Office of Sustainability
The Ohio University Office of Sustainability is directly associated with The Department of Facilities Management. It has many goals, such as improving efficiencies in campus facilities, promoting awareness on campus, and improving practices and processes to be more eco-friendly (University). The main goal of the office is to create and promote sustainability and energy conservation from an economic, social and environmental perspective (Wayner). The main task of the Sustainability Coordinator, Sonia Marcus, is to create programs and projects that increase campus involvement and awareness and increase and develop a commitment to sustainable goals for Ohio University. As quoted on the office’s website: “The mission of the Office of Sustainability is situated within the context of VisionOHIO, which counts among its core values a commitment to the region expressed through stewardship of shared resources, access to programs and services, and contribution to economic development” (University). While the mission and objectives are important, covering the history of the office is important as well.
The office was established in 2005-2006 and was originally named the Office of Resource Conservation. “It was originally run by OU Facilities Management. The main goal was to work on initiatives to make the campus more efficient and promote more outreach and education—to create a behavior change in the student body. In 2006, the university decided it had the resources to hire someone into the position full-time, and that is where they appointed me into the newly created position—though, essentially, I had been doing that job all along just not ‘full-time’” (Marcus). Sonia decided the name should be changed to the Office of Sustainability in 2007 and it has been called so ever since (Wayner). While Ohio University is on a tight budget, the state of the economy has not yet had an effect on the office. Sonia believes this effect will eventually “trickle down” and have an effect on the office and its efforts. Sonia did say, however, that the economic situation has “driven OU to more seriously consider conservation efforts” for the main reason of reducing costs and saving money. Sonia feels that cost savings are only a byproduct of conservation (Marcus).
The Office of Sustainability is a key initiative under VisionOHIO, the plan set forward by the university, which makes sustainability a top priority. One of the office’s main objectives is to change the personal habits of the students and faculty here at OU. The office wants to “fundamentally change OU’s relationship with natural resources” (University). Another goal is to create sustainability and energy conservation. Another key goal the office follows was set forth by the passing of House Bill 251 in 2004 which states a goal of: “Reducing on-and off-campus building energy consumption by at least 20 percent by the end of fiscal year 2014” (University). This Bill uses 2004 as a benchmark year for Ohio University which creates a huge challenge for the office considering that 2004 was the best year for energy conservation and reduction here at OU (Chapman).
The office has planned and implemented many initiatives and programs in order to build a more aware and sustainable environment here at OU. Some examples are: the President’s Climate Commitment, Green House Project, OHIO Climate and Energy Workshop, Composting initiative, Food Waste Audits, Zero Waste Audits, Green Purchasing, Think Outside the Bottle Campaign, Campus Recycling, Planet OHIO, Green Network and Light it up Right. All of these projects are currently being implemented. In terms of what the office is planning for the future, Sonia claims that there are “a million different conversations taking place at one time and a main concern is ‘do-ability’. One idea in the works is the idea of implementing reusable bags at the various Grab-n-Go dining halls—where the students would pay one dollar to purchase a reusable bag instead of taking a plastic bag each time they visit the Grab-n-Go.” Also, Sonia discussed that they are working on creating design standards for construction and renovation in the various facilities and buildings on campus (Marcus). Now that we know the programs, let’s delve into some detail about what these programs are all about.
One of the major concerns of the Office of Sustainability is the impact the university has on the environment. The office promotes environmental sustainability through its various programs and initiatives listed previously. For instance, the office has a CFL trade-in program where students can bring in incandescent bulbs and trade one in for a FREE CFL bulb. Also, the office started doing “Food Waste Audits” at Jefferson dining hall where they weigh how much food waste is generated by the students and then create displays to inform the students of how much food they are wasting (University). Another big achievement in terms of sustainability is the current purchasing of a composter. The items that are composted will be able to create nutrients for the grounds here at OU. “The university’s composting unit is capable of processing 28 tons of organic waste and is the largest in-vessel composting system at any university in the country” (Barajas). The composter cost a total of $788,000, partially funded by OU Facilities and the other part funded by grants. The installation of this composter has established OU as a front-runner in sustainability. Finally, the “Think Outside the Bottle” campaign is where willing students sign a petition to give up using disposable plastic bottles and instead, use reusable containers for beverages. All of these programs and initiatives are currently in the process and the ones listed here are only naming a few! These programs are fulfilling the need to create student and campus-wide awareness and the concept of creating a sustainable environment here at OU. All of these programs not only benefit the university, they benefit us and the environment as well. In terms of addressing the issue, these programs create student awareness and participation. When students participate in these programs, they start to create habits. These habits are good ones to have—they promote environmental awareness and in turn, create sustainability.
