University of Oregon
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

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The Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living (CASL) is an AAA and ASUO-recognized, student-run organization working to create an example of residential sustainability in the East Campus neighborhood. The Demonstration House will exhibit the true potential for sustainable living. In 2007, CASL received a grant from the Energy Conservation and Alternative Futures Fund, to install a solar hot water heater and an energy monitoring device in the Demonstration House, providing an example of an economically and technologically feasible device that conserves and uses renewable energy in a residential setting. Other CASL student run and initiated projects include: the Portable Pedal Power (PPP) Energy Generation Device, the “Redefine the Dream” speaker and workshop series, and other campus and community-wide outreach initiatives.

CASL is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

The Grove Garden is a unique garden for University of Oregon students. There are 31 plots available for rent on an annual basis on a quarter acre on Moss Street in East Campus. Plots are rented for a small fee that goes to support maintenance, our toolshed, water costs, and workshops for new gardeners. Supported by the Student Sustainability Coalition staff in partnership with the Urban Farm, the Grove is a place for hand-on learning.

The Grove is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

The EMU Erb Garden (nicknamed after UO's 7th President Donald M. Erb) is a student-headed collaborative effort by the UO urban farm, landscape architecture department, EMU food services, and EMU facilities. The garden provides fresh herbs for EMU food services, increasing the sustainability of the EMU and the quality of food provided in the building. The garden was installed and operational by mid-may 2012 and is maintained by professional staff and student volunteers. The project is funded by the UO Student Sustainability Fund. Callie Gisler, a student member of the EMU board of directors, wrote the proposal.

The EMU Erb Garden is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

Trayless Dining: Students and faculty led a "trayless dining" experiment in the Carson and Barnhart Residence Hall dining facilities. Trayless dining is a trend that has began to take root across the country. The University of North Carolina, University of Florida, University of California Santa Cruz, and New York University all have "trayless" policies in their on-campus dining facilities. In an article in USA Today, NYU was cited as having nearly halved the amount of food waste per tray through its efforts and the New York Times quoted an estimate from Williams College of annual water savings of 14,000 gallons. During Spring term 2009, UO Dining Services ran a test in which Carson and Barnhart, the two all-you-care-to-eat facilities on campus, went trayless. Tom Driscoll, Food Services Director, said that Dining Services monitored water use and performed waste audits with and without the trays, and reported that both waste and water use had been "substantially reduced". Feedback from students was negative, however, which prompted the return of the trays for the 2009-10 academic year. Driscoll said that Dining Service's new approach will be to educate students while continuing to monitor waste and water use and running periodic "trayless" events. Dining services will go trayless during the ‘Farm to Table’ dinner and hopes to implement the policy for the entire week surrounding the event.

Trayless dining is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

After a student developed a business plan to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel, the University of Oregon Athletics have teamed with that student's company, SeQuential-Pacific Biodiesel to recycle cooking oil from the Autzen Stadium concessions stands. The oil will be used to make SeQuential-Pacific fuel, creating a closed-loop production cycle that yields an environmentally friendly product while also benefitting the local economy. SeQuential-Pacific was launched by three UO alumni in 2005 and already works with the Erb Memorial Union vendors and University Housing and Dining services. The company's biodeisel is a combination of vegetable and petroleum fuels and produces 78% less carbon dioxide than petroleum-based diesel. Autzen Stadium will yield over 500 gallons of french fry oil each year. In 2013, SeQuential had collected over 1500 gallons of spent cooking oil from the main campus. Biodiesel made by SeQuential-Pacific is sold to commercial and retail distributors throughour Oregon and Washington including a SeQuential Biofuel Station just a few miles from campus.

SeQuential Biofuel is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

Rainwater Catchment System at the Outdoor Program: The Outdoor Program’s storage facility, known as the Barn, features a rainwater catchment system which harvests rain for daily water needs. The system, which was conceived by UO students, stores water collected from the roof in large above-ground cisterns. The water passes through a number of filters before being routed to the storage tanks. The water is used for all of the facility's water needs including bathroom facilities, wash sink, washer, and a spigot outside of the building used to clean vehicles, rafts, and other outdoor equipment. The catchment system has multiple benefits: it reduces demand on the municipal water supply, allows for the storage of seasonal rains for use during dryer weather, and saves energy. An on-demand water heater has been added to the system which helps reduce natural gas consumption.

The Outdoor Program's Rainwater Catchment System project is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

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Bike Loan Program: UO Bike Program is a student-led initiative launched in September 2008 by the Outdoor Program to increase access to affordable, reliable and sustainable transportation. Through the integration of long-term bicycle loans, education and recreation UO Bike Program strives to enhance the physical and cultural development of students, while reducing environmental impact. UO Bike Program offers long-term bike loans, a free do-it-yourself bike maintenance workshop, bike maintenance classes, and bicycle events on campus every term. A schedule for the current term is posted on the EMU Outdoor Program's website. Students are able to check out a bike for 1-3 terms after providing a $65 deposit, which is refunded when the bike and its associated equipment are returned in good condition. The fee is $12 per term. Those interested in renting a bike should contact the UO Bike Program Coordinator for availability and information.

The Bike Loan Program is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

Bicycle Fixit Program: Since spring 2012, students running the UO Bike Program have been installing bike “Fixit” stations at various locations on campus. By the end of fall 2012, there will be six stations on campus. The compact, cylindrical stands house just about everything a cyclist needs to perform basic bicycle maintenance and repair, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes. The Fixit stations are part of the UO Bike Program’s efforts to increase non-motorized transportation at a Bicycle Fixit Stationsuniversity that is striving to make itself as sustainable as possible. The Fixit stations are designed to be free-standing “bicycle service stations” that anyone can use 24/7. The stations have two metal bars that allow the bicyclist to hoist his or her bicycle onto the station and secure it while working. The stands have an array of tools including a flathead screwdriver, wrenches (regular and allen), a tire lever used to replace a flat tire tube, and a tire pump.

