A report that comes in the wake of University President Dave Frohnmayer’s commitment to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which promises to reduce the University’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, concludes that the University’s efforts are numerous and decentralized.
The report recommends the creation of an Office of Sustainability with a full-time sustainability coordinator to meet the president’s goals.
“We find this absolutely crucial,” said report contributor Rebecca Briggs. Briggs pointed out Google and the City of Eugene both have similar offices.
Every year, the University uses 500,000 paper cups and consumes enough water to fill the Autzen Stadium football field to a depth of 450 feet. Vehicles used by the University for business-related travel log enough miles to travel around the Earth 104 times or take approximately five trips to the moon.
These are some of the findings of seven environmental studies master’s students, compiled in a Campus Sustainability Assessment for the University to be released online next week.
Powered by EWEB’s Sun Rover, a portable energy generator that only uses the sun to create power, the students gave a presentation Wednesday to about 30 people in the Knight Library Browsing Room.
“UO’s activities have impacts on both local and larger geographic scales,” said Rebecca Silver, one of the students responsible for creating the report.
The report contains information on current initiatives existing on campus, factors to watch for future initiatives, and recommendations on how to improve the campus’ sustainability.
Project manager and Environmental Leadership Program adviser Steve Mital said the report is the equal of both student-generated reports from other schools and professional assessments.
“I think it will rise to the top of the pile of campus sustainability reports nationwide,” he said.
Silver said it has been exciting to work on the report.
“Something like this will have a lasting impact on the University itself,” she said. “We’re hoping people who are in leadership positions will take a look at it.”
The students said the University is in a good position to continue as a leader in sustainability. They pointed to efforts within the ASUO that devote 10 percent of student dollars to sustainability efforts, such as bus passes.
In terms of transportation, the group found 69 percent of students and 39 percent of faculty who live off-campus use alternatives to driving, such as biking and walking. One reason, Briggs said, is there is limited parking available on campus; another is the existence of positive incentives such as plentiful bike parking.
The group found the campus has a 45 percent recycling rate, due at least in part to the award-winning Campus Recycling program. One problem the students said should be addressed is there is no policy on food procurement and disposal.
University food services purchases $6 million in goods annually, but a system for choosing sustainable products, such as local produce, does not exist. There is no campus-wide composting program either, so much of the food waste ends up in a landfill.
University housing Food Services Director Tom Driscoll said there is a lot of disagreement in the area of sustainable food practices and purchasing.
“For me, it’s trying to figure out which steps to take,” he said. Driscoll expressed hope the report would help him make some decisions about the direction of food services on campus.
Another student involved in creating the report, Matthew Peterson, said in the past few years the school has implemented several energy efficiency programs. He reported these programs have saved enough energy to power 141 homes in Eugene.
Four percent of the University’s energy comes from on-site solar and purchased wind energy. He said the investment in additional on-site solar panels could end up making the University money in a matter of a few years because the school could sell excess energy.
The University’s water use is highest in summer, the students report. The University uses almost 200,000 kilogallons of water each year, primarily for irrigation. The report recommends installing more of the same kinds of regulators that prevent excess watering used in 30 to 40 percent of the University’s irrigation systems.
Other topics the report covers are the University’s greenhouse gas emissions, green building principles, endowment investments and the mixture of academics and culture that exist on campus to promote sustainability. The report contains 78 measurements that can be used as a baseline for future assessments and 57 recommendations to continue the University’s sustainability efforts.
Silver said one of the most surprising findings for her was the number of past efforts. She mentioned a “bioswale” – a ditch that acts as a filter – that exists near Franklin Boulevard.
“It’s a big, disgusting muck pit,” she said.
Joshua Skov, co-founder of Good Company, a sustainability assessment company that generated a report of the University in 2001-02, is optimistic about achieving the goals set forth by the Climate Commitment.
“I think we’ll be able to do it,” said Skov.
Skov said the goals of the commitment will not be easy to achieve. He said “only by listening closely to detailed information we gather in an assessment like this, and by transforming both campus culture and the systems and processes by which the campus operates” will the school be able to fulfill its promises.
Skov said he hopes students who care about what goes on at the University will look to the report for answers about efforts that already exist, and will come back with more informed questions and suggestions.
“There are a lot of ways in which this institution is a leader in sustainable campus operations,” he said.
The report will be available at http://sustainability.uoregon.edu.
Contact the news editor at [email protected]