GODFREY – Last week was a big one for Lewis and Clark Community College’s sustainability efforts.

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Not only did the college receive a Growing Green award from the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its sustainability efforts in the category of Operational Excellence, but it also earned the Zero Hero award for innovative stormwater management at its National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRRECsm) Jerry F. Costello Confluence Field Station in East Alton.

“Earning the Growing Green and Zero Hero awards was such an honor, and a testament to the hard work of everybody in the Lewis and Clark Community College family that strives to make our community a more sustainable place,” said Director of Sustainability Nate Keener. 

The USGBC’s annual Growing Green awards are competitive, and celebrate and recognize individuals, groups and organizations “actively transforming the built environment.”

Among L&C’s achievements and notable projects are:

  • Solar photovoltaic energy generating systems at NGRREC and Godfrey campuses
  • NGRREC’s green roof
  • NGRREC’s (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) LEED Gold status
  • Godfrey Campus Haskell Hall Parking Lot Upgrade and “Radiating Waves” bioswale
  • Recycling throughout the college system
  • Green transportation incentive programs
  • Restoration efforts incorporating native plants at Godfrey and NGRREC campuses

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USGBC also recognized the college as a Zero Hero for treating 100 percent of the wastewater on site at NGRREC. A Zero Hero is an entity that achieves a “net zero” goal. Past honorees of Zero Hero awards included entities that achieved zero waste and zero emissions.

“From students, to faculty, architects, planners, and administrators, this award showed us we’re on the right track, and well positioned to reach ‘campus carbon neutrality’ by 2058,” L&C President Dale Chapman said.

The Missouri Gateway Chapter of the USGBC was founded in 2001 and aims to support transformation of the built environment with a strong organization that excels in member services and engagement, education, advocacy and marketing around green building practices and principles.

The Missouri Gateway Chapter has been consistently honored as one of the top USGBC chapters in the nation – and as one of the region’s “Heroes of the Planet” for organizational excellence. Since it was founded in 2001, membership has grown to more than 600 individuals representing a wide array of companies and organizations, all sharing a common vision to create a more sustainable St. Louis Metro area.

Lewis and Clark Community College is a two-year higher education institution with multiple campuses, a river research center, Community Education Centers and training centers located throughout the 220,000-person college district, which reaches into seven counties. L&C is dedicated to “greening” its campuses, reducing the college's carbon footprint and providing technical assistance in sustainable practices and education. Learn more at www.lc.edu/green.

For more information, contact Keener at (618) 468-2782 or nkeener@lc.edu. 

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