When I asked Sonia what some of her biggest achievements were in terms of sustainability here at OU, she talked about the improvements the office has made in residence halls, such as introducing more energy-efficient lighting. She also talked about carbon-foot-printing and taking a different approach to looking at it, which has never been done before at OU. The office also offers courses on sustainability which is helping to create student awareness on campus. Sonia has noticed that students have become more aware of environmental issues and climate change, mostly because it has directly impacted their lifestyles. She did say; however, that she has not noticed an actual change in students’ lifestyles, just more awareness and concern. Most of the students she deals with are very involved and interested in sustainability, so she stated she may not really know her impact on the general student body’s habits. Future plans for the office involve reducing the energy use of the university and creating more student awareness and greener habits. The ultimate goal of the office is to create a sustainable environment for the university to thrive. The office is funded solely by Ohio University. Certain initiatives are funded by outside groups (such as the Greenhouse project) or funded by grants (such as the Composting initiative). The public plays a huge role in this organization: without people, the office could not complete its mission. The whole reason the office exists is to promote sustainable habits in the OU community—without the public, this could not occur. The office represents its mission entirely; every program it creates is geared toward awareness and eco-friendly habits. The programs it creates would not exist without the public and the public’s participation.
The Office of Sustainability has done numerous things to promote efficiency and sustainability here at OU. The many initiatives of the office has drawn attention from all over the country—establishing OU as a university to watch in terms of what comes next. And from the looks of it, the office has many, many more plans in terms of creating a sustainable campus.
Works Cited
Barajas, Mike. "OU's giant composting machine will put food scraps to fertile use." The Athens News 12 February 2009: 7-8.
Chapman, Monica. "Ohio University Outlook." 3 October 2008. Ohio University. 24 February 2009
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Marcus, Sonia. Office of Sustainability Kelly Kribel. 19 February 2009.
University, Ohio. The Office of Sustainability. 2009. 12 February 2009 .
Wayner, Alison. "Office name change conveys wider scope." 19 July 2007. Ohio University Outlook. 24 February 2009 .
Appendix A
Interview—Sonia Marcus [February 19, 2009]
1. What led up to the creation of your position—Sustainability Coordinator—in 2006?
2. How has the state of the economy affected the efforts and/or achievements of the Office of Sustainability?
3. Under House Bill 251, the goal is to reduce on and off-campus building energy consumption by 20 percent. Is there a plan for an alternative to coal?
4. What would you say are some of your biggest achievements in terms of sustainability here at OU?
5. One of the major issues is education and obtaining an “institutional buy-in”…are there currently courses offered on sustainability? If so, why are they not promoted more?
6. What are some initiatives that are currently being planned—other than the ones listed on your website?
7. Since 2006, have you seen a change in energy consumption and the use of resources? Has it been a significant change?
8. Besides being financed by OU, is the Office of Sustainability financed by anyone else?
9. Have you noticed an increase in student awareness and contributions (in terms of Recyclemania, Incandescent to CFL trade-ins, Residence Challenge)?
10. Under your “Green Purchasing” section, you have a link to Paper which explains the advantages of using duplex printing and 100 percent post-consumer recycled content? Has OU made any effort to start using this type of paper?
11. How do you further plan to involve the OU student body in changing their personal habits to becoming more sustainable? (Food Waste Audits, Think outside the bottle campaign, Recyclemania, Composting initiative…etc.)
12. What do you think will be the major benefit of installing the composting unit? Do you think it will change the future of OU’s campus? (Establishing OU as a key player in sustainability)
