Climate change, declining cheap energy and many other environmental and social disruptions present major opportunities to “re-imagine how we live on Earth” says Charles Goodrich, Director of the Spring Creek Project. Engineers, technicians and scientists have great ideas and designs for creating a more sustainable society, but the focus of this competition is “to imagine new ways of thinking about what we value the most — success, community, happiness, and human thriving” says Charles.

The contest takes its title from the visionary moral thinker Thomas Berry. Berry wrote that “the Great Work” is for our species to transform ourselves from destructive forces into co-creators of the planet’s ecological abundance.

This is a great opportunity for students to creatively express their perspectives and stories to the OSU community. Winning written entries will be published in an insert in the Daily Barometer, and winning videos will be screened at a special event in the spring. Winners also receive $100 awards!

The deadline for submissions is March 5, 2012.

Contest guidelines and submission information can be found on the Spring Creek website

Alternative breaks challenge students to critically think and react to problems faced by members of the communities in which they are involved. Program benefits include:

• Engaging in meaningful service to impact change
• Learning about and reflecting upon the complexity and interconnectedness of social issues and problems.
• Developing leadership skills and gain real world experience.
• Understanding how to continue community engagement and active citizenship work upon your return to OSU.
• Building meaningful relationships and a new community of service-minded OSU students.
• Learn, challenge yourself, and have fun!

Teams of 12 to 20 students will spend the week of March 24^th to March 31^st on three different trips in Oregon, Washington, and California. Here is a little more about the trips:

Environmental Restoration: Newport, Oregon

Travel to the Oregon coast to work with multiple environmental organizations to complete restoration projects. Service work will likely include beach clean ups, tree planting, stream restoration and clean up, and invasive species removal. We will try to do some whale watching while we are at the coast as well. On our off day, we will explore the coast region hiking.

Urban Beautification and Poverty: Yakima, Washington

Travel to Yakima, Washington to work with the City of Yakima and learn about urban poverty, hunger issues, and complete city beautification and restoration projects with the local parks and recreation office. You will learn about the complex issues the small city faces, and will work with several non-profits, both human services and environmental, and the city itself to complete a variety of projects to meet pressing needs. The group will elect outings to explore the local culture and bioregion.

Hunger and Homelessness: San Francisco

Travel to San Francisco, California to work with multiple nonprofit organizations that are addressing hunger and homelessness issues in one of the nation’s greatest cities. If you have an interest in learning about homelessness issues in major urban areas, this is the perfect spring break trip for you. The trip will include hands-on direct service work with people experiencing homelessness from diverse backgrounds. You will meet and work alongside local visionaries who have created programs to combat issues close to their hearts.

For more information or to apply, check out the Participant Application.

Students, staff, and faculty can all make a impact on the amount of paper the University uses, especially from printing only essential documents, posting syllabi online, and printing double-sided. Check out the Greening IT’s paperless page for more tips!

The 3rd annual Building Energy Challenge will begin on February 6th! This year the challenge is kicking off at the same time as the Campus Conservation Nationals, which is the first college and university national energy and water reduction competition. Good luck to Residence Halls which will be participating in this competition. For all participating buildings the challenge will end on February 27th. Please contact the OSU Sustainability Office if you are interested in representing a building or volunteering for the challenge.

Interested in carpooling, vanpooling, or even finding a bike buddy? Drive Less Connect is an advanced rideshare system designed for commuting and recreational transportation options. Any affiliate of OSU can join the OSU network!

Features of the system include:

Advanced matching-just put in your trip details and the system generates possible matches.

Ensured security-The amount of personal information you chose to display is up to you. You can either send a “blind email’ (which only displays your screen name)  through the system to possible matches or you can check out other users’ social media and continue the conversation there.

Trip mapping for local and regional trips-Just click on a location on the map and the system will identify the address your looking for.

Calendaring Function-Log your trips and see your savings! Based on trips logged the system will provide estimates on your gas/carbon/cost savings!

Prize Drawings-We offer these as incentives for logging a certain amount of non-single occupancy trips during a specific time frame.

