Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.91
Liaison Daryl Pierson
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Portland State University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Amanda Wolf
Program + Assessment Coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Sustainability Committee(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
No

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
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None
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
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Sustainability Office(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
Yes

None
A brief description of each sustainability office:
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 matches the passion and expertise of Portland State University faculty and students with the experience and needs of community groups, government agencies, and businesses to develop practical solutions for more equitable, livable, sustainable cities and regions. Focus areas include: -Climate Resilient Cities -Healthy Neighborhoods -Sustainable Housings & Transportation Student Sustainability Center:The Student Sustainability Center (SSC) 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 SSC is managed by one full-time staff, a graduate assistant and student staff.

None
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
18.25

Sustainability Officer(s) 

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Jenny McNamara, Campus Sustainability Director; Robert Liberty, Director of Institute for Sustainable; Solutions Heather Spalding, Student Sustainability Coordinator

Institution-Wide Coordination 

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution (e.g. a campus-wide committee or an officer/office responsible for the entire campus)?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Committees: Living Lab Team, Dining Services Task Force, Promotional items task force, Green Revolving Fund Task Force, Waste Reduction Task force. Offices: Campus Sustainability Office, Student Sustainability Center, Institute for Sustainable Solutions Officer: Campus Sustainability Director, Director of ISS, and Student Sustainability Coordinator Accomplishments of various offices: -Energy Conservation guidelines -Approval and budgeting to seek LEED O+M certification for at least one campus building (one certified already) -Development of a carbon offset for air travel -Tree care plan, IPM plan, Tree Campus USA certification -Living lab project selection and development -Sustainable Procurement and Life-Cycle Consideration Policy -Involvement with all new capital building projects -Involvement with hiring of high level officers in other departments -Environmental stewardship statement on all job postings -Revision of dining services contract for sustainable food procurement -Revision of custodial contract for green cleaners and other sustainability features -All Gender Restroom Standards - Sustainable Neighborhoods Initiative -Student fellowship program - Social Sustainability Month, Cultural Sustainability Tour - Development of Sustainability Scholars program - Graduate certificate in Sustainable Food Systems -Graduate certificate in Energy Policy & Management

Optional Fields 

Job Description (1st position)

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Jenny McNamara, Campus Sustainability Director

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
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Job description for the sustainability officer position:
The Campus Sustainability Director provides campus leadership for institutionalizing sustainable practices in campus operations, policies, and contracts. This position also oversees efforts to benchmark sustainability performance, facilitate collaboration, and provide resources for campus conservation. The Sustainability Director works in conjunction with the Institute of Sustainable Solutions and the Sustainability Leadership Center to connect academic and operational efforts to spur innovative approaches to campus sustainability. In addition, the Sustainability Manager focuses efforts on achieving the goals and objectives the Climate Action Plan.

Job Description (2nd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Robert Liberty, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Robert works with the ISS staff and PSU faculty, students, and community partners to advance the Institute’s research, academic, and community service agendas and to attract the resources needed to increase the impact of ISS

Job Description (3rd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Heather Spalding, Student Sustainability Center Coordinator

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Coordinator, Student Sustainability Center - Coordinates student leadership and engagement activities with emphasis on Enrollment Management and Student Affairs division. Manages student staff, leadership fellows and volunteers. Facilitates progress toward Center's strategic plan, learning outcomes, assessment, and programmatic improvements. Manages initiatives including campus garden education programming, apiary, events, and leadership fellows program. Supports student-related data gathering for sustainability assessments and certifications. Partners with Student Affairs departments to offer opportunities for students and departments to connect with sustainability opportunities.

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.pdx.edu/sustainability/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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