Roses bloom in front of Gilkey Hall on the Oregon State University campus. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Oregon State University received 98 points out of a possible 99 as a ‘green’ school in the latest edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition.” The schools are chosen based on a 50-question survey conducted at hundreds of four-year colleges.

The Princeton Review analyzes data from the survey about the schools’ course offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation to measure their commitment to the environment and to sustainability.

“The OSU community has once again demonstrated a high level of interest in and competency around sustainability,” said Brandon Trelstad, OSU’s sustainability coordinator.

The 215-page guide is the only free comprehensive resource of its kind. It can be downloaded at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide and www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.  It does not rank schools hierarchically, but each school’s green score can be found in their school profile on the main site (http://www.princetonreview.com/).

The 322 school profiles in the guide feature essential information for applicants – facts and stats on school demographics, admission, financial aid – plus write-ups on the schools’ specific sustainability initiatives.  A “Green Facts” sidebar reports on a wide range of topics from the school’s use of renewable energy sources, recycling and conservation programs to the availability of environmental studies and career guidance for green jobs.

“The volume and breadth of sustainability related work at this institution is amazing, and fascinatingly diverse,” Trelstad said. “I think what continually sets OSU apart is its broad spectrum of sustainability expertise. This is supported by students who care about global issues and come to OSU to build on that interest.”

Among OSU’s green highlights were an overall waste diversion rate of 42 percent, its numerous sustainability awards, its annual Nonprofit Career Day, and a building policy that ensures students will typically walk no further than 10 minutes across campus for class.

“OSU has a history of creating innovative projects to reduce energy use and meet its goal of climate neutrality by 2024,” the guide states.

The Princeton Review created its “Guide to 322 Green Colleges” in partnership with the Center for Green Schools (www.usgbc.org) at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)), with generous support from United Technologies Corp. (www.utc.com), founding sponsor of the Center for Green Schools.

]]> http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2013/oregon-state-university-featured-in-the-princeton-reviews-guide-to-green-colleges/feed/ 0 http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2011/osu-announces-energy-challenge/ http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/2011/osu-announces-energy-challenge/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:18:07 +0000 theresa.hogue@oregonstate.edu http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/lifeatosu/?p=4154 Building off the success of OSU’s Building Energy Challenge in 2010 and 2011, the OSU Sustainability Office and the Student Sustainability Initiative are announcing OSU’s participation in Campus Conservation Nationals 2012, a nationwide electricity use reduction competition among colleges and universities.  The competition was created by The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council through its Students Program and in partnership with Lucid Design Group, Alliance to Save Energy and the National Wildlife Federation. Between Feb. 6 and Feb. 23, 2012, students at OSU and across the country will compete to achieve the greatest reductions in their residence halls and select buildings over a three-week period.

Oregon State University joins the ranks of more than 100 universities and colleges nationwide that are currently registered for this program. In this competition, participating schools can choose to compete against buildings on their own campus, or against a select group of peer institutions, with savings from all participants accumulating to reach a national challenge goal of one gigawatt-hour. Using Lucid’s Building Dashboard®, participating schools will be able to instantly compare performance, share winning strategies and track standings among the leading schools and buildings. This national event is an opportunity to organize students and staff to make immediate and lasting impacts on a school’s carbon emissions and campus culture.

The Sustainability Office in conjunction with the student led Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) invite you to participate in Oregon State University’s Building Conservation Challenge.  This event is designed to help reduce our energy consumption from Feb. 6- Feb. 24. The goals of the event are to educate building users on energy consumption as well as maintaining energy conservation successes beyond the challenge.   Along with competing with other universities, buildings on campus will be competing against each other to reduce their consumption and win prizes!

More details will be coming soon including an information presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Please contact Patrick McMahon in the Sustainability Office and Mikkel VandeBergh, Energy Projects Coordinator for SSI if you are interested in leading your building’s participation in our challenge to reduce our consumption.

Senior Instructor Steve Cook requires his students to do service projects, including planting trees in wetlands like this one, as part of their course work. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

He has constructed a number of strategies to keep students coming back to class, from random quizzes to creative class presentations that are a far cry from repeating passages in a textbook. But for the last three years, he’s added a new component to his class requirements, group projects featuring volunteer community service.

