University of Oregon
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Sarah
Stoeckl Assistant Director Office of Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
GEO, Office of Energy and Sustainability, and the Student Sustainability are collaborating on a project to make the study abroad experience more environmentally sustainable with an “Environmental Cost” option added to all study abroad applications. Students are given the choice to pay an amount of their choosing (with recommendations provided based on travel destination) to purchase carbon offsets directly, make a donation to a local organization focused on climate change, volunteer with one of the Student Sustainability Center's many quarterly opportunities, or not participate. The suggested offset/donation amount was calculated by the Office of Energy and Sustainability and was estimated by determining the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere by air travel from Eugene to the study abroad destination and then deciding on a reasonable amount to mitigate some or all of those emissions. Air travel is a significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, the cause of anthropogenic (human-caused) global warming. This program represents a robust collaboration that empowers and educates students, while addressing one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Air & Climate
Transportation
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
In January 2021, the University of Oregon received a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to institute the Pacific Northwest Just Futures Institute for Racial and Climate Justice — JFI for short. The $4.52 million grant is the largest humanities award in UO history. The UO was among 38 institutions invited to submit proposals to the Just Futures initiative – and is one of 16 grantees selected out of 165 proposals.
JFI is a regional platform and partnership between leaders from the UO’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Design, alongside the University of Idaho (Moscow, ID), Whitman College (Walla Walla, WA), Heritage University (Yakama Indian Reservation), and community organizations. Housed by the UO Center for Environmental Futures, JFI is a seedbed for applied, publicly engaged research that addresses the intertwined issues of racial inequality and climate crisis in innovative ways.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Diversity & Affordability
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
The University of Oregon's recycling program is one of the oldest campus programs in the nation, founded in the 1990s by student activists. Now managed by the Zero Waste program, we have a unique recycling program that recycles more and different materials than the rest of Eugene-Springfield and Lane County. After 30 years of recycling leadership, this past year our recycling rate exceeded 60% for the first time. This improvement is due a couple of factors, including our new use of Juno Waste Management, which keeps a significant amount of material out of the landfill.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
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.