Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability

The Earth Day Challenge is Underway!

April 20, 2018

University president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability recently issued an Earth Day challenge to the UP community: “What Can You Do To Help?” Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to make a commitment to take at least one tangible step that is within your own control toward increasing sustainability on campus. All through the month of April, the committee is asking you to make a commitment and share it with us.

The women’s soccer team declares they are passionate about our environment and “vows to reduce our energy consumption during the month of April and beyond. By unplugging chargers and appliances while not in use, and turning off all lights after use, we can all make a huge difference! Please join us in reducing the amount of energy we consume on a daily basis. Saving energy and helping our environment is just turning off one switch or unplugging one appliance away!”

Share your commitment via sustainability@up.edu. At the end of the month, the most impactful sustainability commitment will be recognized and the individual or team who made the commitment will be featured in various campus media.

An Earth Day Challenge: What Can You Do To Help?

April 6, 2018

This April, Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C. and the Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability (PACOS) are challenging the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Portland to make a commitment to take at least one tangible step that is within your own control toward increasing sustainability on campus.

Turn off your office lights? Use a reusable container for your lunch? Recycle your bottles and plastics? Adjust your thermostat? Regardless of your academic major, or whether you work in a classroom, residence hall, the Commons, or in the field or in an office, you can make a difference.

All through the month, we’re asking you to make a commitment and share it with us. It might be something you choose to do individually or a challenge you take on as a team within your dorm or department. Inspire others! Share your commitments via sustainability@up.edu. Then we’ll share them with the rest of the UP community through The Beacon, upbeat, and on our website.

At the end of the month, the most impactful sustainability commitment will be recognized and the individual or team who made the commitment will be featured in various campus media. Have questions? E-mail us or look for the PACOS table in the Bauccio Commons on Earth Day, April 22.

University of Portland Recognized For Positive Impact

March 2, 2015

Portland General Electric has presented the University of Portland with a certificate stating, “Portland General Electric recognizes University of Portland for making a positive impact on our environment through your purchase of Clean Wind renewable power,” according to physical plant director and Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability member André Hutchinson. Every year, UP self-directs the maximum amount of its public purpose charge toward the purchase of Clean Wind power. In 2014, UP purchased 1,727,587 kWh of Clean Wind power, resulting in a reduction of 2,315,554 pounds of CO2, which equates roughly to 3,464,068 miles not driven or 276 trees planted annually.

For more information contact Hutchinson at 7306 or hutchinsa@up.edu.

Bike Commute Workshop, Nov. 20

November 17, 2014

The Presidential Advisory Committee on Sustainability (PACOS) will welcome the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) to campus for a Bike Commute Workshop on Thursday, November 20, from noon to 1 p.m., in Buckley Center room 163. All UP community members are welcome to attend. This is a brown bag event, so please feel free to bring and eat your lunch during the workshop. Topics covered at the workshop will include:

Basics of riding: laws, traffic signals and signs, how to handle bike lanes, bike boxes, tracks, and sidewalks
Skills: hand signals, turning, sharing the lane, and changing lanes
Choosing gear: bikes, helmets, lights, locks, accessories, cold and rain gear, carrying kids and cargo
Route planning: resources and taking bicycles on transit
Q&A: answers to questions from new or experienced riders.

For more information contact Russell Seidelman, financial aid, at russell@up.edu or PACOS chair Gregory Hill, mathematics, at hillg@up.edu.