The Bicycle Fixit Program is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

The University of Oregon Campus Zero-Waste Program is a national leader in college zero-waste efforts. Over 2,000 collection sites on campus include receptacles for tennis ball cans and packaging peanuts, as well as traditional recyclables and compostables. The Program's six person staff and 55 student employees work hard to promote a campus culture of conservation and recycling, resulting in a recovery rate over 50%. Beyond the student paid staff, the Program offers academic internships and volunteer opportunities. The program models sustainability in all aspects of operations and administration including servicing campus with biodiesel trucks, an electric truck, and walking and bicycle collection routes. Zero-waste events are an additional service the Program provides. Campus Zero-Waste Program also does extensive educational campaigns focusing on the role of sustainable practices, waste reduction, climate change, and consumption. The UO Campus Zero-Waste Program is nationally recognized and is a key player in collegiate recycling efforts worldwide through representation on a national steering committee which includes planning educational workshops and meetings at conferences. It is also involved in a national competition, Recyclemania, which is working to promote recycling on university and college campuses nationwide. Additionally, the Program works closely with Campus Operations on sustainability initiatives in Facilities Services. The Program offers tours for other schools interested in developing campus recycling programs and supports student recycling projects in Eugene-area schools.

The Campus Zero-Waste Program is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

Millrace Rehabilitation Program: As part of a series of Landscape Architecture design-build classes, students worked to rehabilitate and improve the Millrace by constructing a bioswale. The goal of the courses was to enhance the aesthetic, safety, pedestrian, and ecological qualities of the area. Native species have been planted to stabilize the stream banks, while a series of ponds, swales, and small dams filter sediments. This process allows nutrients and pollutants from storm drains to be absorbed into the soil, rather than flowing into the Millrace. The entire project is based on sustainable design principles. For example, the information kiosk was constructed with wood from a California Incenses Cedar that had been cut down on campus because it had posed a hazard to pedestrians, and the lighting for the kiosk is solar powered. Only recycled steel and wood made from industrial byproducts were used in the dam construction. The site’s paving is water permeable and the erosion control fabric used in the early stages of construction was made of coconut fibers. The bioswale restores urban wildlife habitat and serves to educate visitors about the principles of sustainable design, the ecology of the Millrace, and the need to protect the environment.

The Millrace Rehabilitation Program is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

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The Coalition Against Environmental Racism (CAER) is a student-based group dedicated to providing a forum for education and organization in an effort to promote environmental justice and end environmental racism (the exclusion of people of color in the decision making process and the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on the health and wealth of people of color). CAER brings together community members and students from organizations that have not traditional worked together, including: the Survival Center, the Multicultural Center, ethnic student unions, and various organizations from the Law School. The goal of CAER is to educate people at the University and in the community about the connections between environmental, health and social inequalities. To do this, CAER hosts an annual environmental justice conference, which serves as an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to learn about environmental justice and form new coalitions and networks to challenge environmental racism.

The Coalition Against Environmental Racism is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

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The annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is the premier gathering for environmentalists worldwide, and is distinguished as the oldest and largest of its kind. More than twenty years old, the conference brings together upwards of 3,000 activists, attorneys, students, scientists, and concerned citizens from more than fifty countries around the globe to share their experience and expertise. The conference is organized by the volunteers of Land Air Water, a student environmental law society on campus, and is cosponsored by Friends of Land Air Water, a nonprofit organization. Past keynote speakers include Robert Kennedy, Ralph Nader, and several recipients of the international Goldman Environmental Prize. The conference has become an event full of energy, innovation and inspiration for all who participate.

The Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.

Green chemistry focuses on reducing, recycling, or eliminating the use of toxic chemicals in chemistry, by finding creative ways to minimize human and environmental impact, without stifling scientific progress. Where traditional chemistry experiments can involve hazardous materials and generate dangerous chemical waste, green chemical experimentation avoids chemical hazards while teaching the same essential chemical concepts and techniques. The University of Oregon’s Green Chemistry Program, established in 1998, is a national leader in developing new green undergraduate chemistry curricula and has become a model for green chemistry research and education. UO Chemistry Department faculty have developed innovative course content that brings the principles and practice of green chemistry into undergraduate lecture and laboratory classes.

Examples of green chemistry at the UO include: greener alternatives to traditional experiments in the general chemistry lab; a general chemistry course sequences that emphasizes environmental and green topics; the UO’s Green Organic lab, which fully implements green reagents and solvents in the organic laboratory; and the development of GEMs (Greener Education Materials), a database of green chemistry laboratory experiments and educational materials, which will enable educators at all levels to easily identify and adopt scientific experiments into their curriculum. By introducing state of the art green chemical methods, objectively discussing chemical hazards, and preparing students to help shape the future of chemical practices, the program hopes to demonstrate to students that chemistry can be used to solve, rather than cause, environmental problems. The program also offers a week long, hands-on workshop for university educators that wish to adopt a greener organic laboratory curriculum and has published a textbook on green chemistry, entitled: Green Organic Chemistry: Strategies, Tools and Laboratory Experiments.

The Green Chemistry Program is not an immersive education program, a co-curricular activity, or community-based project.