The fifth annual sustainability celebration was held at Portland State in the Native American Student and Community Center on May 29. The event celebrated the accomplishments and progress of sustainability at PSU throughout the 2011–12 academic year and consisted of a poster session and a presentation.
A video was shown at the event that summarized the highlights and high points of sustainability at PSU during each term on campus.
The summer of 2011 most notably saw the launch of Electric Avenue, which has drawn national recognition to PSU as a research project that examines charging stations and electric vehicles. The School of Business Administration also earned a top sustainability ranking and its reuse room reopened.
In the fall, Lincoln Hall had solar panels installed in an effort to achieve LEED platinum certification. The “green screen” was installed in Smith Memorial Student Union; an international conference on business and sustainability was held; the community orchard opened; and the Science Research and Training Center achieved LEED gold certification.
Notable events in the winter included: a $3.5 million grant to study sustainable transportation; Electric Avenue got a quick charger installed; and Recyclemania was held. In spring, Portland Mayor Sam Adams commemorated PSU’s Earth Week; Jennifer Allen was named the new director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions; The Princeton Review named PSU among the top green schools; the Bike to PSU Challenge was held; and the PSU Education Urban Renewal Area was approved.
Awards were given to two students, one staff and one faculty member for contribution and excellence in sustainability. Environmental science and management student Keith Nevison and sociology graduate student Frank Goulart received the student awards; Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research Scott Marshall received the faculty excellence award; and Associate Director of Transportation and Parking Services Sarah Renkens received the staff award.
“The awards really show how deeply embedded sustainability is at PSU,” Allen said. “They have all shown leadership in different areas and really stepped up to bring recognition to PSU.”
Awardees were nominated by peers and colleagues and were then chosen by a committee based on testimonials and the number of people who had nominated them.
The event also celebrated Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Roy Koch, who will be retiring at the end of June and who has greatly contributed to sustainability on campus. The first annual Roy Koch award for outstanding leadership in sustainability was awarded to Koch in recognition of his achievements in the field.
“Roy Koch has done a lot for sustainability on campus, and we want to honor his legacy,” said ISS Communications Director Jenny DuVander.
Allen said that Koch had a vision of PSU as a leader in sustainability before the idea even became popular and took hold on campus. She said Koch was a champion in funding sustainable efforts, rallied people across the campus, laid the foundation for the Miller Foundation investment at PSU, and had the vision for the center on campus that eventually became the Institute for Sustainable Solutions.
While accepting the award, Koch joked about how, when asked about what sustainability was, he would fumble through deciding on a succinct and complete explanation. “Sustainability is how everything connects with everything else,” he said. “It brings us together.”
“This celebration showcased how the diverse sustainability groups at PSU come together to work toward common goals,” DuVander said.
DuVander thinks progress in the field of sustainability has been made, particularly in social sustainability, which aims for equity and inclusion for all. “I think that movement on campus is really gaining traction—it is trying to make sustainability for everyone and a high quality of life for all,” she said.
She cited the Sustainability Leadership Center as encouraging social sustainability as they hold a social sustainability month every November. DuVander also said that the university is working towardthe Climate Action Plan goals and that it would take everyone’s participation to meet them.
Featured at the celebration were posters showcasing the 13 winners of the 2012 Solutions Generator—student group proposals for sustainable solutions on campus and in the city.
Projects included the 12 Avenue Cycle Track, which is a feasibility study on the creation of a protected bike lane to connect PSU to downtown, and an agricultural run-off bioswale research project that examines the quality of food being provided by a local farm to campus dining before and after implementing a bioswale, among other projects.
DuVander said it was great to see all of the student research and that she was excited to see everyone’s work. Other posters featuring other aspects of sustainability at PSU were also featured in addition to the Solutions Generator winners.
During the presentation, Allen said that when she started working in sustainability 25 years ago, it felt like pushing a rock up a hill. Now she says it feels as if the movement has reached the crest of the hill and is coming down the other side, “being chased by the rock,” she joked.
Both Allen and PSU President Wim Wiewel praised the leadership at PSU. However, Wiewel lamented the fact that the Oregon Sustainability Center did not get funding and that they were not able to get the project moving forward. He said that sustainability might have to be more actively cast in ways that make more sense to people.
Wiewel also said that he looks forward to seeing marvelous change in the future.
“Really what we are all about at PSU is sustainability,” Allen said during the presentation. She said the celebration had a great turnout, and that she hopes it grows more every year. ■