Letter from the Office of Sustainability |
October brings many things—school starting, football, changing leaves, and election season! Yes, the constant campaigning can get tiresome. And yet these touchpoints signify the high value placed on one of our essential rights, the right to democratically participate in our society, how it runs, and what it prioritizes.
However, did you know that in 2024 11.2 million people who care deeply about the planet did not vote? This is according to the Environmental Voter Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that identifies people who care about the planet but do not vote and uses research-backed techniques to inspire them out to the polls. They have a range of actions happening to increase voter turnout for the midterm elections, from sending postcards to weekly phone banking with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson!
Curious about opportunities closer to home?
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Given the latest UN climate change report, "Limiting Overshoot" there has never been a more crucial time to get involved. Whether you are voting for the first time or the fiftieth, your contribution truly matters for creating a world that is good for regular people and the planet we live on!
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Editorial note: This letter from the office was created without the use of generative AI. It is our editorial policy that any uses of AI will be clearly cited and identified.
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"Get as involved as you can. And please vote for politicians who show a genuine understanding of the climate crisis and climate justice. Is voting going to single handedly undo all of these issues? No, of course it won’t. But is it one very important part of taking action against a large and complex crisis? Yes – so, vote. But the work doesn’t stop there. Keep educating those around you, join a community organization, attend climate justice events and mobilizations if you can.
Every meaningful change that has ever happened throughout human history has happened from the bottom up. So let’s get to work." —Jamie Margolin, co-founder of This is Zero Hour and GLAAD 20 Under 20 Honoree
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Get Inspired - Natural Areas Program Alums! |
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The Get Inspired section features an interview or profile with a UO staff, faculty, student, or alum making a difference on campus and beyond.
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What drew you to working with the Natural Areas program?
I have always wanted to be a catalyst of change. Most of the extracurriculars I have been a part of, the volunteer events I’ve participated in, and the jobs I’ve worked at dealt with addressing an issue in response to a community’s need. With the Natural Areas Program, I was able to do this exact thing except this time, in my own (or rather, UO’s) backyard. I knew that if I joined this team, I was going to be a part of something great. I knew that I would be simultaneously educating locals and restoring waterways and riverbanks. The program gave me everything I was excited about and more: experience, friendships, connections, reassurance, knowledge, and guidance.
What did you gain from the experience that has been beneficial to you post-graduation or that you think will be as you move forward in your life and career?
The lesson I will carry with me in my future endeavors is that through advocacy, voice, and persistence, any change you want to see can be tangible, and any dream you have can be reached. I know, it’s a bit corny and dramatic, but it’s true. There were times when we were doubtful, worried, and about to give up, but we were proven wrong. We took failures as lessons learned. We took successes as things that we can continue to grow. I will carry all of this with me in my graduate program and career.
You also worked with the Home Energy Score program. What are some experiences you gained from that program?
This program taught me the importance of building relationships with clients. Homeowners/occupants were letting complete strangers into their homes, sometimes even into their most private rooms. As energy scorers, we had to appear as trustworthy individuals who were well educated and willing to help.
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| What drew you to working with the Natural Areas program?
Initially, I was drawn to the Natural Areas Program in order to get my credits to graduate, but looking into it more, I started realizing that what I wanted to do aligned heavily with what the program stood for and worked on, including getting rid of invasive species to make room for the beautiful native plants and animals that call the natural area home; restoring lands that were once considered barren into a lush, thriving area filled with native plants; researching new methods to keep the native plants healthy and keep the invasive ones out; and of course, learning and experiencing more about the processes and things that drive nature. All of which is something I love and find fascinating, knowing about how much goes into it.
What did you gain from the experience that has been beneficial to you post-graduation or that you think will be as you move forward in your life and career?
One experience that I have gained, thanks to this program, is that I can now confidently identify plants and animals, which my friends find cool. Another experience is that I can assist when my neighbors need a free plant consultation (when my parents said that I'd do it) Overall, I've used the experience almost every day since I work with trees and plants, keeping them healthy from invasive species and diseases.
You also took the Climate Wayfinding course taught by Sustainability Associate Director, Dr. Sarah Stoeckl. This course enables students to look inward, look outward, and look forward to determine their pathway to solving climate change. What are some experiences you gained from that class?
My experience in taking the Climate Wayfinding class was substantial. I had opportunities to learn other people's points of view on subjects, some that I agreed with (and some that I didn’t). Being able to see the views of others helps me at work, when talking to clients or co-workers, by having a relative grasp of what they feel and what they might think about certain topics. It's good customer service; what can I say?!
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Sustainability Staff and Students Support Recycling and ReUse During Move-In |
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Photo: Student Employees Ky (UO Surplus Program) and Dori (Student Sustainability Center) helped to sell over 100 minifridges to new students that were left in dorms over previous years.
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| Photo: Student Employee Ky chats with a fellow student at the minifridge sale on move-in day.
