Campus Sustainability History

For many years, students and faculty at Lewis & Clark College have been interested in environmental issues. The landmark Oregon Bottle Bill in the early 1970s grew out of the practice of recycling bottles and cans at the Plain Pantry stores, a chain owned by John Piacentinni, a Lewis & Clark graduate from the late 1950s. In the mid-1970s, the Associated Students of Lewis & Clark College started a recycling center that was supported and run by a student group. In time, work-study students ran the center before it eventually became one of the responsibilities of campus facilities services. For 20 years, Lewis & Clark sponsored an active OSPIRG (Oregon Students Public Interest Research Group) chapter that worked to influence legislation on a variety of environmental issues.

Within the formal academic program, faculty developed courses around environmental themes. Students, as well, took advantage of the opportunity to develop student-designed academic majors, many of which dealt with environmental themes. The proximity of one of the nation's oldest and best programs in environmental law at the college's Law School has also been conducive for the study of the environment.

In 1995, a group of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences decided to establish a formal major in Environmental Studies. The first Environmental Studies majors graduated in the class of 1999. At Lewis & Clark, environmental studies is an interdisciplinary field fostering understanding of the natural, physical, and biological setting in which life on Earth exists. It integrates scientific study of ecosystems, pollution, climate, energy, and other environmental and natural resource matters on a global, regional, and local scale, with policy-related study of environmental ethics and philosophy, politics, economics, history, and law within the humanities and social sciences. The field addresses natural and human-caused changes in environmental characteristics and natural resources in a comprehensive manner.

The Lewis and Clark Sustainability Council, formally known as the Lewis and Clark Environmental Council, formed in the late 1990’s. Its mission was to bring together students, faculty, and staff from all three campuses of the college to share concerns and projects related to the development of a campus that embodies the principles of environmental stewardship. Since its formation, the council has attempted to broaden its base, and in the last year has began to explore how it might foster a campus that is focused on community and social cohesiveness as well as environmental issues. As part of this exploration, the Sustainability Council held a workshop last April that attempted to bring together members from throughout the Lewis & Clark community. The goal was to get input from more than just the members of the council, and use this information to create a new charge and set of action steps that will address the complex sustainability issues faced by college campuses. In the coming years the council hopes to grow and expand, becoming a resource and a source of knowledge for the Lewis & Clark community and the surrounding community in Portland.