“Our lives are so easy,” he said. “We should be doing something for the rest of the world.”

Cook believes that there is only a small core of students with the time and dedication to do public service on their own. The rest are so busy with other demands on their time that they never quite fit volunteerism into their day.
So Cook does the motivating. Students join a six-person group made up of classmates, and must participate in one four-hour community service project per term, chosen from a list Cook compiles himself. He makes sure there are a variety of topics, times and dates available, so no student has an excuse not to participate.

The students have to participate in all four hours of volunteer work, and then write up a paper and a presentation based on their experience, which they present to the rest of the class. The project makes up one-third of their grade.
Because GEO 300 is a course on sustainability, the projects all tie in one way or another to the idea of sustainable practices, whether it’s participating in a local food cook off or trail maintenance, tree planting or non-native species removal.

“If you can’t find something that interests you, you probably shouldn’t be taking this class,” Cook said with a laugh.

And although Cook wondered if the community service requirement would be unpopular, the opposite was true.

“I’ve received remarkably positive feedback,” he said.

A few years ago, Cook supervised a group of students cutting down small trees that were encroaching on a meadow at the top of Marys Peak. The day was wet and miserable, and Cook admitted if he’d been alone he’d have turned around and gone back home. But his students were beaming.

“They were having a hell of a good time,” he said. The chance to physically see the day’s accomplishments in a pile of fallen logs is a rare opportunity for most of Cook’s students.

“We give them (a result) that looks real,” he said.

Cook is no stranger to working toward the common good. In 1992, he was one of the first people to visit Albania after the fall of communism. He struck up a friendship with families in the country, and began visiting whenever he could, including in 1996, when he received a Fulbright and taught for a term in the country.

He began to do small philanthropic work in the country, including hiring a woman to teach English in one of the villages, and setting up a school computer lab.

But eventually, he and his wife wanted to expand their work, so they created a non-profit called “Albanian Alps Institute,” which now gives $15,000 to $20,000 a year in aid to schools and students. From purchasing books to restock libraries decimated after the fall of communism, to providing bus passes for high school students to go back and forth to the nearest city each day, the money promotes education by meeting basic needs. It has a strong focus on the education of young village women who would otherwise be destined for early marriage and not a lot else.

Education makes people better citizens, Cook believes. So does community service. And that’s why he’s determined to make it a component of his classes.

“The bacc core is there to make citizens, it’s our goal,” he said. “We’re at a state university. We’re training citizens who end up being philosophers or engineers.”

Cook believes a community service requirement could be added to many types of classes, and that students and the community will both benefit from expanding the role of “the common good” as a component of a well-rounded education.

“It’s really fun, and it’s really rewarding.”

To find out about some of the many volunteer and community service activities available to OSU students, see the Student
Involvment and Leadership page at http://oregonstate.edu/sli/

~ Theresa Hogue

OSU is harnessing the power of elliptical machines at Dixon Rec to generate energy.

OSU is now one of the first universities in the country to tap the kinetic energy generated by people involved in daily workout routines and turn it into a form of renewable energy. Using a new technology developed by a company in St. Petersburg, Fla., called ReRev.com, LLC, OSU has retrofitted 22 elliptical exercise machines in its student fee-funded Dixon Recreation Center and already is collecting the power produced by students and feeding it back into the power grid.
The effort will produce an estimated 3,500 kilowatt hours of electricity in a year, according to Brandon Trelstad, the university’s sustainability coordinator.

“Its output could be equivalent to what is needed to power a small, very efficient house,” Trelstad said. “Our ultimate goal is to maximize both the real power output of the system and the learning opportunities gained by having it at OSU, where our students clearly care about renewable energy.”

“This is the start of something very exciting,” said Recreational Sports Director Tom Kirch, during the unveiling of the project on Feb. 18. He said the department is committed to being a steward of its resources, and the energy project fits into that goal.

Kirch said he was proud that OSU was pioneering the effort to combine physical health with energy production.

“This is a technology that is going to have a great impact on our society if we can develop it in a way that is accessible to everyone,” he said.

