LVC Peace Garden

Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainability at LVC

Mission

As a learning institution, Lebanon Valley College embraces the goal of environmental sustainability and commits itself to efforts that will ensure sustainability for our local and global community. To this end, the College, with the direct support of the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee, will work to:

  • Facilitate the establishment of academic courses and other curricular and co-curricular programs related to environmental sustainability.
  • Offer advice and have a seat at the table regarding the planning and implementation of environmentally sustainable practices in our facilities, operations, and capital projects, and in the campus master planning process.
  • Work to raise the environmental and sustainability awareness of all members of the campus community through the curriculum, programs, special events and initiatives, and through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information on the College’s energy and resource use and overall carbon footprint.
  • Foster environmental stewardship and encourage responsible consumption.

 

Curriculum

In recent years, Lebanon Valley College has developed a range of new programs and courses that speak directly to issues of environmental sustainability—most notably, our Environmental Sciences Major and Environmental Studies Minor. These programs and courses are intended to serve the core mission of the College and values it espouses through its curriculum. In addition to specific courses focusing on various aspects of environmental sustainability, LVC faculty continue to work to integrate issues of environmental sustainability into their courses in disciplines as diverse as sociology, physics, chemistry, art, economics, and history.

 

History

At the start of the 2008-2009 academic year, President MacDonald authorized the creation of a new Sustainability Task Force (STF), and they spent years working on initiatives that tackled problems involving recycling and other ways to improve campus sustainability, drafting up annual reports of its progress.

In March 2012, to reinforce the College’s long-term responsibility to plan for and commit to sustainability, the Sustainability Task Force was transformed into the Sustainability Advisory Committee, a special-purpose committee of the College. And since then, the committee has grown and has made great strides in campus sustainability, helping the College transition to 100% renewable energy, implementing a recycling program, and more. In September 2018, the Committee’s name was changed to the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC).

Today, campus initiatives include campus-wide recycling, E.A.T. Initiative, Dining Services efforts, various student projects, and work through the College’s Environmental Club, as well as new initiatives surrounding the recently signed President’s Climate Commitment, pledging the College to go carbon neutral in the future.

LVC Campus Tree Map

Check out this interactive Community Engagement Map of the trees on the Lebanon Valley College campus. Explore tree species, trunk diameter, and information about the eco- benefits the specific trees provide.

How to Get Involved

Created in the Spring semester of 2015, Environmental Club looks to establish environmental sustainability initiatives among LVC students. Environmental Club hosts speakers, organizes trips, and conducts student projects to inform its club members as well as other students about environmental issues. Some examples of campus involvement include: helping with the native plant garden, planting trees in the Susquehanna, tending to the Peace Garden, and environmentally-related social events. Joining Environmental Club is a great way to help make a greener campus!

For more information, contact the Center for Student Engagement.

Another option for involvement with Sustainability is to interview for an internship with the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee (ESAC). When these positions become available (as current interns graduate) they will be posted on the student job board.

The Sustainability House is an on-campus special interest housing opportunity that gives students the chance to live in a community where they may learn about how to live in a sustainable way. They will be asked to adopt various practices while living in the house, such as reducing energy and water use, and recycling. The students will also host programs and develop initiatives aimed to educate other students, faculty, and community members. Current project proposals include hydroponics, native plant gardens, and monitoring of the house’s water and electricity usage.