Lewis&Clark Facilities

Oregon Tilthe Training

March 14, 2013

The Lewis & Clark Grounds Department has a major goal for the coming year: to be pesticide-free by January 2014.

Sending five employees from the Grounds Department to a workshop on Oregon Tilth Accredited Organic Land Care propelled the process forward. After the week long workshop, Chloe Flora, Max Williams, Jerry Vandecouvering, Tim Putnam, and Dave Voegtlin became Oregon Tilth Certified Organic Land Care Practitioners. Through training they gained the skills and knowledge to set up a pesticide-free, organically managed campus.

Oregon Tilth Inc. is a non-profit organization that strives to promote organic land care. They teach land care professionals to reduce the use of environmentally degrading substances, increase awareness of organic land care in communities, and provide a community of all types of people with similar goals. In providing professional accreditation, they allow those who make an effort to be sustainable to be widely recognized.

As Lewis & Clark becomes more involved with Oregon Tilth Inc., the college is provided with more opportunities to be a more sustainable campus. Becoming pesticide-free will aid in the school’s current efforts to be Salmon Safe. To do so, Lewis & Clark must implement practices, such as reducing stormwater runoff and using minimal pesticides. This will help protect Pacific Northwest salmon sheds.

Lewis & Clark’s efforts to become a more sustainable campus have been amplified by Oregon Tilth training, and will continue to progress as the college becomes more involved with the non-profit.