Sierra magazine calls Fort Lewis College one of “America’s Coolest Schools”
Sierra magazine calls Fort Lewis College one of “America’s Coolest Schools”
DURANGO (21 October 2011) – Caring for the Earth is cool. And that caring on the Fort Lewis College campus makes it one of “America’s Coolest Schools,” says Sierra magazine, the official publication of the Sierra Club, in its October 2011 issue.
In the environmental magazine’s “5th Annual America’s Coolest Schools” feature, Fort Lewis College was cited for its on-campus conservation and recycling practices, environmental and outdoor courses and activities, offerings of organic and locally grown foods, and administrative commitment toward environmental sustainability.
In compiling the list, the magazine’s staff sought “detailed, quantitative work to rank U.S. universities on their greenness.” They also “wanted to find out what lessons are learned when the classroom walls fall away,” the introduction to the list says. “What happens when students sleep on damp earth, grow their own food, or build homes for the poor? Here’s our hypothesis: They change, on the inside and on the outside.”
FLC, ranked #86 in the nation on the list, earned its inclusion thanks to energy and water-use efficiency and design in the campus’ building and grounds, for serving 25 percent food grown or raised within 100 miles, and offering a campus garden where students can work. The work of the Environmental Center, the campus recycling program, and individual and group student initiatives such as this year’s Bottle Buster campaign were also cited.
Green academic programs also are recognized. FLC offers several environment and/or sustainability-related majors, including Environmental Studies, Environmental Biology, and Environmental Geology, as well as Environmental Policy and Mountain Studies minors. There are also classes about clean technologies, such those studying, researching, and applying green chemistry practices in the Chemistry Department.
FLC’s outdoor, field, and community-based programs also are noted for encompassing environmental stewardship, including courses in Adventure Education, Geology, Sociology, and Anthropology. Outdoor Pursuits was also a highlighted extra-curricular program, for its outfitting student outdoor ventures, and offering workshops and guided backcountry trips for all skill levels.
The College also boasts three LEED Gold buildings on campus: Animas Hall, FLC’s newest residence hall; the Biology wing of Berndt Hall; and the addition to the FLC Student Union. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system that judges the environmental-friendliness of a building.
The listing also recognized the school administration’s commitment to growing the campus’ environmentally conscious programming and design through the campus-wide Sustainability Action Plan and the signing onto the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
It’s been a good year for Fort Lewis College in terms of environmental recognitions. To go along with the Sierra magazine ranking, FLC also earned a spot on The Princeton Review’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges in April.
Read “America’s Coolest Schools” in Sierra here.
[http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201109/coolschools/default.aspx]
Learn more about environmental sustainability at Fort Lewis College at fortlewis.edu/sustainability
[http://www2.fortlewis.edu/sustainability/home.aspx]
