Corvallis takes steps towards a more sustainable community

The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition recently completed a series of public meetings for its Community Sustainability Initiative. The initiative, which aims to engage the community in the creation of a Community Sustainability Action Plan, gathered community input through three town hall meetings. Between April and September, over 200 volunteers participated in 12 topic area work groups that garnered community input.

At the October 7 meeting, participants were presented with goals for each topic area and were asked, "Which of these goals should we go after first as a community?" The following are a few of the number one goals chosen by participants.

50 percent reduction water flow through systems

Reduce per capita landfill disposal

Increase transportation alternatives beyond Corvallis

Protected natural habitat acreage increased 50 percent

Compact walkable, mixed-use neighborhood centers

To see the full results, visit www.sustainablecorvallis.org.

The next step in the process is the formation of Action Teams that will begin work on implementation of the Community Sustainability Action Plan. The Action Teams will include both individuals and organizational representatives.

Willamette University named leader in sustainability

The National Wildlife Federation recently named Willamette University as the nation's leader in sustainability in higher education. According to the NWF, “Willamette is committed to energy efficiency and conservation, greener transportation, environmentally friendly landscaping practices, as well as to orienting personnel and faculty to the sustainability goals of the campus."

The Campus Environment 2008 explored the extent to which college and university leaders value environmental performance and sustainability and are putting these values into practice.

The National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education surveyed 1,068 colleges and universities (27 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities) regarding their sustainability practices in both operations and curriculum, and found that Willamette University is the school engaged in the greatest number of eco-conscious activities.

The report also compared trends from a similar survey in 2001. In 2008, some promising sustainability trends are the rising number of campuses setting goals for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and campus leaders were much more likely to rank environmental and sustainability programs among their highest priorities, and competing priorities are no longer the obstacle that they were in 2001.

Local 'greenies' honored at BetterBricks Awards

Salem-area residents dominated the Facility Manager/Operator category at the sixth annual Oregon BetterBricks awards. David Furr, Utilities Coordinator and Kathleen Kill, Utilities Conservation Specialist, both employees of Salem-Keizer Public Schools, won for their efforts in working with 12 schools that will soon receive Energy Star certification. Gary Grimm, Facilities Manager and Jan Gardner, Project Manager, of Willamette University were two of the three finalists in the facility manager/operator category chosen for their advocacy for high-performance buildings on campus.

BetterBricks, the commercial building initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, advocates for designing and operating buildings with greater energy efficiency.

“The Northwest is recognized as a hotbed for sustainable, green practices,” said Skip Schick, manager of the BetterBricks initiative. “The leadership exemplified by these awards further solidifies our region as ahead of the curve in green, energy efficient buildings.”

The BetterBricks Awards honors architects, engineers, developers, building owners and operators, facility managers and other professionals that champion high performance buildings in the Northwest.