Brandon Trelstad, OSU’s sustainability coordinator, demonstrates how the treadmill used by Mike Kauffman, right, can power three lightbulbs. Although the lightbulb trick is purely for demonstration purposes, the amount of energy produced does correspond with how hard the person is working out on the machine. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

In 2007, OSU students voted to impose upon themselves an $8.50 per student per term fee to purchase renewable energy for the campus. Since then, about three-quarters of the university’s electricity has come from renewable production.

“OSU students have demonstrated how big student power can be on campus,” said Matthew Pennington, chief of staff for the Associated Students of Oregon State University. “It was a grassroots movement that helped OSU turn green – and this project moves it forward even farther.”

The ReRev technology features a system that has a patent pending called ReCardio that captures and converts the otherwise counter-productive heat energy from exercise machines. Though some businesses or individuals have dabbled with this type of energy conversion, a program on this scale is unusual, Trelstad pointed out.

“A battery-free system like this, tied to the grid, is quite rare,” Trelstad said. “In fact, we’re informed by ReRev – which has done extensive market research – that this is the largest installation of its kind in the world.”

The project, coordinated by OSU’s Sustainability Office and Recreational Sports Department, was supported by OSU students through their student incidental fees committee and by the Energy Trust of Oregon.

“Capturing electricity from exercise machines represents a small, but potentially widely replicable source of energy,” said Jan Schaeffer, special projects manager, Energy Trust. “We’re happy to support OSU in demonstrating the capabilities of this technology. And it’s a perfect capstone for the Corvallis Energy Challenge we’ve promoted over the past year.”

Trelstad said the 22-unit installation just came online and was officially launched during OSU’s Campus Wellness Week, Feb. 16-21. The potential is there for future expansion of up to 40 machines with some additional hardware.
OSU’s popular Dixon Recreation Center is the ideal facility for the system, Pennington said, because of the existing number of machines and high usage rates per machine.

“The center’s workout volume, combined with the large amount of equipment, could eventually produce the same amount of electricity as a small solar photovoltaic system, placing students directly in the renewable energy production chain.”
When students are pedaling for power on these elliptical machines, a real-time display screen shows momentary power production, production to date, production peaks, and other information.

Trelstad said additional energy savings will be realized through lower summer cooling needs for the building. Instead of creating heat as most exercise machines are set up to do, usable electricity will be generated. The power generation will slightly reduce the electrical consumption of the building, much like how a small solar electric system operates, he pointed out.

More important, however, the project has the power – no pun intended – to bring sustainability and renewable energy awareness to students who may never have thought about it in such direct ways.

“This type of involved, hands on learning can be invaluable for students,” said Pennington. “This project will put green power, and new technology directly in contact with students that may have never seen it before. This type of project is one of those that students look at and it just makes sense.

“It has no learning curve, and is easy for anyone to comprehend.”

~ Mark Floyd and Theresa Hogue

Brandon Trelstad

It’s a reminder to me that the toolkit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as Oregon State has agreed to do, will be a wide ranging, diverse set of strategies and actions. Awareness, education and changing human expectations will be a big part of moving forward, but certain technology and equipment will also play a big role.  Debate rages on within the green and scientific communities about “transition” energy sources, which, depending on who you talk to, include things like ethanol and traditional nuclear power.  Solar energy, in spite of its perceived costs, is one of the long term solutions and one that can be implemented now.

A colleague of mine at the Oregon Department of Energy, Christopher Dymond (son of the late OSU oceanography researcher Jack Dymond), has coined a now locally popular phrase amongst solar geeks like me: “You must eat your conservation vegetables before you can have your solar cookies.”

The simple statement illustrates how the energy density of the solar electric technologies today cannot support our existing inefficient infrastructure. In my own home, I followed Christopher’s advice to the best of my abilities with compact fluorescent lights, an extremely efficient – but effective – showerhead provided free from the Energy Trust of Oregon, better windows and insulation, etc.  Then I invested in solar, and now get about 65% of my energy on an annual basis from the sun.

On campus, we are attempting the same efforts, but not following as strictly Christopher’s advice. Unlike my personal bank account, funding for conservation projects and solar installations on campus come from different “pots of money,” a phrase I have grown very familiar with in my time at OSU. We are attempting multiple strategies at once, some moving quicker and with more success than others.

