Ecologue

A recent study by Oregon State University has found that solar panels located on agricultural fields are the most productive. This idea of co-developing the same area of land is called agrivoltaics and this study has determined that if less than 1% of agricultural land was co-developed with solar panels, the resulting energy would be […]

Scientists have given us an urgent timeline. We have about a decade to cut greenhouse gases in half to avoid catastrophic climate change. How do we, each of us, need to transform to answer this once-in-a-lifetime call and rise to the challenge of the years ahead? How can we change the narratives in our minds […]

With increased travel, consumption, and waste, the holiday season has a substantial impact on the environment. Consider these statistics from the CDC: Americans throw away about 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. If every American family wrapped just 3 presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football […]

The case In 2015, 21 young people filed a constitutional climate lawsuit against the US government in the US District Court for the District of Oregon. Named after one of the young ladies involved, the case is called Juliana v. US; it argues that the government has violated the constitutional rights of young Americans to life, […]

ATTENTION ALL OSU EMPLOYEES: The OSU Sustainability Office is hosting a FREE workshop offering hands-on help to employees who want to start their Certification survey. Join us at noon on September 5th, lunch provided! There is no better time or place to get started! Multiple staff will be available for one-on-one assistance, so completing the […]

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a proposal called the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule in order to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan and fulfill the Trump administration’s goals concerning climate policy and the coal industry. The Clean Power Plan was a moderate attempt at slowing anthropogenic climate change, that climate scientists, policy makers, […]

A simplified diagram of one specific ecosystem. Since Oregon State University is often associated with both natural resource management and engineering, it should be no surprise that we have a very active Ecological Engineering program. To understand what ecological engineering is, it helps to be acquainted with the concept of an ecosystem, and the study […]

The Oral History Program at the OSU Libraries Special Collections and Archives Research Center presents Voices of a Warming Planet, an oral history series about climate change. Voices of a Warming Planet is a website containing contextualized interviews with twelve OSU faculty members, staff, and students, including the Sustainability Office’s own Sustainability Officer, Brandon Trelstad! […]

The second annual Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference is February 25th through February 27th at the University of Washington! Last year was the first year that the Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference and the Washington Higher Education Sustainability Conference merged, forming WOHESC. The first WOHESC (2018) was a huge success, with over 600 […]

Oregon State’s Solar Trailer, which is outfitted with an 1800-watt solar array and 25 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, spends its days traveling around OSU and the community powering local events. This past weekend (July 14th and 15th), the Solar Trailer got to hang out at one of its favorite events, the Oregon Country Fair. It […]