BUILDINGS

OREGON MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Oregon Model for Sustainable Development (OMSD) is a major initiative that oversees the implementation of UO’s emissions reduction efforts. The OMSD is the major policy framework that emerged from the CAP. It set the ambitious goal of capping energy use in campus buildings at 2011 levels, despite expecting significant growth over subsequent decades. In order to achieve this goal, the OMSD focuses on the following three elements:

1. All newly constructed buildings must achieve (LEED) gold standard certification.
2. New buildings must be 35% more efficient than 2007 Oregon code, thus guaranteeing a high level of energy efficiency in all buildings constructed after 2010.
3. UO must increase energy efficiency in existing buildings; the savings produced offsets newly constructed buildings’ energy loads. 

By executing on its commitment to GHG reduction goals, the University’s emissions held steady despite an increase in building square footage: UO’s energy consumption remained flat from 2011-2019!

CAMPUS PLAN

The UO Campus Plan utilizes “a framework of patterns and principles defining the qualities inherent to a functional, beautiful campus” to guide development. The Campus Plan calls for the preservation of the campus’s “instructional core” and an expansion of its existing network of interconnected open spaces. 

Principle 10 of the UO Campus Plan mandates that “all development, redevelopment, and remodeling on the University of Oregon campus shall incorporate sustainable design principles including existing and future land use, landscaping, building, and transportation plans.” Principle 10 specifies patterns and principles that must inform campus planning and sets the following goals:

• Optimize the energy efficiency of all new buildings and mitigate increases in total campus energy use from all capital projects.  
• Ensure capital projects meet the Advanced Energy Threshold (AET), defined as 25% more efficient than the 2014 Oregon Energy Code requirements.
• Improve the quality of stormwater emitted into the region’s waterways by focusing on campus streets and parking lots.
• Sustain campus habits by linking construction projects to outreach initiatives that shift peoples’ behavior to support energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
• Aspire to LEED Gold certification in all new buildings.  
• Foster social equity and human health with the following measures:
  • Ensure high levels of indoor environmental quality (IEQ).
  • Maintain transparency about construction labor and materials.
  • Seek to ensure high standards of equity and accessibility in building design.
  • Provide gender-inclusive restroom facilities.
  • Provide access to functional, private, safe, and clean lactation rooms across campus.

   

CUSTODIAL SERVICES WORK PLAN

At the University of Oregon, Custodial Services staff is responsible for the daily cleaning of 3.5 million square feet on the UO campus. They also supply paper and custodial supplies throughout campus and maintain a fleet of cleaning equipment. Staff responsibilities include carpet cleaning, floor refinishing, pest control, and window cleaning.

Custodial Services prioritizes staff and environmental safety. When choosing cleaning products, Custodial Services seeks to minimize negative environmental impacts and to ensure the physical safety of staff members who interact with these products. Paper supplies used throughout campus restroom facilities are made with 100% recycled paper (though exceptions may occur when these products aren’t available from vendors). 

Custodial Services is also responsible for hazardous waste management on campus:

• Custodial Services follows the guidelines established by the UO Integrated Pest Management program. This program aims to keep pest populations down while minimizing human exposure to health risks, inflicting minimal environmental impact, and monitoring and evaluating pest management practices. 
• Staff removes nonfunctional fluorescent bulbs and delivers them to UO Environmental Health and Safety for disposal.
• Staff delivers expired and concentrated chemicals to Environmental Health and Safety for disposal. (*Note: on-campus lab facilities operate according to their own hazardous and non-hazardous waste disposal policies). 
• All Custodial Services employees undergo Hazardous Materials training. Although the cleaning chemicals they use are nonhazardous, staff members enter spaces in which hazardous materials may be present. 

Custodial Services earned the 2022 UO Sustainability Award in the “sustainable purchasing” category. This award recognized the department’s commitment to green cleaning products and its innovative vendor-managed inventory system. Previously, custodial staff used campus vehicles to distribute custodial supplies to 110 closets throughout campus. In 2022, the department contracted with vendors to deliver supplies directly to these locations. The new vendor-managed inventory system saves the equivalent of 2 FTE of labor.