Sustainability Mission
OUR MISSION
The Office serves as the catalyst, convener, and champion of sustainability ideas and actions at OSU. We oversee the management, implementation, and development of a comprehensive sustainability program with the mission to minimize OSU's environmental footprint, support new initiatives for sustainable development, encourage and promote integration and collaboration with OSU's academic, research, and education programs, and realize meaningful operational cost savings through efficiency programs.
The Triple Bottom Line of SustainabilityMost people agree that sustainability has three fundamental pillars - sometimes called the triple bottom line or the three p's.
Economic sustainability
“Economic sustainability refers to practices that support long-term economic growth without negatively impacting social, environmental, and cultural aspects of the community.”
Ways to be economically sustainable:
- Buy locally-sourced goods
- Donate money to non-profits that support sustainable practices
- Shop second-hand or thrift as much as possible.
- Purchase from companies that pay workers fair wages (e.g. Fair Trade)
- Reuse, recycle, and compost materials to help create a circular economy.
Social sustainability
“Social sustainability occurs when the formal and informal processes; systems; structures; and relationships actively support the capacity of current and future generations to create healthy and livable communities. Socially sustainable communities are equitable, diverse, connected and democratic and provide a good quality of life.” – WACOSS, Western Australia Council of Social Services
What practical aspects involve social sustainability?
- Wellness
- Diversity, Equity and Equality
- Volunteering
- Environmental Justice
- Fair Labor Practices
- Human Rights
Environmental sustainability
"Environmental “sustainability is about stabilizing the currently disruptive relationship between earth’s two most complex systems—human culture and the living world.”
What you can do:
- Volunteer for local community clean ups
- Use non-toxic chemicals in your home and office
- Reduce your waste generation by not creating it, and reuse when reducing is not possible and recycle or compost when it has reached it's end of life
- Opt for zero- or low-emission transportation options such as walking, biking or using public transportation option like a bus
- Introduce more plant-based food options into your diet
- Purchase Energy Star certified equipment