As the academic year rounds to a close, it is a time for reflection and celebration, and efforts toward campus sustainability are no exception. This year included the relaunch of the Green Office Program, the tenth anniversary of the office composting program and the annual campus-wide celebration that is the UO Sustainability Awards.
The Green Office program relaunched this year after pausing during the pandemic. Through this program, offices report their sustainability efforts in an array of categories ranging from waste to energy to purchasing and more. Offices receive recognition at platinum, gold, silver or bronze levels.
This year, five offices received Green Office certifications. The winning office — the Museum of Natural and Cultural History — received the highest recognition at the platinum level. They will be presented with their certificate by President Karl Scholz at an in-person visit to their office. Other newly certified offices include physical education and rec center (bronze); environmental studies, anthropology and geography (bronze); College of Arts and Sciences human resources (silver); and School of Journalism and Communication (platinum).
Similarly, many in the UO community do not know that there is a program for composting food scraps from offices. The program thrives through the efforts of champions in each office who sign up for the responsibility of disposing of the food scraps.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the program, Zero Waste and the Office of Sustainability teamed up to hold a raffle and give a gift “bucket” full of goodies to one of these office champions. EuGina Fails won the raffle. She works at the Co-op Family Center and practices composting with the children in her care.
“The office compost program has been able to compost over 30 tons of food waste thanks to the dedicated faculty and staff who take the time to participate,” said Phil Chesbro, solid waste program manager.
Curious about the program? Email Katie Lucca (klucca@uoregon.edu) or Chesbro (pchesbro@uoregon.edu) to sign up.
Lastly, UO celebrated excellence in sustainability across campus at the annual UO Sustainability Awards. These awards recognize work from students, researchers, educators and staff furthering campus sustainability in design, purchasing, student support and programming, community relations, and campus operations and administration.
“Sustainability work by its very nature is diverse, varied and multi-part,” said Sarah Stoeckl, Office of Sustainability assistant director and awards organizer. “Which is why I love that these awards recognize and bring together people doing incredible work across a range of sustainability topics and areas.”
This year’s winners were celebrated at a dinner and ceremony on May 20, with each award presented by its sponsoring office or program. Learn more about this year’s winners, sponsors and their work on the webpage.
Questions or want to be connected to these or other campus sustainability efforts? Contact Lucca, sustainability program coordinator, klucca@uoregon.edu.