Oregon State University Student Sustainability Initiative
Type: Program
Status: Ongoing (Initiated in 2006)
Source File: http://recycle.oregonstate.edu/ssi/
Description:
Mission
Creating a sustainable community at OSU through opportunity, education, and action.
Objectives
- Reduce the ecological footprint of the OSU community.
- Connect people with people and people with ideas.
- Identify best practices through collaboration and research.
- Manage student funds responsibly.
Implement these objectives through:
- Volunteer opportunities
- Community events
- Experiential learning
- Strategic investments
At the SSI we work to comply with our mission statement through the financing of internships, grants, activities, projects, and work parties. Recently, the SSI has helped fund interns to work on the restoration of Oak Creek and the renovation of the Student Sustainability Center, as well as supported the Green Roof Project, composting on campus, a slew of energy efficiency studies, and infrastructure improvements such as the implication of occupancy sensors for lights. For more information see current projects.
History
During April 2003 student Justin Fleming submitted a proposal decision package to the Student Incidental Fees Committee (SIFC), with intentions of greatly advancing recycling and waste reduction efforts at OSU. After considerable debate in both the Graduate and Undergraduate Senates, the fee proposal went to mediation, where it was eventually approved at $1.85 per student, per term. In February 2006 Justin developed a student advisory board to help manage both the budget and the growing list of sustainability related projects. The newly named Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) is currently working with Justin on several projects developed to reduce the ecological footprint of OSU and advance sustainability awareness. In April 2007 Oregon State students voted to increase student fees by $8.50 per student per term to fund 100% renewable energy for the university. SSI will be the group in charge of overseeing the offsets as part of our larger budget.