Find matches among those who make similar trips! OSU is a network within the State of Oregon which is a network within the greater northwest.  If you have questions about your networks, just contact the system administrator at sustainability@oregonstate.edu

OSU, Cascades West Rideshare and Oregon Department of Transportation welcomes everyone to Drive Less Connect.

Work schedule can be flexible or fixed depending on the student’s needs, but must remain responsive to workload. The successful candidate will work 20-35 hours per week during summer and 10-20 hours per week during the academic year, depending on workload, performing the following tasks:

Graphic design: Design print and digital media and other visual elements to support various sustainability related projects and programs, coordinate production of printed materials, and use OSU style guides or templates to create media.

Person-to-person contact: Showcase office programs and communicate with campus and community members at events, make presentations to diverse audiences on sustainability projects, programs or principles, and support and deliver various incentives that promote behavior change.

Social media: Update and expand use of departmental website, Facebook pages, blog and other outlets, support fellow Sustainability Office staff in their media outreach, and other related duties as assigned.

Skills
Required: Intermediate graphic design skills and experience with design software, excellent writing and interpersonal skills, and presentation experience. Personal commitment to and general knowledge of basic sustainability principles. Excellent attention to detail and timeliness.
Preferred: Experience designing and producing print and digital media at OSU Coursework (or other training) in graphic design. Experience using the Drupal content management system
Compensation

Hourly pay is $9.50 with periodic wage reevaluation. Employment term begins January 2012 and will be reviewed in June 2012 and extended assuming satisfactory performance. Preference will be given to applicants with availability through spring 2013.

To apply
Send a concise cover letter, resume and at least three work samples (PDF format) to brandon.trelstad@oregonstate.edu by 5:00PM, Friday, January 13, 2012. In your cover letter, list your level of interest, skills and experience related to the bulleted items in this position announcement. This job is available for work study and non-work study students.

Good Luck!

In addition, education and outreach is a key part of the initiative. The outreach will provide monthly tips that educate and enable people to make environmentally conscience choices related to technology. As with other materials, the goal is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The first educational item is about Reducing Electronic waste and that begins by increasing your computer’s lifespan or donating your computer to someone in need.  It is also incredibly important and required by State Law that computers, televisions and laptops do not end up in the landfill so make sure your computer is reused or processed properly. For more information on the goals, motivations, strategies, and impacts of the initiative see the Greening IT webpage.

Also, enter in to the “Buy Local Hero Contest” and win prizes!!! Start saving your receipts from money spent at locally owned independent businesses from December 3^rd to 17^th.  Turn in receipts from the greatest number of locally owned independent businesses and win a basket filled with fabulous prizes donated by CIBA businesses! Both retail stores and service sector businesses qualify, as long as they are locally owned and independent. Prizes will be awarded to 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners. If you would like a Buy Local Contest envelope to save your receipts in, just pick one up from a participating business.

Check out the the Sustainability Coalition’s Facebook page to stay up-to-date on the details, and learn more about why buying local is so important to the health of our local economy.

If your answer is “YES!!” then you should check out the Oregon Leadership in Sustainability (OLIS) Graduate Certificate Program.  The OLIS program is an rigorous immersion that gets students ready to lead the imperative to create a more sustainable future. This year-long program equips you to play a key role in addressing the key sustainability issues of climate change, green economy, ecosystem services, green infrastructure and social justice. We are looking for students from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds with varied skill sets.

Our students take an interdisciplinary set of core classes that are anchored by practical applied projects.  For 2011-2012 our students are working on the redevelopment plans for a brownfield site and  a greenhouse gas emissions inventory, both for the city of Springfield, OR.  Next year’s class will team up on a set of equally challenging and relevant projects.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2012-13 academic year from students who will have completed a bachelor’s degree by summer 2012.

The priority application deadline is February 1st.

Find more program details at http://olis.uoregon.edu.  You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

We welcome students to meet with us in person and to attend classes with our students for a portion of the day to get a taste of what we’re doing!  Please feel free to call or email Anya Dobrowolski, OLIS Program Associate, with any inquiries: olis@uoregon.edu or 541-346-8227.