Portland State University, OR Declaration of Support for Sustainability

Type: Policy
Status: Adopted
Source File: https://stage.www.pdx.edu/media/s/u/sus_declaration_of_support.pdf
Description:
We, the students, faculty, staff, and administration of Portland State University hereby commit to helping create a more sustainable world. We believe we must act now
to address interconnected
environmental, social and
economic problems in
this region, the nation,
and abroad. Through
collaboration with partners
in business, government,
and other organizations, we
aim to discover innovative
solutions that improve the
quality of life for all today
and for future generations.
Portland State University
recognizes its public
responsibility to lead by
mobilizing university and
external resources to create
educational, research, and
operations programs that
are demonstration models.
As such, we pledge to
undertake the following
actions:
ACTION #1 Infuse sustainability into all colleges, schools and programs.
We will be an internationally recognized university known for excellence
in student learning, innovative research and community engagement that
helps simultaneously achieve economic vitality, environmental health, strong
families and communities, and stakeholder involvement in open processes.
ACTION #2 Develop a sustainable physical campus that is an example to
other institutions. PSU will ‘walk its talk’ by developing and implementing
leading-edge sustainable practices in its operations, on campus, and in
its purchasing. Initiatives in energy conservation, transportation, green
building, native landscaping, recycling and waste reduction, and storm
water management are underway. We intend to build significantly upon
these efforts to develop innovative approaches for all areas of operations.
ACTION #3 Make Portland State University a demonstration model of
sustainable processes and practices. Working closely with the university’s
many collaborators, we will devote our energies to multidisciplinary
research, instruction, inclusive discussion, and operational practices to
create a more sustainable way of life. PSU will become a leading academic
laboratory for the testing and evaluation of sustainable process and practices
that apply to both the public and the private sectors.
ACTION #4 Develop core multidisciplinary research competencies in key
sustainability areas related to pressing real world problems. Initial priorities
include:
* Intelligent Transportation Systems
* Integrated Water Resource Management
* Sustainable Urban Design
* Sustainable Business Processes and Practices
* Green Science and Technology Development
We plan to build upon our emergent capacity in other areas of high
importance, such as community food systems. Each area of developed
research competency will contain integrated environmental, social and
economic components to promote a full understanding of sustainable
development challenges and opportunities.
In all actions, PSU will expand its community partnerships with business,
government, and non-profi t organizations that share our passion for
furthering sustainable development. We also will partner with leading
research institutions in the U.S. and abroad. The collaborations will bring
our partners’ expertise together with PSU’s intellectual resources to develop
and implement sustainable processes and practices that foster real world
problem-solving.
We believe that these actions are a natural extension of PSU’s core mission
and values, and hereby declare our commitment to the challenge of creating
a more sustainable world.
Category:Colleges
Category:Oregon
Category:Policies
Category:Sustainability Policies