
Ryan Roberts
Staff Writer
As the theme of this year’s Springfest was ‘Going Green,’ there are many opportunities for students to conserve energy. Lewis and Clark Community College has implemented several effective measures in an effort to positively impact its environmental output and reduce waste. L&C has been able to lower its carbon footprint and is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2058, although the goal is far off, our school has already begun to influence the amount of waste it produces.
Lewis and Clark has many ways to reduce waste and to promote a cleaner environment, which includes effective recycling of refuse, as many classes can use the waste for various classes as material for student projects. Adam Waldo, a graduate student studying environmental science, was glad about the efforts to conserve, but thinks we can do more. “I’m happy to see a call for conservation at Lewis and Clark, but let’s rally around the very basics such as composting and re-using what we can to create as little excess as possible,” Waldo said.
L&C has a policy to compost trash and food from the kitchens around campus and utilizes a sundry of technology to decrease the energy consumed on campus. Our college has installed some of the newest tech in terms of green energy, boasting as one of the first schools in America to receive an alternative energy fuel cell, which produces electricity from a chemical reaction using natural gas.
One of the biggest factors contributing to L&C’s gas emissions is students commuting to and from campus. To target this, L&C has come up with multiple options to find a solution; offering bus rides, carpooling and other services. One of the organizations partnered with L&C is Ridefinders. Sarah Jackson, a representative for Ridefinders said, “We offer alternative modes of transportation with carpooling, vanpooling and riding the bus, our goal is to reduce emissions and improve air quality for the St. Louis area.”
L&C is making a dedicated effort to reduce any negative impact it has on the environment, but one of the biggest factors for a clean campus are the contributions made by students, who can help by simply applying the basics of conservation by reusing printed paper, or using the correct trash cans to recycle.
To find out how you can get involved on the green impact here at L&C, contact Director of Sustainability, Nate Keener, at nkeener@lc.edu.