Sustainability at OSU

For more detail, please see OSU Climate Plan pages 36-37.

GOAL 1: Students, particularly freshman and transfer students, are aware of and utilize campus and community climate‐ and sustainability‐related resources at OSU and in Corvallis. Life skills are enhanced by direct engagement with these resources.

Annual Progress Summary

Goal 1 Progress Detail

Strategy 1: FY10 Activities

1. OSU significantly expanded outreach during FY10 student orientation events and activities. The OSU Sustainability Office, Campus Recycling, University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS), and other campus departments are coordinating efforts to reach all incoming students.  These departments:
   • Hosted tours and and held an open house at the Student Sustainability Center
   • Participated in all (12) student orientation breakfasts (where parents are present too)
   • Tabled during the Beaver Community Fair, sharing general information about sustainability
   • Distributing information directly to individual students as requested
2. In fall 2009, the Sustainability Office, Campus Recycling and UHDS split the cost of providing 3500 reusable coffee mugs to all incoming resident students that were placed in their rooms before move-in.  Leaflets with sustainability info were in the mugs and the three department names appeared on the outside.  Stickers were included to help remind students of the on-campus resources available.  Mechanisms were developed to remind students that if they don’t want the mugs, they can be returned to UHDS for redistribution to other students. 
3. Campus Recycling and UHDS combined efforts to make the new student picnic a waste free event by providing compostable service ware, local food and products and eliminating end user unrecyclable packaging.  Information about the food and event practices were provided and volunteers were on hand to help distribute information and segregate waste streams.
4. Annually, the chair of the OSU Alternative Transportation Advisory Committee provides training to incoming international students on utilization of alternative transportation. 

Strategy 1: FY11 Planned Activities

1. Early FY11 saw a moderately expanded and refined level of activity around the large, centralized new student orientation activities listed above. 
2. Expanding activity levels for FY12 and beyond will require new partnerships with OSU departments not listed above to leverage the central resources of the Sustainability Office and Campus Recycling in order to expand into department level orientation activities that are not centrally organized or tracked.
3. By FY12 orientation season (July 2011), provide new students an updated list of off campus climate and sustainability resources to complement on campus resources.

GOAL 2: Connections between Corvallis/surrounding communities and OSU are strengthened in order to deal with pressing global climate issues.

Goal 2 Progress Detail

Strategy 1: FY10 Activities

1. OSU has developed several lists of OSU experts.
   
   • A Research Talent Pool from Terra, OSU's research magazine, lists faculty researchers with strengths in fields such as energy, environment, natural resources and human health.
   • The Research Office lists Research Centers, Institutes and Programs by title and category.
   • OSU News and Research Communications maintains lists of subject matter experts. The lists are available by request.
2. News and Research Communications has added to its News Releases website a sort feature that enables users to view news release archives by categories like energy and sustainability, the arts, natural resources and environment, etc.

Strategy 1: FY11 Planned Activities

Continue to strengthen linkages and information resources pertaining to subject matter experts. 

Strategy 2: FY10 Activities

1. The Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) continues to establish connections with OSU departments and community groups. SSI provides student representation on several community group committees including:
   • The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition steering committee
   • Corvallis Transit System
2. OSU units and student organizations like the Community Service Center, Greek Life and many others provide services matching community civic engagement opportunities with student groups available.  However, many connections are ad hoc and occur between individual professors and contacts within the community.

Strategy 2: FY11 Planned Activities

1. Establish a systematic way of connecting OSU departments and community groups with student workers, volunteers and interns.  Begin posting information online using basic tools like lists and contact information by end of FY11. 

Strategy 3: FY10 Activities

1. News and events outlets like Terra research magazine, OSU Today, Science Pub Corvallis and others regularly highlight climate related speakers and events.
2. Launched in 2009, the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute has hosted news and events information for all audiences on its website, providing a detailed scientific perspective and general interest climate change information.
3. The OSU sustainability website featured multiple events and speakers from areas across campus.  The Sustainability Office plans on maintaining a record/archive of these as part of its news archive and events archive.  Most of these have featured Corvallis- and Bend-based events and speakers.

Strategy 3: FY11 Planned Activities

1. Highlight on sustainability website existing climate-related speakers and events at locations other than Corvallis and Bend campuses.
2. Explore ways of offering new events and speakers at venues other than Corvallis and Bend, particularly in the Portland area.