• More than 60% of all electricity and more than 30% of all energy consumed in the United States are used in buildings.

• More than 35% of all municipal solid waste comes from building construction and operations. Current construction practices create
2 to 2-1/2 pounds of
solid waste per square foot.

• Buildings consume 40% of raw stone, gravel and sand, and 25% of virgin
wood used each year.

• 25% of all treated water is used in buildings.

• Recent studies show that making a building environmentally responsive can increase worker productivity by 6%
to 15% or more.

• Recycling demolition materials can substantially reduce the amount of solid
waste produced and lower landfill fees.

• Building restoration, historic preservation, renovation, and adaptive re-use offer the greatest opportunities for conservation of embodied energy - the amount of energy required to produce, transport, construct, install, maintain,
and dispose of a material -
in a building.

• Reducing water usage and increasing on-site storm water drainage preserve water
quality and lower operating costs.

Data from: The U.S. Green Building Council and The Ecology of Architecture by Laura Zeiher, 1996, which includes statistics from the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Primer on Sustainable
Building.

The University of Oregon has had a long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility. For example, reducing energy use on campus has been a primary focus for decades. Despite substantial construction over the past decade, the overall campus electrical use as of 2004 has not increased due to energy-conservation retrofit projects.

The university has also received national attention for its transportation innovation. All construction projects make every effort to encourage alternate modes of transportation. Fewer than 40% of all trips to and from the university are made by automobiles, compared to 74% of trips made in the surrounding community. Incentives include nearby student family housing, free bus passes for faculty, staff, and students, on-campus transit stations, and numerous bicycle amenities. Overall there are more bike parking spaces than car parking spaces on campus.

The university’s commitment to sustainable design expanded with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Plan (pdf) in 2000. The Sustainable Development Plan, created by Campus Planning and Real Estate, requires the application of sustainable design principles to all new development and remodeling projects including the equivalent of LEED Silver. It strengthens sustainable practices and the collaborative design process that began with Christopher Alexander’s The Oregon Experiment (1975). Since then the state has imposed this requirement on all state buildings. The UO's signing of the Presidents' Climate Commitment will further these sustainable efforts.

Design Standards for Sustainable Buildings

The University of Oregon requires that all new construction projects follow the Sustainable Development Plan (pdf) and comply with the State of Oregon Sustainable Facilities Standards and Guidelines (pdf) as developed by the State of Oregon Department of Administrative Services (DAS).

The Oregon Sustainable Facilities Standards and Guidelines (established in 2004) are the state-modified version of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED) version 2.0 criteria. DAS also requires compliance with the state of Oregon State Energy Efficiency Design (SEED) program which was established to ensure that cost-effective conservation measures be included in new and renovated public buildings. Click here for SEED Guidelines (pdf).

UO Facilities Services also adheres to Construction Standards for campus building and landscape area projects, many of which implement sustainable goals.

Related University of Oregon sustainability links:
- "UO receives publication's highest honors for sustainability"
- The Princeton Review's Green Rating Honor Roll
- Campus Recycling Program
- Campus Sustainability
- Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratories
- Institute for a Sustainable Environment
- UO Sustainability Report (pdf)

Sustainable Campus Buildings