Portland State University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Committees: Climate Action Implementation Team, Living Lab Task Force, Sustainable Drinking Water Task force, Dining Services Purchasing task force, Promotional items task force, Green Revolving Fund task force, etc. etc. etc. Offices: Campus Sustainability Office, Sustainability Leadership Center, Institute for Sustainable Solutions Officer: Campus Sustainability Manager Accomplishments of various offices: -Energy Conservation guidelines -Approval and budgeting to seek LEED EBOM certification for at least one campus building -Development of a carbon offset for air travel -Tree care plan, IPM plan, Tree Campus USA certification -Living lab project selection and development -Involvement with all new capital building projects -Involvement with hiring of high level officers in other departments -Revision of dining services contract for sustainable food procurement -Revision of custodial contract for green cleaners and other sustainability features -Leading other committees - Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative - Sustainability Tour - Social Sustainability Month, Cultural Sustainability Tour - Development of Sustainability Scholars program - Graduate certificate in Sustainabilty - EcoReps Program - Waste Reduction and Reuse programs - Reuse Room, Mug Runners, etc. - Research to Action symposia - Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions Graduate Research Traineeship (IGERT).

The Climate Action Plan Implementation Team (CAP-IT) was formed after the signing of PSU's climate action plan (CAP), and serves as an advisory board to the Campus Sustainability Office. CAP-IT is tasked with implementing strategies to meet the goals of our CAP. Strategies may include a range of activities that result in greenhouse gas reductions in building energy use, materials consumption, travel, and transportation. The CAP-IT sets priorities and interim goals, establishes tracking metrics to evaluate effectiveness, creates and manages financing strategies, lobbies for institutional buy-in, and informs annual progress reporting.

Ian Stude, Director of Transportation and Parking, Co-chair Dan Zalkow, Director of Planning, Construction & Real Estate Jenny McNamara, Campus Sustainability Office, Controller. Noel Mingo, Utility Manager Sara Johnston, Human Resources Darin Mathews, Director of Contracts & Procurement Molly Bressers, Campus Sustainability Office Anthony Hair, Waste Management Coordinator Chuck Lanham, Office of Information & Technology Rick Viaene, Operations Supervisor, Facilities Quinn Soifer, Capital Projects & Construction Michael Walsh, Director of Housing & Residence Life Jason Franklin, Director of Campus Planning

The Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) is housed within Finance and Administration and aligns operations, policies, and planning with university conservation and sustainability goals. Core Functions of CSO: Lead planning efforts to ensure continuous improvement in resource conservation Benchmark PSU's sustainability performance Facilitate collaboration and build capacity to implement sustainability projects Support students, faculty & staff in becoming conservation leaders Institute for Sustainable Solutions:The Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS) is a hub for sustainability at Portland State, supporting interdisciplinary research, curriculum development, student leadership, and meaningful community partnerships. ISS is home to the Graduate Certificate in Sustainability, the Research to Action symposia, the Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative, and the Ecosystem Services for Urbanizing Regions Graduate Research Traineeship (IGERT). Sustainability Leadership Center:The Sustainability Leadership Center (SLC) offers transformational hands-on learning experience on campus and in the community. Their mission is to connect sustainability and student life at PSU, and programs are open to any student enrolled at PSU. The SLC is managed by six student staff, many interns and volunteers, and one full-time coordinator. We intentionally seek to learn by doing, and share our leadership processes and models with all program participants.

Environmental planning - Works collaboratively with campus executives to develop and document sustainable operating strategic plans that address materials management, maintenance, energy conservation, transportation and commuting, eco-district, and watershed stewardship. Meets with executives regularly to track efforts and adapt or improve strategies to meet current operating conditions, budget, emerging policy, time sensitive opportunities, and to reflect current best practice. Reports progress quarterly to Associate Vice President of Finance and Administration (FADM). Promotes the concept of a “Living Laboratory” - The Sustainability Coordinator will bridge operations and academic research/coursework by facilitating collaborative relationships between FADM units and academic units. Outcomes may be operational changes based on formal research and student projects or learning opportunities created by highlighting operational sustainability innovations with academic units. Benchmarking – Establishes green house gas reduction benchmarks. Collects and analyzes university sustainability performance data, compares to benchmarks, and reports out on progress of sustainability efforts. Finally, adjusts benchmarks as necessary to encourage innovation and progress towards meeting goals and objectives of the Climate Action Plan. Resource – Responds to inquiries from media, rating agencies, students, faculty, staff, the public, vendors, and others regarding campus sustainability efforts. Communications and recognition – The Coordinator catalogs campus wide sustainability efforts, sustainability policies, performance metrics, and performance data. On a regular basis, distributes communications to the campus community and external stakeholders regarding sustainability efforts, best practices, and institutional sustainability performance. In addition, plans and implements regular recognition events to recognize progress and volunteers. Liaison - Serves as Portland State University’s primary representative when coordinating green house gas mitigation efforts and related activities with public agencies and other Oregon University System institutions. He/she acts as a liaison to the Provost’s office, the Vice Presidents’ offices, faculty, staff, students and the Coordinator of Academic Sustainability Programs. The Sustainability Coordinator is the chief contact with the external community about issues and advances in sustainable practices on PSU’s campus, providing the connection between campus and regional efforts. Climate Action Plan Implementation Team – Voting member and serves as staff for planning, research and implementation of initiatives. Also serves as committee spokesperson to executive leadership. Ensures documents are updated and reports are generated as necessary.