University of OregonSustainabilityDatabase |
In our present unsustainable economy we are using the earth's resources faster than they can be replenished. This can't last. Sustainability is about meeting our resource needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The diagrams below suggest that 1) sustainability requires a balance between the environment, society, and economy and 2) our economy and society are dependent on the environment.
A university has direct impacts on resource consumption through its daily operations, but also has indirect impacts through its research, teaching emphasis, and public service. Imagine what happens when a faculty member's research improves the efficiency of solar panels, when a university sponsored conference causes local businesses to rethink their lighting systems or purchasing choices, or when the curriculum raises graduating students' awareness of the long-term effects of pesticides on water quality. Add to that the power of a mobilized student body and it's clear that universities can change the world we live in.
The University of Oregon is a national leader in the field of campus sustainability. Our facilities staff, students, faculty, and administrators have intitiated sustainability efforts in each of the five broad areas of campus activity described below.
Campus Operations includes everything that keeps the University running. Our pesticides and toxics reduction efforts, "green" buildings, and nationally recognized recycling program have reduced our footprint. These and other efforts are guided by the Sustainable Development Plan, Comprehensive Environmental Policy, and the Bicycle Plan. As a result we have the Lillis Business Complex, designed to be 50% more energy efficient than required by state code, and a recycling program that recovers 47% of all University waste. Many other projects can be found in the sustainability database.
Research at the University of Oregon contributes to sustainability both here at home and in places far away. Researchers at the Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE) produce work that has postive impacts far beyond the campus. For example, ISE researchers developed maps that lay out three possible futures facing the Willamette Valley. The maps help communities balance economic and environmental goals. The Solar Radiation Monitoring Lab developed a program that shows the sun's path across the sky at any given latitude and longitude. Architects use this tool to design buildings that incorporate passive solar lighting and heating.
The University of Oregon is home to three major annual student run conferences and many sustainability focused student groups. The conferences include the Sustainable Business Symposium and the HOPES Conference which focuses on sustainable architecture and design. Both conferences draw speakers and attendees from around the nation. Student groups vary in focus from the Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER) to the Survival Center, an umbrella organization for environmental student groups on campus.
Many academic departments offer classes focused on sustainability. The School of Planning, Public Policy, and Management offers an intensive one week field-based course that visits examples of successful sustainable practices throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Lundquist College of Business offers a Sustainable Business course and has a policy to integrate environmental ethics into all of their courses.
The Community Service Center Service and the Environmental Studies Service Learning Program offer project based service to the surrounding community. They partner students with government agencies, businesses, and non-profits to work on real-world environmental projects all over Oregon. The Sustainability Leadership Academy hosts a workshop on strategies for zero waste (and many other workshops) for managers wishing to steer their organizations towards sustainability.