| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Steve Mital |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Oregon
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Steve
Mital Office of Sustainability Director Finance & Administration |
Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Active student groups focused on sustainability | Yes |
| Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes | Yes |
| Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills | Yes |
| Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | No |
| Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles | Yes |
| Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences | Yes |
| Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills | Yes |
| Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution | No |
| Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions | No |
| Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives | Yes |
The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:
Outdoor Program
The mission of the Outdoor Program is to inspire learning through student-powered outdoor adventure. The Core Values of the Outdoor Program are: Adventure, Active Lives, Community, Environmental Stewardship, Cooperative, and Student Empowerment. The OP provides a wide range of information, gear rentals, resources, trips, events and clinics, as well as a bike events, loans, and self-service maintenance shop- all our activities and resources reflect our philosophy. All University of Oregon students are members of the Outdoor Program.
Cimate Justice League
The mission of the Climate Justice League is to empower students to organize their communities and be leaders in the climate justice movement. By using targeted campaigns, we will work together toward a safe, just and sustainable future for all.
Survival Center
The Survival Center is a radical activist resource center and infoshop that focuses on making the University and the larger community a more socially and environmentally just space. Founded in 1970, the Survival Center is an umbrella organization geared towards the education of the campus community around issues of social justice and environmentalism. It is open to the concerns of students and works to empower its members to advocate those concerns.
LiveMove
LiveMove promoting healthy, sustainable communities by integrating transportation and livability through collaboration, education, research and outreach. The University of Oregon Transportation and Livability Student Group brings together undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to focus on the planning and design of transportation systems as they relate to community quality of life and livability. Recently, Live Move has completed a project redesigning 13th Avenue with a two way cycletrack, of which the City of Eugene is now pursuing as an option.
Bike Loan Program
The UO Bike Program launched in September 2008 (as the Bike Loan Program) to increase access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable transportation. Through the integration of long-term bicycle loans, education, and recreation, the UO Bike Program will enhance the physical and cultural development of students. As a resource for alternative transportation, we will minimize our campus and community environmental impact. The program helps connect UO Students to bicycles. They loan commute-ready bikes for a term or for a day, and help students learn to fix their bikes in their free, do-it-yourself (DIY) workshop. They also offer advice about the bike buying process.
Campus Zero Waste Program
The campus zero waste program provides excellence in waste reduction, recycling, composting service and other sustainable campus practices, to the campus community while providing students with direct experience in environmental management through paid positions, academic internships and volunteer opportunities. The Campus Zero Waste Program strives to model excellence in environmental stewardship and to stimulate campus and community sustainable practices.
Net Impact
Net Impact's mission is to mobilize a new generation to use their careers to drive transformational change in their workplaces and the world.
Students for Global Health
SGH is a student group at the University of Oregon devoted to learning about and taking action against poverty-linked healthcare issues across the world. The group meets regularly to learn about these problems and raise money or develop action against them.
Oregon State Public Interest Research Group
OSPIRG was established by students to animate the University’s mission – to research problems that impact all Oregonians, educate the public and advocate for solutions. We do this by combining the energy of students with the expertise and continuity of a professional staff of advocates and organizers who work both on and off campus to advocate for the public.
The website URL where information about student groups is available:
A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:
he Urban Farm, a program of the Landscape Architecture Department, has been in operation since 1976. It serves as an educational model for productive urban land use, where people can grow food, work together, take care of the land, and build community. The acre and a half farm is a place which integrates biological, ecological, economic and social concerns. The farm’s goal is to teach students how to learn about nature through gardening. Classes are offered in spring, summer and fall terms. Activities vary seasonally but are primarily hands-on with some lectures and field trips. Students learn about the importance of caring for the soil, various organic gardening practices, composting, permaculture, biodynamic agriculture, and agricultural land issues. Other departments take advantage of the Urban Farm: sociology and biology students use the area to study bee populations, while art students use the natural space as a place to draw. The food grown in the garden goes to students working in the garden, is donated to the local food bank, or sold to support the farm’s efforts. The Urban Farm also houses an Earth Tub which composts 10,000 pounds of pre-consumer veggie scraps annually from University Dining Services. The composted materials are used on-site.
The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:
Located in the EMU, the UO Student Sustainability Coalition “Serves as the hub for student-led initiatives that foster and support the transition to sustainability through collaboration, education, and activism”. With a full-time professional coordinator, a student Board of Directors, and an undergraduate assistant, the Sustainability Center actively engages students in sustainability issues. The Board members each focus on a particular area of sustainability: food and landscapes; business and politics; equity, justice, and health; buildings and zero waste; energy and transportation; climate and preservation; and at-large. The Student Sustainability Coalition is a flexible body of students groups who voluntarily come together for mutual benefit in planning and execution of events, fundraising, and campaigns. These students and student groups co-develop Earth Week annually. Further, the Coalition is a living community of practice, sharing information, support, and learning opportunities that enhances the reach and the achievement of each group. Through direct engagement with university leadership, the Student Sustainability Coalition continues working towards a greener campus.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
The UO green revolving loan fund was established to finance all campus development projects. The Oregon Model for Sustainable Development outlines the sustainability requirements for projects that could be eligible for revolving loan funding.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
The Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability (HOPES) conference is an annual event, held every April by the Ecological Design Center, a student group at the University of Oregon. Inaugurated in 1994, the conference is an opportunity for students, faculty, community members, and visiting scholars to discuss the relationship between ecology and design, and how this connection can produce sustainable buildings. The conference usually consists of a combination of panels, keynote speakers, professional showcases and workshops. Past topics addressed during the conference include: environmental literacy, food sustainability issues, religion and the environment, product innovation, and sustainability in art. Over the past ten years, the conference has brought such luminaries as Shigeru Ban, Sim Van der Ryn, Samuel Mockbee, James Hubbel, Angela Danadijieva, Michael Pyatok, Steve Badanes, Richard Register, David Orr, John Schaeffer, Stephen Kellert, and Clare Cooper Marcus to the University of Oregon campus. For information on this year’s HOPES conference, visit us at hopes.uoregon.edu.
The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
NA
The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The mission of the Outdoor Program is to inspire learning through student-powered outdoor adventure. The Core Values of the Outdoor Program are: Adventure, Active Lives, Community, Environmental Stewardship, Cooperative, and Student Empowerment. The OP provides a wide range of information, gear rentals, resources, trips, events and clinics, as well as a bike events, loans, and self-service maintenance shop- all our activities and resources reflect our philosophy. All University of Oregon students are members of the Outdoor Program.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
The Community for Ecological Leaders (CEL) is a community for students who understand the importance of environmental sustainability and want to work proactively on solutions to the challenges of our time. The CEL engage residents with student and community leaders so that they can explore sustainability and make steps towards a healthier planet.
The website URL where information about the theme is available:
A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
The Community for Ecological Leaders (CEL) is a community for students who understand the importance of environmental sustainability and want to work proactively on solutions to the challenges of our time. The CEL engage residents with student and community leaders so that they can explore sustainability and make steps towards a healthier planet.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
NA
The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
NA
The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
$CORE
The $CORE program was launched in Fall 2012. This program was championed by business school student James Walton whose grant proposal was funded by EWEB. Supported by the Office Sustainability, the program provides a free peer-to-peer energy auditing service to UO students living in off-campus housing. Student energy educators help off-campus households save money on their energy bills by providing them with the materials and information they need.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.