Ducks, do you know we already have the solutions we need to make a thriving and stable environment? Project Drawdown crunched the numbers on a range of solutions and has shown that not only is it possible to get back to planetary balance but we already have all the technology and knowledge that we need. Beyond that, bringing these changes to life would result in cleaner air, purer water, increased human health, and the creation of good, stable jobs.  

We have the solutions so what do we need? The world needs everyone who can to get into the mix for a healthy planet. This means engineers and technicians, policy makers and policy implementers, gardeners and farmers, entrepreneurs, sustainable business champions, legal experts, medical professionals including therapists, planners, emergency managers, and designers of all kinds from product to urban to landscape to buildings. But it also means ethicists, storytellers and artists, marketers, educators, community builders, and activists. People who will get their boots on the ground and their hands in dirt (or the solar panel) as well as those who can collaborate across difference and build coalitions. In short, the world needs you! It’s a new year, Ducks. Get stoked. The work is happening, and the work is also ready for your head, heart, and hands*.  

*Shout out Katharine Wilkinson for this beautiful “head, heart, and hands” framing.  

“It is no small thing to be human on earth.”

- Katharine Wilkinson 

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?

Though I have worked at the UO in years past, in February I will have been in my current position for five years. It’s an intriguing position as it allows a broad view of the myriad of projects and needs across the institution – from window washing and fiber pathways to musical performers; from counseling services and highly specialized research equipment to boats in the ocean. There is so much happening on the UO campuses. My favorite thing about my position is my work group as they’re supportive, friendly, whip-smart, and truly feel like a team.

Q: At a high level, what does Purchasing and Contracting Services do at the University and then what do you focus on specifically? 

Purchasing and Contracting Services (PCS) is a resource for campus when planning purchases, contemplating a business relationship, or thinking through legal aspects of contractual services. We negotiate and execute contracts, help work groups strategically plan future procurement needs, ensure compliance with required regulations, run the procurement card program, and conduct competitive procurement processes.  As a Contracts Officer, I typically focus on custom contracts that don’t have a fixed UO template and facilitate competitive procurements.

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

The UO’s mission to educate students and provide stellar research and experiential opportunities are the main motivators. I want UO to successfully support its students, create innovative programs, and provide regional resources to support community. The support of my work team also keeps me from getting lost in the complexity and fine print.

 

Q: How do you see your work's connection to sustainability or to making a positive difference in the world?

As someone with a UO degree in environmental studies, sustainability has long been a foundation. Working in PCS, I recognize that UO purchases have a big impact locally, regionally, and beyond. Using our decisions to innovate and reduce negative impacts on the environment and society is significant.

The upstream impacts of purchases (like resource extraction, goods production, shipping impacts, etc.) should be considered along with those we more generally consider and that are downstream (impacts of using the product, disposal, etc.). Just over a year ago PCS added a general sustainability provision to the University’s Standard Terms and Conditions and an evaluation criteria for sustainability efforts to our standard competitive procurement documents. The hope with those is to communicate UO’s intent to support sustainable choices and to obtain information for evaluators to weigh.
PCS allows for best value procurement – which means that UO buyers may consider factors other than price, like sustainability considerations, in their purchasing decisions. Such considerations can lead to reduced negative impacts on people and planet.

Q: What’s one attainable dream you have in your position at the university?

To carve out more time to focus on these types of big picture efforts. Such time could be used to become more of a resource in developing and collaborating on sustainability specifications, metrics, and improvements.

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

I am an avid gardener. If you are friends with me, you are likely to receive hyper-local produce, quince jam, dried apples, garlic, and/or fresh salsa at some point(s).

“From Canoe Fete to silt-filled, the rise and fall of Eugene’s Millrace,” written by Miranda Cyr, appeared in Eugene's local paper, the Register Guard, on December 30, 2025. It provides a detailed history of the waterway and focuses on the University of Oregon’s comprehensive restoration of the area.  

The restoration project aims to improve water quality, revive native vegetation, and create thriving habitats for fish and birds, transforming the area into a living laboratory for sustainability and education.

Restoration efforts to date have included dredging a portion to remove decades of silt build-up, removing invasive plant species, and reintroducing native vegetation to improve biodiversity and stabilize the ecosystem. The university also implemented measures to enhance water quality and create habitats for fish and birds, transforming the Millrace into a functional wildlife corridor. Additionally, the Millrace now offers improved public access, with scenic pathways and spaces designed for recreation and community engagement.

Interviewed for the article, were CPFM’s own Mike Harwood (AVP of CPFM and University Architect), Emily Hamblen (Natural Areas Steward), and Aaron Olsen (Assistant Director of Campus Planning). Collectively they emphasized that the project reflects a broader commitment to sustainability and honors the Millrace’s historical significance as part of Eugene’s cultural heritage. (Note: article is paywalled)

As part of the kickoff for Everyday Inclusion 2026, an initiative for staff in the Finance and Administration portfolio, organizers have provided packets of wildflower seeds and adorable coloring cards to share with colleagues across campus. Send a simple note to someone or pick up a packet of seeds and start growing something beautiful! Seed packets, cards, and stickers can be found in several locations across campus, including Johnson Hall Room 103 (VPFA office suite).