About a year ago, OSU and the Chancellor’s Office began investigating options for third party ownership of solar electric systems. In these arrangements, a tax-paying investor pays for and owns a solar electric system, installs it on OSU’s buildings and the university purchases the power for a given period of time, after which OSU would buy for a nominal amount or be given the rooftop equipment. The investor depreciates the equipment and takes the tax credits and other financial incentives that make the systems nearly cost-neutral.  OSU gets renewable power and eventually takes ownership of the systems. Roof mounted photovoltaic systems could, at Hinsdale Wave Research Lab for example, provide over half the building’s annual electrical needs, depending on the building.
Current economic conditions have reduced investor tax liability, making these arrangements more difficult and delayed.  But there is still hope for systems in the next year or so, and I’m working with OUS on figuring out Plan C. It’s slow going, but too promising a deal to pass up.

However, I’m also excited about solar thermal. Recreational Sports has hired a consultant to begin planning a solar hot water system for Dixon Rec that will heat the pools, and perhaps even some domestic hot water. Much of the construction costs will be covered by reinvestment funds from Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the supplier of green tags for the student renewable energy fee that students passed in 2007. We hope to construct the system late spring or summer.

OSU has a number of research projects that include solar energy as part of their emphasis. They include transparent transistors and optoelectronics created by researchers at OSU and HP, a new Center for Green Materials Chemistry that will be operated jointly with University of Oregon, a student-built solar trailer that can supply temporary power to outdoor concerts, generate electricity for remote rescue operations, or operate pumps at environmental clean-up sites, and Roger Ely and Frank Chaplen’s work to harnessing photosynthetic microbes that use solar energy to split water molecules and make hydrogen.

OSU emitted about 150,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent climate changing gasses in Fiscal Year 2007. This is a huge number, but it is in line with our peers, and many universities nationwide are making similar efforts.
The Environmental Protection Agency says Corvallis buys more renewable energy than any other city in the nation, and Oregon State University is the largest single purchaser of green power in Corvallis, buying enough to meet about 75 percent of its needs. OSU students have committed a significant amount of student fee money toward purchasing renewable energy for OSU, which has reduced emissions to less than 110,000 metric tonnes CO2e for FY08. Faculty and staff can join the students’ leadership by contributing: http://oregonstate.edu/sustainability/donate.html. Employees can also participate in the climate action planning process that kicks off with an open forum on Feb.10, 2:00-3:30 in MU 208.

Brandon Trelstad is the sustainability coordinator for Oregon State University.

OSU Motor Pool Manager Justin Fleming believes the university is positioned well to participate in a new electric car project by Nissan. The university already uses electric vehicles like this Electruck. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Oregon State University is a leader among Oregon campuses in its use of electric and hybrid vehicles, and is poised to take a larger role in emerging electric car technology at a time when Nissan North America has announced a major zero-emission vehicle partnership with the state of Oregon.
As the campus with the largest statewide fleet, OSU is already embracing electric car technology, and according to OSU Motor Pool Manager Justin Fleming, the university has agreed to provide the Oregon University Chancellor’s Office with a hybrid vehicle from its fleet. This kind of forward thinking has brought OSU to the attention of Nissan, and Fleming was involved in the preliminary discussion with Nissan representatives and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Office of Innovative Partnerships regarding Nissan’s latest project.
Nissan North America is launching an electric car partnership with the state of Oregon to bring zero-emission electric cars to government agencies by 2010, and expand the availability of electric car charging stations around Oregon. OSU already has two electric charging stations on campus for its smaller electric vehicles, and Fleming said they’d be eager to build stations for larger cars like Nissan is proposing, if they’re asked to participate in the project.
“It would be fantastic to be a part of it,” he said.
Nissan wants to work with state agencies to collect input on electric car usage, as well as to develop a charging infrastructure that would allow their newly designed electric vehicles to make long range trips. Their goal is to mass-market the vehicles in the state by 2012.

