in Portland, Oregon
that neither supports nor opposes specific legislation or any candidate for political office.
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