SOU’s Sustainability Efforts In-Line With UN Goals
In 2012, the UN met in Brazil, in part of the “United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.” The conference’s significant result was creating SDGs outlined in the document “Future We Want.” The SDGs were to expand on the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), aiming to decrease severe poverty by 2015. In 2015 the United Nations adopted “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), key “call to action” points within the plan. The focus of these SDGs involves ending world hunger, improving health hand education, diminish inequality, and working towards preserving our oceans and forests.
Southern Oregon University is ranked in the top 30 Great Small Colleges for nature lovers and was the 1st certified bee campus in the nation. The university has a sustainability council, established in 2007. The council’s drive is to “assist SOU in remaining at the forefront of sustainability” and organize and execute “environmental enhancement” that improves the campuses and regional environmental footprint. Rebecca Walker is SOU’s sustainability and recycling manager; Walker comes to SOU after spending the past 15 years working for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, a Scottish government agency that focuses on improving its sustainable natural resources.
Southern Oregon University’s energy program is in-tune with Goal 7 of the United Nations SDGs. Goal 7, “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” Energy consumption is SOU’s most significant source of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHGs are compound gases that trap heat within our atmosphere, making our earth’s surface warmer. To learn more about how Greenhouse gases affect our planet, check out this video.
SOU uses two primary power sources to provide energy to its campus, electricity and natural gas. In an effort to reduce the campus’s emissions footprint, SOU has installed 1,000 photovoltaic panels, which use the sun’s rays to deliver clean, renewable energy for the Univerity. The first solar panels installed on campus were on top of the Hannon library in 2000; the university installed only 24 solar panels on its roof. In 2019, 159 more panels were installed as part of a power purchase agreement between students and the university. One can even see the Hannon library solar powers’ impact by visiting the “Truesouth” solar page. The webpage shows that 290,005 pounds of Co2 emissions have been saved due to the solar panels; that’s the equivalent of 2,237 planted trees.
Goal 12 of the UN’s Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” SOU has implemented a few programs that engage the UN’s Goal 12. In 2011, a student’s capstone project created a recycling program that included an on-campus recycling center. The program consists of various indoor and outdoor collection points that efficiently separate different types of recyclable materials. Items such as ink toner, batteries, and paint spray cans also can be recycled correctly through the program. The building material used to construct Raider Village consists of 26% of local materials within a 500-mile radius, 86% of the construction waste was reused in other ways to limit the amount sent to landfills.
The Real Food Challenge is part of a commitment signed by SOU’s President Linda Schott in 2018. The program’s goal is to have 20% of the food served to the student consist of “real food.” Food that is locally sourced and produced within a fair, ethical environment. Allowing SOU to decrease its reliance on “industrial farms” & heavily processed food, allowing funds to support organically grown meals. As of 2019, SOU calculated that 9% of food consumed on campus met the real food challenge requirements.
This article has only covered a handful of sustainability programs Southern Oregon University offers for students and the community. Please check the SOU’s sustainability web page to learn more about other services like the dish loan program, transportation alternatives, and discounts.
https://www.esg.adec-innovations.com/about-us/faqs/what-is-ghg/
https://news.sou.edu/2019/11/rebecca-walker-hired-as-sous-new-sustainability-and-recycling-manager/