Below, Patty Hendricks, surplus property supervisor, checks out the truck’s rechargable batteries. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Currently, a larger electric car might be able to make it to Portland from Corvallis, but without a charging station there, wouldn’t be able to get back, Fleming said.
He is waiting to hear from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Office of Innovative Partnerships to see where OSU might fit in Nissan’s project. The university would have to commit to purchasing or leasing electric vehicles, and to installing kiosks where the vehicles could be charged.
Fleming believes the vehicles would provide a great opportunity for the university to demonstrate its commitment to innovative technology and hopes leaders in alternative fuel research such as those in the College of Engineering would be role models for the technology.
“(Nissan) is talking about being one of the first manufacturers to bring an affordable electric vehicle to market,” Fleming said. “If we can participate in the early stages of infrastructure development and public education, it will send a strong message to the rest of the state.”
OSU is the only public university in Oregon with its own centralized motor pool. Other universities use the state motor pool instead or have distributed ownership of vehicles. But because the university is in control of its own fleet, Fleming has been able to demonstrate OSU’s commitment to sustainability and new technology by introducing small electric cars to the fleet (with three more being purchased) as well as 15 hybrid vehicles. The low-speed electric vehicles currently in use, which are slightly larger than golf carts, maintain a speed of around 25 m.p.h. and can be operated in speed zones up to 35 m.p.h. They are primarily for use on campus by organizations such as campus recycling, printing and mailing services and environmental health and safety.
The small cars can be plugged into a normal electrical outlet, or can be charged at one of two plug-in stations around campus.
The hybrids can be used for long-range trips, and are the most requested vehicles in the fleet. In the last two years hybrids have been the number one rental choice by University Motor Pool customers. There was an average of 2,750 rental days and 400,000 miles of operation per year for the hybrids. That means an average of 10 hybrids are in use every working day of the year.
“It’s the popular choice for most renters,” Fleming said. In addition to short-term check out, there are five  hybrids on assignment to University Housing & Dining Services as campus service vehicles.

The batteries used in one of OSU's electric vehicles. (photo: Theresa Hogue)

Additionally, the motor pool is going to be converting two of its hybrids to plug-in hybrids with the ability to plug-in and recharge additional batteries, increasing the efficiency of the vehicles and allowing them to get 80 to 90 m.p.g. in an urban setting. The conversion is part of a Governor’s Office project requiring 10 state agency vehicles to be converted to plug-ins.
The Motor pool model saves the university money and creates opportunities to pursue innovative ideas, Fleming said. When employees check out a car from the motor pool rather than using their own to drive long distances, there’s a large difference in costs to the university. An average trip to Portland, the number one destination for OSU travelers, could save the university $42 if the employee uses a motor pool sedan, whereas reimbursement for a personal vehicle represents higher direct and indirect costs. In an era of budget cuts, Fleming said, increasing the usage of the motor pool could save the university close to a half-million dollars a year.
“Maybe the most innovative thing we can do is take a simple idea like pooling resources and do it really well.”
~ Theresa Hogue

The award was presented Monday evening as part of the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference in Denver. OSU is one of 25 groups, including PepsiCo., Cisco Systems, and the University of Pennsylvania, that distinguish themselves by purchasing green power for their energy needs.

Thanks to a “green energy” fee passed overwhelmingly by OSU students in 2007, Oregon State is purchasing nearly 67 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually — enough to meet about 75 percent of its  purchased electricity use. OSU buys renewable energy certificates from Bonneville Environmental Foundation.

According to the EPA, OSU’s green power purchase is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 9,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 6,000 average American homes annually.

“We’re particularly proud of this award, because it reflects a level of responsibility that our students demonstrated in passing the green energy fee,” said Brandon Trelstad, OSU sustainability coordinator.

“Not only are they taking important steps on behalf of the environment while they are students, they are modeling values that they’ll take with them into the workplace upon graduation. Recognition of their efforts proves that this is grassroots activism that is making a difference.”

OSU’s ranks No. 4 on EPA’s “Top 20 College & University” list and No. 46 on EPA’s National Top 50 list.  Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through Oct. 8, 2008.  (EPA updates its Top Partner Lists quarterly at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.)

Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro.  These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources.  Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.

This is the latest of several high profile recognitions that OSU has received for its efforts in sustainability and environmental initiatives. Earlier this fall, the Kaplan College Guide recognized OSU as one of the “Top 25 Green Colleges and Universities.”

The EPA’s top 20 colleges and universities list came out last spring, and the College Sustainability Report Card, from the Sustainable Endowments Institute, listed OSU as one of the nation’s top 25 campuses for 2007-08.