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The Office of Sustainability was delighted to once again support recycling and reuse during campus move-in! In collaboration with Housing and the Student Sustainability Center, we sold 115 used minifridges at a very low price to new students. The gases used for cooling in most refrigerators, hydrofluorocarbons, are particularly potent greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and are thus a significant contributor to the climate pollution causing global climate change. Keeping these fridges in use not only saves money for students but keeps these bulky and impactful items out of the waste stream for longer.
We also coordinated a varied team to support families with disposing of their move-in related waste and sorting their recycling. With the help of eight student employees, nine Environmental Leaders ARC students, 40 volunteers from Unpack the Quack, and three Sustainability staff, the teams worked throughout both move-in days to staff the many recycling stations across campus. (Huge shout-out to the incredible efforts of our colleagues in the Zero Waste program as well!) Volunteers sorted through piles of cardboard and other materials, ensuring each item went to the right bin. A major focus was flattening and breaking down hundreds (thousands?) of cardboard boxes on site, which kept recycling stations from overflowing. By keeping every station tidy and well-organized, the team made it easy for students and families to recycle correctly and made a real impact in move-in waste.
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Wildlife Habitat Demonstration Garden |
The UO Natural Areas team was on hand to welcome new students from the Environmental Leaders Academic Residential Community (ARC) to campus. Staff from Coast to Cascade Bird Alliance (CCBA) also joined the party. Together, they teamed up for the first step in creating a wildlife habitat demonstration garden. The day started as Assistant Stewards led the ARC students on a tour of current projects before the group transitioned to laying down biodegradable weed cloth and mulch. The activity will reduce weed pressure until this winter when the native plants and habitat structures will be added. Keep your eyes out for a winter planting party!
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| Environmental Leaders ARC students, Coast to Cascade Bird Alliance, and UO Natural Areas Program team members walk into a wooded area in the UO's Willamette River Natural Area,
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Graphic detailing UO Natural Areas Events for Fall 2026. The information is also included in the Events and Opportunities section of the newsletter
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Oregon’s expanded recycling law wins constitutionality challenge |
A federal judge has ruled that Oregon's new recycling law is allowed under the US Constitution. The decision on Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) received the first-of-its-kind test of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law with this crucial decision.
On August 27, US District Judge Michael H. Simon ruled that the law does not violate the Constitution's rules about interstate commerce or due process. Noting that the law builds on Oregon's history of recycling leadership, which started with the Bottle Bill back in 1971, Judge Simon called the decision a continuation of Oregon’s “innovative leadership” on waste policy.
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Climate Polluting Emissions Plateaued Last Year, But Complexity Remains |
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Is it possible that greenhouse gas emissions are at or near peak, and may even begin to fall? Back up: "greenhouse gas emissions" are responsible for global warming, aka climate change, the dangerous, human-caused damage to earth's natural systems that has already contributed to extreme heat, drought, mega storms, and polluted air and water. The release of these gases comes primarily from using fossil fuels (e.g., oil, gas, coal) to meet our energy needs, from heating to cars and beyond.
However, a recent report from the Energy Transitions Commission shows that global emissions did plateau last year. (The report also features some very cool graphics so check it out!) The shift comes largely from the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources in China (think solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage), but also transitions to more planet-friendly renewable energy around the world and the closing of coal plants (including in the US!).
The giant asterisk on this trend is uncertainty over the energy impact of new, massive data centers to power AI and other digital technologies, as well as new modeling research on the way companies are using AI to increase extraction of fossil fuels. The AI challenge and uncertainty sits alongside infrastructural limitations and, in the US, policy and other challenges to accelerating the transition.
The UN has recently reported that earth will almost certainly exceed the crucial benchmark of 1.5 degrees (Celsius) of warming based on current projections. Which means there has never been a more crucial time to support the transition to cheap, secure, and planet-friendly energy!
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With a push from UO students, city plans fast-tracked safety redesign on Patterson Street |
Photo: LiveMove faculty adviser Marc Schlossberg, visiting professor Robert Binder, LiveMove co-lead Bella Ebner and member Noah Bates after a three-hour design work session. Photo by Hannah Norris.
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In late January, UO doctoral student Erick Njue was fatally struck by a car while cycling across Patterson Street at 22nd Avenue.
Streets like Patterson are sometimes referred to as a “double threat” at crosswalks because vehicles that stop for pedestrians or cyclists in one lane often obscure the view of cars in the adjacent lane, creating a high risk for a collision at the crosswalk. Another UO student, Elizabeth Cardenas Figueroa, was struck and killed at a different “double threat” crosswalk last year.
Their deaths, and other recent pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, have led to community calls for safer streets, particularly interventions on multilane one-way streets.
“It is a scary experience,” [Hannah] Norris said, of crossing Patterson. “You have to be extremely cautious of your safety the whole time that you’re engaging with the intersection and the street.”
[Norris and other students from LiveMove, UO's sustainable transportation student group, presented] a proposed redesign of a five-block stretch of Patterson Street, from 19th to 24th avenues, to city transportation planners and community partners at a downtown Public Works office. ...
