OSU Sustainability Highlights

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OSU Sustainability Highlights

• February 10, 2009

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About the Sustainability Office

• Represents OSU administration in sustainability
  affairs
• Created in November 2005
• 2 full time equivalent employees (FTE)
• One part time student worker position (currently
  hiring)

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National Recognition

• Sustainable Endowments Institute top 25 for 08
  09
• Kaplan College Guide top 25 for 2008
• Placed first in 2006 RecycleMania, 4th in 2005
• Designated an EPA Best Workplace for Commuters"
• Received EPA Green Power Leadership Award 2008

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A Campus Sustainability Leader

• Ranked in the top 25 by the Sustainable
  Endowments Institute in 2008
• Grades in 8 categories
• Administration
• Climate Change and Energy
• Food and Recycling
• Green Building
• Transportation
• Endowment Transparency
• Investment Priority
• Shareholder Engagement

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Renewable Energy Survey

• 68 of voting students support fully funding
  renewable energy

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On the Spring 2007 Ballot

• 70 of voting students supported a fee of up to
  8.50 per student per term
• Major voter turnout issue

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Green Power Recognition

• Green Power Leadership Club
• Green Power Conference Champion by US EPA in 2008
• Green Power Leadership Award 2008
• Corvallis is top Green Power Community in the
  nation

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Reinvestment Funding

• Major solar installation at Dixon Rec Center is
  in the design phase now.

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Dixon Elliptical Generators

• 22 elliptical exercise machines will be tied to
  the electrical grid
• Each machine can generate between 100-400 watts,
  depending on the user
• Funding from students and the Energy Trust of
  Oregon
• Could generate enough to powera standard home

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Student Sustainability Initiative

• A student fee funded initiative whose mission is
• Creating a sustainable community at OSU through
  opportunity, education, and action.

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Student Sustainability Center
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New Student Initiatives

• Revolving loan fund
• To fund conservation projects the savings from
  which will replenish the fund
• Community-scale eco-wiki
• Operation Green Beaver weekly meetings
• Bike Co-op
• Permaculture club and worksite at SSC

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RecycleMania

• A 10-week, national competition to see which
  institution can collect the largest amount of
  recyclables per capita.
• Competition tracks include
• Recyclable pounds per capita
• Total recyclable pounds
• Lowest trash pounds per capita
• Highest recycling rate
• OSU won in 2006 and placed 4th in 2005
• www.recyclemaniacs.org

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Green Building
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Sustainability Audits

• Began in January 2007
• Student worker performs audits
• Annual electrical savings for just 7 audits, if
  recommended changes were implemented by
  occupants 37,000 or 0.10/sf avg.
• Potential savings of 1,748,149 lbs. CO2

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Oak Creek Cleanup

• Review of past studies and reports and new
  action-based recommendations
• Over a dozen volunteer events, more to come
• Eight student groups involved
• Dam removed summer 2007
• Stakeholders want to see action, not more study

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EPA Best Workplaces for Commuters

• Recognizes employers for efforts to provide
  alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle.
• Prepaid rides on Corvallis Transit System,
  Linn-Benton Loop, Philomath Connection and Albany
  Transit System
• Free campus shuttle
• Compressed work schedules
• Access to emergency rides home
• Preferential and free parking for vanpools
• A physical development plan promoting dense
  growth, not sprawl
• Secure bicycle parking and showers
• Car-sharing as a future measure

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Stronger Administrative Commitment

• 04-13-07
• Media Release
• OSUs Ed Ray Signs Presidents Climate
  Commitment for Sustainability
• CORVALLIS, Ore. Oregon State University has
  joined a growing number of universities around
  the United States in an initiative to make its
  campus climate neutral by establishing policies
  to limit greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its
  energy usage.

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Presidents Climate Commitment

• Requires greenhouse gas inventory within one year
• Within two years, requires 3-5 page plan and
  timeline to become climate neutral
• Requires interim steps be taken by Nov.15, 2007
  to reduce GHG emissions

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Mitigation Strategies

• Wide ranging, but can be categorized
• Energy conservation
• Energy efficiency
• On-site renewable energy production
• Off-site renewable energy production
• Offsets

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Energy Conservation Efficiency

• Current and future projects include lighting
  upgrades, steam system improvements, HVAC and
  controls upgrades, Energy Center operation, and
  many others
• Funding and growth are the largest obstacles to
  GHG reductions in this category

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Renewable Energy Production

• On-site and off-site. Off-site includes RECs
  from student renewable energy fee
• Various fundingsources includereinvestment
  money, third party financing,grants, etc.

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OSU Energy Center

• Replaces heat plant built in 1920 that houses
  50-70 year old equipment
• Co-generating, or combined heat and power (CHP),
  technology greatly increases efficiencies by
  utilizing waste heat from the electrical
  generation process
• 5.5MW gas turbine and heat recovery steam
  generator
• Total plant capacity 250,000 pounds of
  steam/hour
• The systems will be configured for future use of
  renewable fuels, such as biodiesel and methane

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• EC will reduce
• greenhouse gas emissions by 38
• by at least 30 the fossil fuel needed to produce
  OSUs electricity
• water consumption by up to 70 compared to
  conventional power generation

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Community Outreach

• Corvallis Energy Challenge partnership
• supported by Energy Trust of Oregon and the
  Corvallis Sustainability Coalition
• Partner of the Corvallis Sustainability
  Coalition, a local network of organizations
  working to accelerate sustainability-related
  activities in Corvallis
• Events like NTI Earth Week and courses, like
  Climate Master and Master Recycler

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Other Efforts

• Large scale solar
• Funded by third party financing and incentives
• Corvallis Energy Challenge
• supported by Energy Trust of Oregon and the
  Corvallis Sustainability Coalition
• Utility information online
• Future outreach, training and education for those
  who study, work and live on campus

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More OSU Resources

• Academics
• Several colleges have sustainability programs
  several courses and degree programs offered
• Research
• Leading areas include wave energy, biofuels and
  bioproducts, water
• Extension and Outreach
• Master Gardener Climate Master (like Master
  Recyclers) Industrial Assessment Center and
  others

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Sustainability Website

• http//oregonstate.edu/sustainability/