~ by Todd Simmons

Drew Desilet says University Housing and Dining Services is replacing T12 light fixtures and bulbs with T8, creating a 75 percent energy savings.

Over the summer, Wilson Hall and Arnold Dining Center didn’t just get the white glove treatment, they received the “green glove” too. 

As part of the Corvallis Energy Challenge, everything from building door seals to kitchen freezer temperature was scrutinized to find ways to boost energy efficiency and control energy cost.  Challenge auditor Cassandra Robertson led the full energy audit of the 350-student dormitory.  Drew Desilet, University Housing and Dining Services safety and inspection coordinator, and OSU Sustainability Coordinator Brandon Trelstad, assisted, hoping to take the findings and leverage them across campus.

“With current utility consumption, we anticipate a 15-20 percent increase in costs this year,” said Desilet.  “We want to keep the cost of doing business and costs to students down, so we’re constantly looking at ways to be more efficient.”

“OSU has several (energy innovations) underway already, including changing to more efficient lighting,” said Robertson, noting that UHDS is ahead of the curve in asking students to participate by recommending “energy start” refrigerators if they desire one in their room.  “The most important thing is to keep electronics and lights turned off as much as possible.”  She recommended power saving options for computer system hibernation and occupancy sensors for public areas.

Cassandra Robertson, Corvallis Energy Challenge, and Drew Desilet, UHDS, discuss how adequate insulation and good seals prevent heat escaping from pipes.

The report also outlined potential needs in weather-stripping of door thresholds, attic insulation, programmable thermostat and room heater controls, pipe insulation, refrigerator maintenance, dishwasher unit upgrades and warming unit seals.  In one case, the temperature in a freezer in Arnold Hall measured 15 degrees, much colder than the 32 degrees required to comply with Benton County Health code.  With a minor adjustment, less energy is now being used to maintain the required temperature.

“There were not many surprises,” said Desilet.  “Within our peer institutions in the PAC-10, our housing department is doing more than most.  We have all the big items on our radar and are making energy improvements on a continuous basis across campus.” For example, Desilet noted, OSU is on a five-year plan to upgrade the heating systems in residential halls so that they are fully monitored with sensors, etc.

The audit is part of an intentional, campus-wide movement toward greater energy responsibility – a movement that has won accolades recently from the Environmental Protection Agency, Kaplan and Sustainable Endowments Institute.  OSU has also committed to being a “climate neutral” campus, and students overwhelmingly approved a “green energy” fee last year.

“We’re looking beyond trends, or the “greenwashing,” that is often done in the name of sustainability,” said Desilet.  “We’re committed to being good stewards and contributing positively to OSU’s sustainability efforts.”

OSU UHDS is one of 50 businesses that the Corvallis Energy Challenge audited.  After three months, Robertson will follow-up to assess which measures UHDS was able to address and if there are some areas the program can help.

The Corvallis Energy Challenge is a collaboration between the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and Energy Trust of Oregon.

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition is made up of more than 85 local nonprofit groups, businesses, educational institutions and city government to promote sustainable practices.

Energy Trust is charged with encouraging a transformation in the state’s energy markets toward sustainable resources by offering free energy audits to find energy waste and suggest ways to conserve.  The nonprofit was created in 2002 by the Oregon Public Utility Commission and is funded through a 3 percent “public purposes charge” collected by energy companies.

~ by Jeanne Silsby

Top 10 Ideas to Reduce Energy Use on Campus

1. Set your computer to enter standby after 30 minutes and to turn off the monitor after 10 minutes.  Use standby or turn computers off at night.
2. Request a building sustainability audit from the Sustainability Office.
3. Turn off printers and other electrical equipment at night.  Unplug, or use power strips, to disconnect equipment and eliminate phantom loads.
4. In winter, layer clothing and avoid using inefficient space heaters.  Keep thermostats at or below 68 degrees.  In summer, use fans and light, breathable clothing.  If you have AC, set it at 78 degrees or higher.  Make sure windows are closed if you’re using either heat or AC.
5. Turn off lights in unoccupied areas.  Contact the Sustainability Office if you are interested in using occupancy sensors or other lighting controls.
6. Use natural light and task lighting to focus energy where needed and use compact fluorescent lamps where possible.
7. In the lab, turn off equipment when not in use (or use timers to do it for you); keep fume hood sashes at the indicated height when in use and closed when not in use.
8. Purchase ENERGY STAR® or EPEAT-certified electronics and appliances.
9. Consider installing window films if you experience high temperatures from direct sunlight.  Blinds and shades help too.
10. Report areas of energy waste to the Sustainability Office.  Report to Facilities Services excessively hot (winter) or cold (summer) areas, broken thermostats and radiator valves, and areas where lights are too bright or too many.

