SUSTAINABILITY Newsletter
SPRING 2023
Campus Updates
Celebrating Rogue Earth Day at the Farm at SOU
On Friday, April 21st, about 2,000 participants enjoyed many festivities at the Farm at SOU in celebration of Earth Day. There were many exhibits from local organizations, live performances, an electric vehicle showcase, food trucks, and plenty of activities for kids. This year’s Earth Day was sponsored by Sustainability at SOU, the Ashland Food Co-Op, Café Mam, and Stracker Solar. The event was organized by a student team of organizers, along with the event partners; ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, Ashland Food Co-Op, and the Southern Oregon Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Association.
Learn more about this fun and successful event by visiting this SOU News Article.
Car Sharing comes to SOU and the City of Ashland
The City of Ashland has partnered with Southern Oregon University and Forth to bring electric vehicle carshare to Ashland! Our goal is to provide access to affordable, all-electric cars for community members to test drive or use for errands, shopping, or appointments. Carsharing is a system where individuals have access to a network of vehicles for short-term rental. All you need to do is download the Miocar Network app, create an account, and take a brief orientation to use the car. Your first, 4-hour ride is free! After that, it is only $4/hour or $35/day! The car is located 390 Wightman St in Ashland (the SOU parking lot located next to The Hawk Dining Hall and the SOU Student Recreation Center).
Find out more by reading this SOU News Article.
SOU Celebrates Tree and Bee Campus Recertifications with Arbor Day Planting
As a certified Tree Campus, SOU has committed to a yearly celebration of Arbor Day. This year, a team of volunteers came together to help the SOU Landscaping Crew plant a series of trees and shrubs in front of the Music Building. Trees are an integral part of environmental stability, helping to combat climate change, purify the air, prevent soil erosion, and filter water. This event followed SOU’s recertification as a national Tree Campus and Bee Campus, reinforcing the university’s commitment to sustainability and creating green spaces on campus that benefit not only the environment, but students as well.
Learn more by reading this SOU News Article.
Debunked: Tackling Five Myths about Recycling at SOU
As the university continues to make commitments towards sustainability, SOU’s Student PEAK Zero Waste Coordinator, Sarah Ross decided education on better recycling practices could be of great benefit to the campus’s environmental impact. To tackle some myths regarding recycling, Sarah interviewed Ashland Recology’s Waste Education Officer, Jamie Rosenthal. This discussion highlighted common misconceptions regarding waste management, ultimately explaining how reducing, reusing, and repairing is far more important than recycling.
Read the full article at this link to learn more!
Sustainability Spotlight
SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability
In September 2022, SOU received its largest donation in the history of the University from Lithia Motors and part of this donation supported the development of the Institute for Applied Sustainability. Since its inception, the Institute has committed to bringing together scholars and practitioners to advance knowledge, lead, and collaborate to create solutions for a beautiful future. The Institutes aims to:
- Create innovative projects that will serve as models for sustainability efforts in partnership with communities, corporations, and other organizations to drive change.
- Amplify voices and empower communities for a livable future.
- Facilitate collaboration, support research, further education, and organize events to advance sustainability.
- Imagine new possibilities for regenerating communities, environments, and economies amid a rapidly changing world.
Projects to date delivering on the Institute’s mission and goals cover a wide range of areas including: climate justice; sustainable tourism professional training; student internships; pollinator space at the Farm; electrification of the campus; data for disaster management and a collection of sustainability stories.
The Institute’s faculty, staff, and student fellows come from a variety of backgrounds and programs on campus. This is with the goal of creating a breadth of understanding, which will ultimately strengthen the success of SOU’s Institute for Applied Sustainability as well as the overall sustainability of the university. The breadth of perspectives of the fellows speaks to the University’s recognition that achieving sustainability has many aspects and challenges – not only environmental and technological but also cultural, in our ways of life and the stories we tell.
The staff, faculty and students at the Institute are:
- Vincent Smith, Institute Director, Director of the Division of Business, Communication, & the Environment
- Becs Walker, Institute Associate Director, Director of Sustainability at SOU
- Jessica Piekielek, Institute Chair & Faculty Fellow, Professor of Sociology & Anthropology
- Pavlina McGrady, Institute Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor of Tourism & Sustainability
- Christopher Lucas, Institute Faculty Fellow, Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator of Digital Cinema
- Bret Anderson, Institute Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor of Economics
- Charlotte Hyde, Institute Student Fellow, Graduate Student of Environmental Education
Global Buzz
The United Nations Water Conference took place in New York on March 22-24th of this year. This conference brought together around 10,000 participants; including world leaders, scientists, academics, business leaders, and other persons across many sectors. The conference culminated in a commitment of billions of dollars to advance the water agenda, to urgently tackle the water crisis. This included development of alternative food systems, creating resilient infrastructure, improved wastewater treatment plants, and a commitment to establish a UN Special Envoy for Water.
Find the full Summary Report here.
Sustainability Quote
“We must shift our thinking away from short-term gain toward long-term investment and sustainability, and always have the next generations in mind with every decision we make.”
– Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior
Events and Opportunities
Keep up to date by following our instagram at Sustainability_SO
Follow SJEC’s Student Sustainability Team at SOU_studentsustainability
- Go by Bike Week Pledge
May 15-21
Pledge to replace at least one car trip with a bike trip during the challenge for a chance to win! Log at least one bike trip and be entered to win a Cycle Sport gift certificate for Tune-Up ($85 value), a $25 Get ‘N’ Gear Sporting Goods gift card, a $25 Ruby’s Restaurant gift card, or a $10 Dutch Bros Coffee gift card. Grand Prize is a $100 REI gift card, enter to win by logging at least 10 bike trips during the week!To enter the challenge and log your bike trips, create and log in to your GetThereOregon.org account. Play Bike Bingo and join an RVTD community event near you! Find more information here.
- Bike Ride to Zoey’s!
Friday May 19, 12:00pm
Raider Village
Decompress from midterms and enjoy the spring weather with a bike ride to Zoey’s Ice Cream Shop! The Student Sustainability office is working with our RVTD partners to provide free ice cream treats for any students who attend this bike ride. If you’re interested in attending, meet at Raider Village at 11:50am so the group can depart at noon. Interested but don’t have a bike? You can still join! Email brennanm2@sou.edu with your approximate height and a bike will be provided! - Sustainability Collective
Every Wednesday, 5:30-7:00pm
SU 308 | Social Justice & Equity Center
Connect with your community and embrace your inner “Craftivist” at the Sustainability Collective! We meet weekly to craft, create art, and share ideas on sustainability. These meet-ups foster a culture of responsibility, collaboration, and empowerment through constructive conversations about environmental and social justice, activism, and personal wellness. We will provide snacks, music, and FUN!
