Oregon Best receives funding for water use study

Oregon Build Environment and Sustainable Technologies recently pledged a donation to a water conservation research project being conducted by Portland State’s Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department. 

Oregon BEST is a committee of local investors who are dedicated to preserving and perpetuating environmentally sustainable practices.  

The project will track the water use at Oregon BEST and PSU’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions. The goal of this data collection is to inform engineers during construction phases of the Oregon Sustainability Center in order to utilize the best water-saving practices and fixtures.  

“The purpose is to ensure that the Oregon Sustainability Center is designed to reduce water use by up to 90 percent, while still maintaining quality of service,” Project Manager and ISS fellow Evan Thomas said.  

The Sustainable Water, Energy and Environmental Technologies Laboratory (SWEETlab) has already developed the research tools that will be implemented this summer. 

“The idea came from Oregon BEST,” Thomas said. “We were qualified to do it because we do this sort of work internationally now.” 

SWEETLab has worked with MercyCorps to collect similar data in Indonesia in the past.  

The first phase of data collection will end this summer, but Thomas anticipates that his team will be continuing the data collection into the fall.  

In addition to providing project funding, Oregon BEST is assisting SWEETLab by locating test sites in the Portland area.

The OSC will be a collaborating place for sustainable business, education and housing. The future site has drawn researchers from wide-ranging Oregon University System departments and programs. PSU will be tenant once the building is erected. 

Construction will begin in 2012, according to the OSC website. ?