This year we have two grant recipients, Carly Johnson and Corey Peterson, with two very exciting projects.
Carly will be working on the Campus Carbon Challenge. It will involve an online survey aimed at raising awareness about the little changes people can make in their everyday lives in order to reduce their carbon footprint. During the month of February students, staff, and faculty will take the survey and choose three to five changes to make in their lives. Carly will monitor their progress online through surveys and help them make the gradual changes. Various events will take place as well in order to show the community how easy it is to make a change! For more information contact Carly at johnsonc@onid.orst.edu
Corey will begin to install the first phase of a bioretention system at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture (OCCUH) that can manage storm-water runoff into the stretch of Oak Creek that boarders the OCCUH. Filtering and delaying runoff will decrease the amount of contaminants that flow into the creek annually, as well as reduce potential creek overflows that compromise the structural integrity of the creek’s banks. For more information, contact Corey at petecore@onid.orst.edu.
The SSI composts West Dining Hall food waste and campus landscaping waste using a composting bin called the Earth Tub™. We also compost used coffee grounds from Raintree Coffee Co. in McNary Dining Hall using a worm bin called the Worm Wigwam™.
The SSI plans to create a composting system at the new Student Sustainability Center and hopes to start up a second Earth Tub™ at a new campus location soon.
For more information or to get involved e-mail Andrea Norris or Matt Pennington
The SSI teamed up with the ASOSU Environmental Affairs Task Force to design and purchase stainless steel reusable coffee mugs called Reuse-a-Cups that will be made available at low cost to students in order to reduce coffee cup waste on campus. The mugs will be available for sale in fall 2007.
For more information e-mail Andrea Norris
Oregon State University's Horticulture Department has begun community education and research in green roof technology; also know as ecoroofs, living roofs, and vegetative roofs. Green roofs have been widely adopted in Europe and are now becoming implemented in American cities due to the continued increase in urban growth along with the demand for low impact development.
There are many benefits to green roofs such as mitigating stormwater, reducing urban heat island effects, increasing biodiversity in cities, improved air quality, an increase in energy savings (heating and cooling), extended roof life and aesthetics.
OSU Horticulture will be researching potential plants (primarily native) for the Pacific Northwest and how they respond to different irrigation regimes along with collecting stormwater from major rain events.
With funding from SSI, this project will also incorporate a stormwater harvesting cistern for irrigating the green roof test plots and on the other side there will be a bio-retention area for stormwater runoff that is not collected. This is a full circle model in which stormwater enters into our local watershed (Oak Creek) cleaner and at a much slower pace.
For more information or to get involved e-mail Erin Shroll.
The SSI has purchased 48 occupancy sensors to install around campus. Occupancy sensors automatically turn on lights when a person enters the room and then shut off lights after a period of inactivity, thus saving energy. Several dozen possible locations for the installation of the sensors have been planned and are currently being prioritized.
Contact: Brandon Trelstad.
Over the past year the SSI has funded two internships with the OSU Sustainability Office
to examine energy efficiency on campus. One of the interns began to find compressed air
leaks in buildings and adjust fume hoods for appropriate air exchange. He also worked to
read utility meters, track utility data, and update a list of sustainability related
courses at OSU.
Contact: Brandon Trelstad.
The goal of this project was to investigate OSU's food system in order to develop a plan for increasing the amount of locally produced foods served on campus. Because of the size of OSU's food system, it was decided to focus in on one segment: University Housing and Dining (UHDS). UHDS operates 16 restaurants on campus along with one store. In March, UHDS met with a local raspberry grower and set up a relationship with her. In April, two represenatives from UHDS organized two farm field trips with their chefs to Heavenly Harvest and Gathering Together Farms. While UHDS is very interested in moving forward with this project, there are a number of challenges they first need to overcome, including the overall system for purchasing which is currently not set up to easily accommodate purchasing from multiple produce vendors throughout the year. Their specific needs regarding regular, daytime bulk deliveries and food safety regulations may pose a challenge to some local farmers. Another challenge is seasonality, as their busiest times are fall, winter, and spring, but not summer. The next steps for UHDS include identifying local farmers with the interest/ability to meet their needs and starting small with a few farmes, learning as they go.
For more information contact Katie Murray.
You can see what UHDS is doing to be more sustainable here.
Over the summer the SSI funded a 20-hour/week internship through the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture. Student Corey Petersen filled the position and installed several new ornamentally planted beds, prepared a classroom for horticulture labs and classes in the field, planned a bio-retention system for the property, expanded the plant diversity on site and cleared trails along Oak Creek. She also designed and prepared the site for a water-wise garden in which students and master gardeners will plant vegetation.
Contacts: Corey Petersen, David Sandrock
For general questions, please contact student.sustainability@oregonstate.edu.
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Updated 7-20-07