Lewis & Clark, PSU continue to be true to their cool school roots
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A pair of Oregon colleges have landed top 20 spots in the Sierra Club's annual "Cool Schools" ranking.
Lewis & Clark ranked 9th and Portland State University is 20th in the report, which gives out accolades for the schools' sustainability commitments.
Oregon State University and Southern Oregon University also landed on the list, which includes 153 schools.
Lewis & Clark "has gone above and beyond in how it manages its waste," the publication Sierra noted. It diverted 513 tons from landfills last year. Plus, students must pay extra if they print more than 650 pages in an academic year.
As a result, "everyone prints double-sided," the magazine noted.
Plus, the school's dining halls audit what they toss away and offer discounts to those who bring in reusable containers.
PSU won the notice for its voluntary carbon offset program for department air travel, as well as its expanded compost collection for all residence halls and department break rooms.
Hundreds of freshman students also perform waste audits of campus buildings.
“PSU made a lot of great strides last year,” said Jenny McNamara, Portland State's campus sustainability manager, in a release. “We’ve taken steps to reduce our water and energy consumption, bring more local food to campus, and minimize the waste we send to the landfill."