 ~by Brandon Trelstad, OSU Sustainability Coordinator

Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 lists OSU as one of 23 public university “best buys.”

Top 10 lists, “best of” rankings, quality classifications and performance measures – it seems everywhere you look as the new school year begins, there’s a new guide to America’s colleges and universities. OSU is increasingly prominent in many rankings and is included in several guides this fall in new or different ways.

The prestigious Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 listed OSU as one of 23 public university “best buys” in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Produced for the past 25 years by Edward Fiske, former education editor of The New York Times, the guide, which is roughly the size of a metropolitan area phone book, includes its best-buy list annually to recognize schools that offer outstanding academic quality at an affordable price.

“In the face of today’s skyrocketing tuition rates, students and families in all economic circumstances are looking for ways to get the best value for their education dollar,” read the guide. “Fortunately, there are some bargains to be found in higher education; it just takes a bit of shopping around with a little guidance along the way.”

In the guide’s lengthy entry on OSU, it notes that “OSU “is strong in many departments, including biotechnology, forestry and engineering. Says one satisfied freshman, ‘If you are looking for a college that is close-knit and has a friendly college town, OSU is the place to go!’”

Just as widely recognized is the Kaplan College Guide 2009, which added another high-profile recognition to OSU’s national image when it named the university one of America’s top 25 “cutting edge green colleges.” A special section on those campuses leads the 778-page book, and OSU’s entry recognized myriad green projects, courses and organizations at Oregon State.

“Oregon State University has the impressive distinction of being only one of seven schools in the United States that uses 100 percent renewable energy or purchases enough to offset its use of traditional energy sources,” says the entry, in part. “This environmentally sound practice goes hand in hand with OSU’s singing of the Presidents Climate Commitment. OSU has not taken this commitment lightly, fast-tracking its greenhouse gas emission inventory, which was completed more than a year in advance of its deadline.”

Among the rankings, none receives more attention — or criticism — than the annual guide produced by U.S. News & World Report. Though the magazine’s rankings and the surveys upon which they are based have undergone significant changes over the past 20 years, they continue to anger college leaders nationwide – as much as anything, for the disproportionate amount of time and attention the U.S. News rankings demand.

OSU ranks in the deceptively-titled “third tier” of the magazine’s 2009 Best Colleges rankings, the same tier it has occupied for some years (the guide’s top 50 institutions and second-tier schools are collapsed into a single primary grouping). While not much changed for OSU in the U.S. News calculations, there were developments in areas such as “peer assessment score” and in rankings of individual disciplines that were important for OSU.

For the second consecutive year, for instance, OSU ranked 2.9 on the 5-point peer assessment score, which is based on the votes of leading officials of all participating universities. Only one other university in the third tier (University of Illinois-Chicago, at 3.0) fared better, while OSU scored equal to or better than 38 institutions in the top tier, up from 27 the previous year.

Also, the College of Engineering ranked 70th among Best Programs for institutions whose highest degree is a doctorate. This was the college’s first inclusion in the top programs list.

But after all the number crunching is said and done, do the various rankings really matter, especially for arguably the most important audience, potential students? OSU Admissions Director Michele Sandlin says those who influence students’ enrollment decisions – high school guidance counselors and parents, for instance – may place stock in rankings and guidebooks, but she’s not so sure students are paying attention.

“Students are doing everything online – going to search engines and getting information directly from colleges and universities themselves. Ninety percent of our applications now come through the Web. That’s where the students are,” Sandlin said. “I don’t know the ultimate impact of those guides. I have to answer questions related to them at parent nights, but I’m not sure how much they really affect students.”