ACHS Shares its Sustainable Mission On and Off Campus
CONTACT: Tracey Abell
TELEPHONE: (503) 244-0726
EMAIL: president@achs.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR—February 22, 2016—After being named number 12 out of 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine in 2015, American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) continues to promote sustainability and green practices in education and health.
Earlier this month, administrative staff from the college—including ACHS Chief Operating Officer Tracey Abell, Director of Instructional Innovation and Design Ephraim Ross, and Assistant Director of Compliance Susan Yirku—presented a panel on creating sustainable practices and a greener curriculum at the 2016 Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) in Eugene, Oregon.
(Pictured: ACHS COO Tracey Abell and Director of Innovation Ephraim Ross with a timeline of ACHS green accomplishments at the 2016 WOHESC Conference)
The WOHESC panel (https://wohesc.org/) was designed to inspire and engage small campuses to commit to sustainable practices and principles through demonstrated experience with integrating sustainability best practices into project design, a comprehensive approach to employee work practices, and green curriculum decisions.
ACHS President and Founder Dorene Petersen was a contributing author to the presentation, and says, “Maintaining a ‘green’ campus is more than simply providing paperless options to students. It means looking at logistical and resource challenges and coming up with sustainably sound solutions. Often, that takes quite a bit of creativity and innovation.”
Another way ACHS spreads its “green” message is through its community on-campus classes. While classes focus on holistic and natural protocols for health, many also promote organic and sustainable practices. ACHS Chief Strategy Officer and Master Gardener Erika Yigzaw will be presenting an interactive workshop on organic gardening on March 3. A lifetime sustainability advocate, composting expert, and the original founder of the ACHS Sustainability Committee nearly 10 years ago, Erika also runs a sustainable lavender farm in Sherwood, Oregon.
“I love to show students that growing your own herbs organically doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated,” says Yigzaw. “Put the right plants in the right location and apply a few tips to build good soil, and you can design a sustainable, organic garden that mimics the natural ecosystem and gives you years of herbs for cooking and health with little work. You’ll also provide food for bees and other beneficial insects. Organic gardening is the ultimate win-win.”
Registration for the class “Introduction to Organic Gardening” can be found online here: https://contact.achs.edu/introduction-to-organic-herb-gardening
“We’re very excited to see the College’s green mission continue to grow, pun intended,” says Yigzaw. “We’re all responsible for the welfare of our planet. After all, we’re caring for the planet our kids will inherit. All of us at ACHS are happy to share the sustainable tips and tools we’ve learned along the way with others and show how fairly simple things, done regularly, can make a big difference.”
To learn more about ACHS’s green initiatives and on-campus community classes, call 800.487.8839 or email publicrelations@achs.edu. For more information about accredited undergraduate and graduate holistic health and wellness programs, contact ACHS Admissions at 800.487.8839 or visit www.achs.edu.
About ACHS
American College of Healthcare Sciences has been educating industry leading holistic health professionals since 1978 (view our Alumni in Action online at https://achs.edu/alumni/in-action) and is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). ACHS is one of the only accredited holistic health colleges offering fully online graduate and undergraduate degrees, diplomas, career-training certificates, and continuing education courses in integrative medicine fields, such as aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and wellness coaching. For more information about ACHS programs visit www.achs.edu.
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