Under the design, which will be finalized later this month, the city will remove the right-hand travel lane on the five-block segment of Patterson Street, reducing the roadway from two travel lanes to one. In its place, crews will install a lane for parking and buses, along with a curbside bike lane protected by flexible plastic bollards.
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| Eugene Residents Call for Moratorium on Data Centers |
Dozens of Eugene residents packed City Hall Monday, September 14, to voice opposition to data center development and call on the City Council to impose a moratorium.
More than 70 people signed up to speak during public comment. Before the meeting began, council chambers had reached capacity, leaving roughly 50 people outside.
The calls for a moratorium come after city staff determined that a data center, as described in a recent zoning inquiry, would not be allowed at the former Hyundai-Hynix semiconductor facility in west Eugene.
Jojo Breslin, among those unable to enter the meeting hall, said he was there to urge city officials to take action.
“I’m coming here to pressure City Council to put in a 120-day moratorium on data centers in the city,” Breslin said.
The zoning inquiry concerned 1830 Willow Creek Circle, the nearly 1.4 million-square-foot former semiconductor campus. The city said the inquiry was not a development proposal, and there is no publicly identified data center project at the site.
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Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson said before public comment that the city’s scheduled December discussion around data centers does not mean officials are waiting to resolve the Hynix question. She said the city’s determination makes clear that the use described in the zoning inquiry is not allowed at the site.
“It is not to say that we are stuck in limbo until that point in time,” Knudson said.
Still, residents told councilors that they want protections against future data center development–not just at the former Hynix site.
“Eugene should have absolutely no part in this,” said Sarah Roby.
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CAMPUS EVENTS:
⏺ Transportation Day: Thursday, October 1, 2026, 10:00 am-2:00 pm. Join the UO community for Transportation Day. This year, led by UO Transportation Services, we will have transportation groups from UO and beyond sharing info and freebies! https://calendar.uoregon.edu/event/transportation-day
⏺ Walktober: October 2026 (all month). Lane County's favorite walking celebration is back for its 4th year, with free, fun, and themed walks happening all October. https://wewalklane.org/
⏺ Free First Friday at the Museum: Friday, October 2, 2026, 10:00am–5:00pm PDT. The Museum of Natural and Cultural History offers free admission on the first Friday of the month.
⏺ UO Commute Planning and Support: Drop-in Sessions: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, 12:00–1:00 pm PDT (also Tuesdays through October 13). Get personalized UO commute planning help at a drop-in session on Zoom!. Talk with Rachel Glaeser (UO Transportation Services) about your commute options to the Eugene campus. https://calendar.uoregon.edu/event/uo-commute-planning-support-drop-in-session
⏺ Visit the Monarch Pollinator Garden: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 1:00–1:45pm. Join the UO Greenhouse Manager for an autumn visit to the Monarch Pollinator Garden at the UO Research Greenhouse Facility. Meet at the Research Greenhouse Facility. https://map.uoregon.edu/1a5fd3151
⏺ Beavers and Bats Watch Party: Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 6:30pm PDT. Join us at the Millrace natural area to observe our local beaver and bat population, Meet at Wilkinson House.
⏺ The Great Willamette Cleanup: Saturday, October 10, 2026, 10:00am–4:00pm PDT. Join Willamette Riverkeeper and the UO Outdoor Program in a one-day event dedicated to on-land and on-water trash cleanup with the Eugene community. Meet at the Frohnmayer Footbridge
⏺ Writer and Poet Saeed Jones: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 4:00 pm at Erb Memorial Union (EMU), Redwood Auditorium (214). The Oregon Humanities Center presents its 2026-27 endowed lectureship series centered on the theme of "Reading." https://calendar.uoregon.edu/event/writer-and-poet-saeed-jones
⏺ Walktober Bird Walk: Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 12:00–2:00pm PDT. A 1–2 mile walk through the UO campus looking for a variety of birds with Rachel Glaeser, UO Active Transportation and UO Natural Areas stewards. No experience necessary; binoculars provided! Meet at Wilkinson House.
⏺ Free Pilates-Yoga Fusion for Faculty/Staff/Grad Students: Every Monday and Wednesday in October, 12:00–12:45pm. https://calendar.uoregon.edu/event/free-pilates-yoga-fusion-for-facultystaffgrad-students
⏺ Fall Street Faire: Wednesday–Friday, October 14–16, 2026, 10:00am–6:00pm. Everyone is welcome at ASUO's biannual fair, which brings the campus community together in support of food and fun. https://sges.uoregon.edu/streetfaire
⏺ The Buzz about Bees Exhibit: Friday, October 23, 2026, 11:00–11:30am. Join us at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History for a guided tour. Register on MyTrack.
⏺ Genomics and Cell Characterization Core Facility Tour: Tuesday, October 27 & Thursday, October 29, 2026, 11:30am–12:00pm. Join Director Doug Turnbull and Senior Research Associate Adam Fries for a tour of the Genomics and Cell Characterization Core Facility (GC3F). Register on My Track.
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Photo courtesy of KVAL news: The UO Duck helps new students unpack and move into their dorms.
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1295 Franklin Blvd | Eugene, OR 97403 US
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