July 16, 2018

Plastics Reduction Update

The Office of Sustainability is working to reduce Lewis & Clark’s use of plastic bottled beverages and straws, and will begin to focus on packaged food, plastic tumblers, and plastic utensils as appropriate alternatives are identified.

The Sustainability Council thanks everyone for their enthusiasm as we begin transitioning our campus away from single-use plastics.

We are now working to reduce our plastic bottled beverages and straws and then will move to packaged food, plastic tumblers, and plastic utensils as appropriate alternatives are identified.

Because we are unable to put compostable plastics in our composting bins, identifying alternatives with a lower environmental footprint requires a bit of research and creativity.

We appreciate your patience as we work through these issues!

See this page to learn more about why business composting is different from what you do at home. For suggestions on the most environmentally-friendly food ware choices, check out this City of Portland page

Vending machine conversion from plastics to metal and glass began in June. We had a few hiccups in this initial schedule and apologize to those who found empty machines. Machines are now being reconfigured for metal and glass containers. This should be completed by early August.

Water filling stations are being installed across campus. New stations are located in Zhentbauer, Albany, JR Howard, and Howard Residence hall. More installations are planned as funding becomes available.

Coming this fall:

  • new beverage options in campus dining and cafe facilities
  • paper and reusable straws
  • new water filling stations
  • free reusable beverage containers and straws available in the Sustainability Office

We are exploring the following options:

  • new durable dishware for events
  • alternative to-go packaging

Questions? Please contact Amy Dvorak, Sustainability Director. We appreciate your feedback and suggestions!