Welcome to fall, Ducks! We hope you’ve dusted off your green-and-yellow, organized your rain gear, and finely honed your arguments for-or-against Pumpkin Spice. For those of us who work on campus through the summer, including the staff in your humble Office of Sustainability, it’s always lovely to have you back.  

The summer and spring were challenging for our university, but also a time for refinement, focus, and commitment. Which makes Autumn the right season for now. In the life of a university, fall is a beginning, the start of the academic year and thus an important benchmark for the community. But in the arc of the seasons, fall is traditionally a time of transition, easing into increasing darkness, slowing down the exuberance of growth and turning instead to a phase of composting and, eventually, rest. 

Let’s lean into the both/and of this season—both an exciting beginning and a useful fading. What are you starting right now? What are you churning into the metaphorical soil for compost?   

 

"Be excellent to each other.” — Rufus

The Get Inspired section features an interview or profile with a UO staff, faculty, student, or alum making a difference on campus and beyond.

Q: How long have you worked at UO and what’s your favorite thing about working here?

I’ve been with the University of Oregon for almost four years, and what I love most is that no two days are ever the same. My role keeps things interesting, and I get to work and collaborate with an amazing group of people who are passionate, kind, and genuinely fun to work with.

Q: At a high level, what does Campus Planning do and then what do you focus on specifically?

At a very basic level, Campus Planning is the behind-the-scenes team helping to shape the physical space of the university. We help to make sure that the plans and projects for our campus help it to stay safe, beautiful, sustainable, and functional, while honoring its history and character. As an executive assistant, my job is to support our Planning and Sustainability teams by managing the details that keep everything else running smoothly, so that they can stay focused on the big-picture work that makes our campus great.

 

Q: Planning work, particularly at a large, complex institution like the UO, can be both slow and complicated, navigating multiple constraints (and personalities). What keeps you motivated?

I’m motivated by the knowledge that I’m helping my colleagues do their best work. If I can make their day a little easier, or even a little more fun with teambuilding projects and events, then I know I’m making a difference.

Q: What’s one sustainable dream you have for Campus Planning at the university?

I’d love to see us continue to make even better use of the spaces we already have on campus, repurposing the current spaces to better serve our students, faculty and employees, more efficiently and sustainably.

Q: Okay, enough about work. What’s a fun fact (or two or three) about you?

I have an art degree from UO and a passion for making jewelry from upcycled wood and metal. I source offcuts from PNW luthier friends who craft ukuleles and banjos, then transform them into wearable art in my woodshop. It’s my favorite way to combine creativity, sustainability, and craftsmanship.

A mix of student volunteers, student employees, and staff from Office of Sustainability, Zero Waste and Housing joined the effort to "Unpack the Quack" during campus move-in days, staffing the waste and recycling stations, teaching new Ducks how to sort their materials, and making the process a bit less stressful for parents and families.

As well, a collaboration titled "Waddle You Need" combined the efforts the Office of Sustainability, Student Sustainability Center, and University Housing to pilot a sale of used mini-fridges to new students moving into the residence halls, along with free reusable items including water bottles, bowls, silverware, and school supplies from the Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) room. The initiative even got a quack back in local paper The Register Guard (paywalled). 

It looks like the only thing that will be left inside Hamilton Hall when it comes down will be memories.

With the residence hall’s planned removal later this summer, Housing Capital Construction is finishing an exhaustive reuse-and-recycle effort of all assets. Working with partners inside and outside the university, officials have endeavored to keep building equipment and materials out of the landfill before the hall becomes green space

Oregon has a new recycling collection process initiated by the Plastics Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (the R.M.A for short). There are statewide collection and aggregation of materials to collect more items from municipal streams. 

The UO recycling system is different from your home recycling system.  UO collects all materials required by the RMA - plus a lot more!  Visit the Zero Waste website for a  complete list of items recyclable on campus. Thanks for your help reducing waste!

UO faculty, staff, and students may all ride LTD buses free of charge, but you do need to redeem a new code for your bus pass in the UMO app.  It’s good for the entire 2025-26 academic year

Those with an existing pass in the app can redeem the new benefit code beginning Aug. 1. Instructions are available on Transportation Services website. 

The app can be downloaded for free in the Apple App Store or on Google Play.

UO’s Snap AR Scholars and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife partner to connect technology with conservation.

When Sarah Klain visited the Otter Rock Marine Reserve for the first time, she quickly realized she had no idea where the protected area began or ended.

Unlike a park or forest, the edges of this coastal “no-take zone” didn’t announce themselves, aside from three offshore islands marking the western boundary.

 

Following a history of disinvestment and destructive climate disasters, communities across the archipelago are developing living blueprints of food sovereignty.

The rats scurried into the shed. ... Migdalia Mass Llorens kept vigil over her sleeping family huddled together under a single blanket. The 35-year-old mother of three couldn’t bring herself to join her kids in peaceful slumber. The hard floor and the rodents were bad enough. There was also the sinking awareness that her family may no longer have a home to return to that kept her up well into the night.

 

Sarah’s Return to Stanford—with Style

Sarah headed back to the Stanford Design School’s Teaching and Learning Studio this summer, this time as an Alumni-in-Residence—aka “AiR”! She even managed to sneak a cheeky “O” into the group photo. 

Madeline’s Oregon Escape

Madeline soaked up the summer days with a camping trip to her favorite spot in Oregon. Nothing beats fresh air, starry nights, and the peace of a well-loved getaway!

 

Steve’s Summer Summit

This summer, Steve and his daughter took on the challenge of climbing Mt. St. Helens! Not only did they summit the iconic volcano, but they also learned a mind-blowing fact along the way: the mountain is now 1,500 feet shorter than it was before the historic eruption on May 18, 1980.

Emily vs. the Weeds

Emily traded her desk for the outdoors this summer, rolling up her sleeves to tackle a patch of invasive Tansy Ragwort. It was a hands-on break from office work and a win for the native plants!

 

Cimmeron's Border-to-Border Ride

This summer, Cimmeron took on an epic adventure--a 2,200-mile bike ride along the entire U.S. West Coast! Starting at the Peace Arch on the U.S.-Canada border and finishing at the U.S.-Mexico border, he spent about 40 days pedaling along Highways 101 and 1. Along the way, he explored the stunning landscapes of Olympic and Redwood National Parks. A truly unforgettable journey powered by determination and two wheels!

Old Friends, New Pages

Ryan paid a visit to his past this summer on the prairies and woodlands of Nebraska and South Dakota, to reconnect with old friends as well as do research for his novel.

Still, We Rise: Intergenerational Leadership for a Sustainable Future. Get excited for the Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference, March 2-4, 2026 at University of Washington!  

Call for Program Proposals is now open! If you’re working on a project, program, or idea that’s making a difference in sustainability or social justice, we want to hear from you. Submit your proposal to help lead the way in sustainability transformation across Cascadia’s higher education landscape. Learn more and submit here. 

The Office of Sustainability offers monthly walking tours of sustainability features and practices at the Eugene campus. Tours take place on the first Monday of each month, and attendees can learn about work being done with infrastructure, academic programs and student groups, among other topics. The next tour will be November 3. 

No, everyone’s favorite country star/icon was not recently on campus (that we are aware of at least). But did you know she has a whole song devoted to our charming, weird little city? Give it a listen!

Have a UO or Eugene/Springfield-related delight or a story idea to share? Send to sstoeckl@uoregon.edu.