Looking to rekindle those staycation vibes you had over the holiday break? Come to the Surplus Store where you'll find a "pool" of savings.  

Start treasure hunting today!

547 Q St store - Mon–Wed, 10 AM–5:20 PM

Faculty/staff hours at Romania warehouse - Fridays 10am-1pm and by appointment

 Follow us for the latest finds and groaniest puns: https://www.instagram.com/uo_surplus/

Save the Date! WRNA Tree Plantings this Winter

Please join us for a landmark moment in UO’s stewardship of the Willamette River Natural Area. With support from an Oregon Department of Forestry grant and our partners at the City of Eugene, Friends of Trees, and the Willamette Resources and Educational Network (WREN), the UO Natural Areas Program will plant 455 new trees over the next two years!

Mark your calendars for January 31st, 10am-1pm, and February 21st, to help us kick off this historic, community-powered effort. See details in the Events and Opportunities section below. 

You know how it goes. You ordered something online, you unpack it, and you head to one of UO’s recycling locations to get rid of the cardboard* box. On every dumpster or other cardboard collection site the sign directs you to flatten the box. But really, you don’t have scissors or a knife with you and how big a deal can it be, really? At least you’re recycling, right? (Yes. But also...) 

Please flatten your boxes! Think about it in terms of geometry. What takes up more space: a constructed box or a flattened box? The constructed box obviously. This spatial reality means that a bin or dumpster full of un-flattened boxes fills up much more quickly. If it gets too full, it may impede the ability of others to recycle their cardboard, flattened or no. Plus it causes a decent amount of extra labor for our hardworking Zero Waste team. So even when it feels like a drag, flatten your carboard.   

*UO can recycle all cardboard, which you can identify by looking at an edge and seeing if it is corrugated, a.k.a., wavy, like lasagna. If it’s not corrugated, it’s likely paperboard or cardstock and can go in the regular paper recycling, as with your cracker or cereal boxes. 

August sunshine floods the Brozek Lab. Busy students in lab coats and safety glasses talk, tinker and troubleshoot.

The academic year starts soon, and there’s much to get done in short order. Associate professor Carl Brozek is heading to Japan through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

None of them, including Brozek, knows he’ll be there when his research colleagues at Kyoto University get some epic news about their work on structures known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs. Brozek’s team develops the versatile materials, which are a sort of molecular sponge, in his lab at the UO.

EUGENE, Ore. - BRING Recycling, in collaboration with the mayor of Eugene, is honoring local enterprises committed to resource efficiency and community leadership. These businesses have participated in BRING's spring round of Green Business Grants, each receiving up to $1,000 for energy-efficiency projects.

Drop Bear Brewery and Sunriver Brewing Company in Eugene received their awards this afternoon.

"I think it helps us connect with the community which is what we want to do," said David Lehane, head brewer. "We obviously got strange accents, we're from a different state. We moved here because we love it here and we want to connect with community and grow with it and this is really cool to get this because we feel like we are actually connecting."

In labs across campus, College of Arts and Sciences researchers are rethinking how discovery happens, not just in the name of science, but for the health of the planet.

UO lab spaces are some of the most resource-intensive areas on campus, using two to three times more energy than typical offices and generating unique kinds of waste that aren’t collected through regular recycling streams. In response, the Sustainable Labs program has just launched, offering researchers a flexible framework to reduce waste, conserve energy and water, and build more sustainable lab cultures.

“We wanted something realistic for busy research teams,” said Sarah Stoeckl, associate director in the Office of Sustainability. “Each badge focuses on one area, like waste reduction or energy conservation, so labs can start small and build over time."

The Office of Sustainability offers monthly walking tours of sustainability features and practices at the Eugene campus. Tours occur monthly and attendees learn about  infrastructure, academic programs and student groups, among other topics. The next tour will be January 23, 11:10am at the Unthank Welcome Center. 

You otter know, new detections of a local river otter in the Millrace Natural Area are making waves! Native to the Willamette Valley, this curious creature has been observed foraging for minnows and romping along the banks of the Millrace. There have been 3+ sighting over the last month and we hope, with the restoration of the Millrace, that it is here to stay and it will bring some friends too! If you see the river otter, please give it room so that it can concentrate on finding food.

 

Knowing when and where different species use the natural areas helps us better manage which resources they need. Have you taken photos of any interesting or unusual creatures on the Millrace or Willamette River Natural Areas? If so, please send them to uonaturalareas@uoregon.edu along with the location and date that they were observed and we will add the information to our database.

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