The Sustainability Office is off to a great fall term with many accomplishments to celebrate!
OSU has been included in The Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2025 Edition! Every year since 2011, OSU has been recognized in the annual Guide to Green Colleges for sustainability practices such as food sourcing, transportation, green building, opportunities to focus on the environment and sustainability in curriculum. This recognition is based on surveys of nearly 600 colleges, where administrators and students weigh in on sustainability policies and green campus experiences. We’re proud to report that OSU earned an impressive Green Rating score of 93! Colleges that earned a Green Rating score of 80 or higher were selected for this edition of the Guide.
Another exciting achievement, OSU has again been recognized in the 2024 Sustainable Campus Index! The Index, a publication from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), features top-performing colleges and universities overall and in 17 impact areas, as measured through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS). This year, OSU tops the list for the institution with the most STARS reports of any school, and a perfect score of 100% in Coordination and Planning! This recognition highlights the passion and collaboration within the OSU community, as we continually strive to improve sustainable practices.
Looking ahead, OSU is taking bold steps into renewable energy innovation, thanks to funding from the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program! OSU is working on their first large-scale, grid interactive battery storage system, which will be paired with a 249 kW roof-mounted solar array. The 1.4 megawatt hour battery will support an OSU data center in Corvallis that also serves as crucial infrastructure for a Link Oregon node. Link Oregon provides data services to public agencies, schools, nonprofits and local first responders. Meanwhile, OSU-Cascades is making strides of its own, receiving $1M to expand geo-exchange infrastructure that will provide resilient heating and cooling for the Bend campus. This project serves as a “living laboratory” where students and the community can explore renewable energy solutions on site.
These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work, vision, and collaboration of the entire OSU community. Let’s keep the momentum going, Beavers!
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