The Environmental Center 2016 Fall Retreat!

The semester is finally over even though it feels like no time has passed at all.

I began my journey with the Environmental Center this fall. Working for the EC has been a humbling experience because I get to work with some truly inspiring co-workers and fellow Fort Lewis students.

We are a community of students who refuse to be intimidated and overwhelmed by environmental and social justice issues. Instead we choose to come together in many different ways to create positive change.

The students at the EC are a committed to doing impactful environmental and social work for the college and the community. Our success depends on the relationships we create within the EC, with the FLC community, and all the people and organizations in our greater community.

It is these relationships that I am most inspired by. But I have learned through my work here about the reality of what else it takes to run a successful environmental organization. In the spirit of #GivingTuesday, I wish to make my appeal to ask that you consider a donation to the EC. If you feel so inclined: simply go to the FLC giving page, select the amount you wish to give, and on the next page click 'Select Fund' and chose the Environmental Center Fund.

I want to thank the EC team for a great semester!

On behalf of all the students at the EC, I also want to thank everyone who has supported us: past, present and future.

Media and Communications Manager

 

 

What does 7% Real Food look like?

Help us increase to 20% Real Food

Great news! -- The above numbers do not take into account our Vote Real shifts in tomatoes and potatoes (which have increased our food percentage by another 2.6-3%), or this year's increased purchasing from the Old Fort Farm and Campus Gardens.

This year the EC Campus Grown program produced over 500 lbs of organic food ...

This provided 1,345 meals for FLC students & brought in $1,387 to support next years garden operations!

This food also provided fresher, more nutritious produce to campus because it was literally brought to the FLC dining hall kitchen within the same hour of being harvested and at the peak of freshness.

Current FLC students can bring their old incandescent light bulbs to the Environmental Center (located in the SUB) to receive a LED replacement! Your participation in this program will not only give you a free light bulb, but will also reduce your energy consumption and save you and FLC money. 

The Zero Waste team performed a successful (if frigid) pilot waste audit of the Center for Southwest Studies waste stream. This project was in preparation for a larger campus-wide waste audit that our team will be heading up in Spring semester.

The waste audit found that nearly 1/5 of the total waste stream (by weight) could have been recycled.  Additionally, restroom paper towels alone accounted for over 1/5 of the entire waste stream!

 

In many ways, the EC's most powerful work is what comes afterwards! When a student graduates from the EC, they take the values they learned here wherever they go throughout their lives.

• Click on the Enroll Now button
• Create an account
• Register your City Market Value Card and when asked what organization you would like to support, type in Environmental Center and check the appropriate dialog box. 

FLC center cultivates students, environmental and social justice

On October 2, 1991, a fully funded Environmental Center, or EC, opened its doors in an attic space in College Union Building, marking a permanent change in the way the school operates, and putting FLC on the maps as a green leader.

On this episode of Fortifact, we'll have a look at how the EC fits into half a century of expanding concern for the earth's systems. And we'll look at the the Center's emphasis on graduating students capable of becoming environmental leaders.

We'll also talk to some of the Center's builders, hear about its current goals and programs, and explore the EC's legacy as it prepares to celebrate 25 years of advocacy for the planet and its people . . . Watch it here!

Course Description:

Analysis of garden and farm management as they relate to ecosystem function and environmental conservation.

Includes agro-ecological analysis of
nutrient cycling, population dynamics, species
interactions, and adaptation.

This course integrates lectures with experiential learning in analyzing and applying horticultural soil management, irrigation management, crop rotations, and
integrated approaches to pest and weed
management.

San Juan Citizen's Alliance invites you to submit your comments 

In an effort to encourage more meaningful comments, we're experimenting with a new approach. Rather than create a pre-written letter, we are asking you to write a short personal letter drawing on talking points from our analysis. We've also created a blog detailing our concerns in more depth. We believe taking a few extra minutes to type the comments in your own words will translate into greater consideration by the Forest Service.'

Thanks for helping us ensure a strong finish to this successful collaborative process.

The USFS Washington Office, working closely with members of the 2012 Planning Rule Fed­eral Advisory Committee, recently published the   Citizen's Guide to National Forest Planning an d a guide for state, local and tribal governments . 

These guides offer users an overview of the 2012 Planning Rule and describe opportunities for members of the public and state and local governments to participate in the forest planning process. They are hugely useful tool for citizens and local governments looking to effectively make their voices heard in the forest planning process.