Thank you for your interest in sustainability at OSU! Sustainability at OSU is a collaborative effort between multiple organizations, due to the multifaceted nature of sustainability and the breadth of sustainability related subject matter covered at OSU.

Sustainability Organizations

The three organizations listed below play a leadership role in integrating sustainability into OSU's mission and operations. Although each has a different emphasis area, the Sustainability Office, Campus Recycling and the Community Engagement & Leadership partner on programming throughout the year that reaches across all audiences.

The Sustainability Office provides consultation and support to departments across campus and directly manages operations, outreach and assessment programming. It issues OSU's sustainability reports and greenhouse gas inventories each year, helping move OSU toward its strategic objective of becoming carbon neutral. Check here for a more complete list of our work. The Sustainability Office is part of Capital Planning and Development.

Campus Recycling manages a comprehensive waste management system that focuses on reducing, reusing and recycling with disposal as a last resort. Campus Recycling is part of Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management.

Community Engagement & Leadership creates space for students to craft and advance their collective visions of social, economic, and environmental justice by facilitating community-engaged learning experiences. In partnership with community-based organizations, CEL provides direct service, advocacy, philanthropy, and other community engagement opportunities that allow students to work towards a more just, sustainable world.

Awards and Recognition

Oregon State University has demonstrated sustainability leadership for decades, through natural resources programming, climate change research, experiential learning opportunities and multiple connections with communities across the State of Oregon. We are also one of only two institutions with Land Grant, Sun Grant, Sea Grant AND Space Grant designations. All this adds up to a lot of positive recognition...

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Sustainability Timeline

OSU has always been a place of innovation and excellence in environmental sustainability. For the 50th Earth Day this year, the Sustainability Office has compiled major achievements since 1970 in an interactive timeline. We have made progress in areas such as energy use, recycling, food consumption, transportation, and won many awards along the way.

Check out the timeline to see what we’ve accomplished!

Virtual Tours

In response to the pandemic, the Sustainability Office has created virtual tours of sustainability destinations and features on the Corvallis Campus. These tours allow you to see a 360° view of locations such as the 35th Street Solar Array and the Kelley Engineering Center.

Check out the virtual tours!

Interactive Sustainability Map

The Sustainability Office has launched an interactive, web-based map showcasing many of the sustainability-related features on the Corvallis Campus. Features include: OSU's cultural resource centers, stormwater collection features, energy efficient buildings, and much more 

Check it out here!

University Partners

Energy Efficiency Center

The EEC provides the Northwest with a laboratory to develop a knowledge base of new and common efficiency opportunities in a range of sectors, currently including industry, agriculture and commercial facilities. The center is built on student management with faculty mentorship and oversight.

Human Services Resource Center

HSRC operates several food security programs, including Eat Free at OSU and Fresh Food Fridays, some of which also reduce food waste. HSRC conducts economic sustainability and social justice work, money saving tips and tricks, including the Textbook Lending Program.

OSU Extension Service

OSU's most extensive outreach tool provides an abundance of sustainability-related information for many audiences.

The Spring Creek Project

The Spring Creek Project brings together the practical wisdom of the environmental sciences, the clarity of philosophical analysis, and the creative, expressive power of the written word, to find new ways to understand and re-imagine our relation to the natural world.

University Housing & Dining Services

UHDS partners with other departments on a wide variety of programming, and has demonstrated leadership in food sourcing and landscaping. UHDS includes OSU Catering.

Community Partners

Corvallis Sustainability Coalition

Corvallis' main network of organizations and individual volunteers aimed at engaging the community in sustainability efforts.

City of Corvallis

Corvallis consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the United States.  With strong sustainability programs, including bike-ability, use of renewable energy and more, the City is partnering with OSU to reduce community carbon emissions and improve livability.

Corvallis Environmental Center

A local group educating and assisting people in the areas of local food security, environmental education, and energy conservation. They also manage the Starker Arts Garden for Education (SAGE), a program dedicated to providing fresh produce to families in need, while educating at-risk families and community volunteers about organic farming and gardening.

Benton County

The 2040 Thriving Communities Initiative includes multiple aspects of sustainability in the County's Core Values that address long-term, complex issues.

Linn Benton Food Share

A network of 68 non-profit partners that provide millions of pounds of food to our local community every year. Their work includes a variety of food pantries, meal sites, and gleaning groups that help feed people and prevent waste.