Green College Spotlight: Portland State University

Portland State University got attention earlier this year for their laudable efforts in purchasing local food for campus dining services, and it turns out that’s just the beginning as far as sustainability at this Oregon university is concerned.  Portland State works to engage directly in the community to harness the university’s creativity, academic rigor and innovative partnerships in solving the environmental, social and economic problems of our time.

Portland State has long integrated their green efforts into the community, working with businesses and public sector agencies to provide students with a rich understanding of sustainable principles. Academic Sustainability Programs offer abundant choices in the study of sustainability, in both undergraduate and graduate programs as well as graduate certificates and professional education. For example, the theme of sustainability is woven into the curriculum in areas like environmental science, urban planning, business, government and education.

PSU has a Facilities & Planning Sustainability Office that coordinates on-campus efforts to go green. It tracks and reports the school’s progress, helps get the word out about their sustainability goals and makes plans for new services. Along with students, faculty and staff, they’ve achieved a lot already.

Portland State University’s ‘Food for Thought Café’ serves organic coffee and specializes in vegetarian, vegan, and locally produced organic food. Meals are served on reusable dishware, and food scraps are composted. The café also serves as a gathering place for discussions about sustainability and environmental issues.

The PSU Recycles program has grown tremendously over the years, promoting waste reduction and recycling through economic incentives to their waste haulers and processors. The PSU Recycles program also coordinates PSU ReUses, which collects unwanted office supplies and redistributes them to others on campus.

In the southwest corner of Smith Memorial Student Union between Smith and Neuberger Hall you’ll find a cob oven and a ‘dialogue dome’, where students are encouraged to discuss sustainability. They’re the first structures on campus to be made of mostly natural materials, using cob and refurbished local materials. The project features an herb and permaculture garden, a cob oven and a dome shelter with an eco-roof. The cob oven and garden are used for baking by the Food for Thought Café.

Walking around the PSU campus you’ll also see lots of native landscaping designed to conserve water and naturally control stormwater runoff while also providing beauty. There’s also a community garden utilizing land previously occupied by the demolished Adeline Hall, which features close to 70 plots and raised beds full of fruit trees, berries, bamboo and herbs.

PSU’s Epler Hall was Portland’s first mixed-use LEED silver building. It features lots of natural light, natural ventilation, solar shades and energy-efficient lighting.  It also has a rainwater harvesting system featuring rock-filled ‘splash boxes’ that catch water and channel it between brick pavers, passing it through planters for natural filtration before storing it in a large underground storage tank. The water is then treated with UV light before being used in public toilets and irrigation.

Eco-friendly greenhouses, dry gardens, benches made of cob, efficient outdoor lighting, an elaborate rooftop garden at the Native American Student & Community center are just a few more sustainable features at PSU. The campus also features two additional LEED-certified buildings, the silver Broadway Building and the gold Engineering Building. Read all about these features and the rest of PSU’s efforts at the Campus Sustainability self-guided tour (PDF).

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