Lewis and Clark College
Students Engaged in Eco-Defense (SEED)

Lewis and Clark College has also taken progressive steps toward energy conservation and environmental stewardship. Lewis and Clark College has become the first campus in the nation to comply with the greenhouse gas emissions targets called for in the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto protocol, an international treaty on global warming, stipulates a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels for the United States. Achieving this compliance is the result of a 3 year student campaign spearheaded by SEED, Students Engaged in Eco-Defense, involving greenhouse gas inventories, student polls demonstrating support, emissions reductions on campus, and the use of student fees to purchase carbon dioxide offsets. Emissions reductions were achieved through the upgrade of natural gas boilers on campus, Energy Star appliances, and green power in dorms. Lewis and Clark College was the first college in the United States to offer students the option of purchasing green power for their dorm rooms.

Offset Projects:

Offset projects reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere and help mitigate climate change by funding efforts such as reforestation, green building practices or wind farms. The result is a cost-effective method that enabled Lewis & Clark College to minimize its net carbon impact. The cost to achieve compliance is estimated at $10 per student . Mount Holyoke should research more into the methods Lewis and Clark College are employing to reach compliance, especially regarding the offset projects, as these may or may not be the direction we wish to take energy conservation on campus.