Carbon Commitment Committee

Voting members present: Lety Cavazos, Tess Collins, Laurie Houston, Perry Hystad, Keith Jayawickrama, Cinamon Moffett, Laura Rees, Randal Smith, Brandon Trelstad, Jason Weiss, Beth Filar Williams
Ex-Officio members present: Scott Elmshaeuser – OSU Foundation
Guests: Caitlin Calascibetta, Jen Alix-Garcia, Vickie Nunnemaker, Salah Miller

Recording of the meeting available

Welcome and Brief Self-introductions

• Welcome to our new members: Maricruz Gomez, Laura Rees, Perry Hystad

Updates on Membership for FY 22-23, Welcome New Members

• Vickie and Caitlin (Faculty Senate office) answered questions about membership. The docket is currently updated at https://senate.oregonstate.edu/carbon_commitment_committee
• We have 18 appointed, voting members
• There are two vacancies
• Keith is continuing as co-chair for another year, looking forward to hearing who the other co-chair will be. Faculty Senate is working on that.
• Ways for new members to get up to speed – watch videos of Carbon Commitment Committee (C3) events, look at Greenhouse Gas reports, Path to Carbon Neutrality, C3 annual report, files in Box are also good resources, too.
• Student position – They have hired in September the ASOSU Environmental Sustainability Coordinator – Toby is very eager to get involved. Vickie will follow up with ASOSU.

Updates on New Carbon Commitment Committee Leadership for FY 22-23

• Vickie reports that she has an ask out
• Term length explained – 1/3 should retire each year. Usually three-year terms, but may be as short as one year to even out this goal since we are only on our second year.
• To see your term, go to:
  https://senate.oregonstate.edu/carbon_commitment_committee
  • but make sure not to go to this one:
    https://senate.oregonstate.edu/ad-hoc-committee-osu-carbon-commitment-0

Approve June 7, 2022 Meeting Minutes

Action: Cinamon Moffett moved to approve the June 7, 2022 meeting minutes, seconded. The motion passed.

Working Group Updates

• Members Request better understanding of who is on the various sub-committees
  • Communications
    • Discussed Box folder and access
      • Perry and Laura both asked for access
    • New members should watch videos at https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sustainability/faculty-senate-carbon-commitment-committee
    • Annual report submitted over the summer, thanks Tess and Jacob
    • Consider a big event to promote, and ways to highlight what we’ve done.
    • Leverage Beyond Earth Week for 2023
  • Conservation, Efficiency and Transportation
  • Education and Curriculum
    • Met in June
    • Goal for fall term: Package of information about the Path to Carbon Neutrality, to make it easy to communicate to new members and colleagues.

Ongoing Concerns/Opportunities:

• We first looked into turning lights off in Richardson Hall, surprisingly little impact on electricity use. Then did some research on comparing old fridges and freezers with new energy-efficient ones, again less impact on electricity use than one would expect.
• Third try was fume hoods – (report given by Brandon – 37 minutes in to the recording). This seems to be worth pursuing. Evaluation of waste and development of incentives. Sustainability Office has dug into this and plans to launch a ‘fume hood sash closing’ campaign. The typical hood costs $4K a year in energy operating costs by leaving the sash open (6-foot long hood left open 18 inches). As an example, Linus Pauling Science Center has 61 hoods in that building alone. $124K a year for this one building. Johnson Hall is next for evaluation. This topic should be added as a report by Brandon, for the November meeting.
• Leaf blowers – consider a ‘raking up leaves’ activity
• FY 2122 Annual Report to Faculty Senate completed and submitted
  • Available in BOX
• “Path to Carbon Neutrality” document is now official OSU policy
  • Brandon is optimistic on President Murthy’s interest and engagement in the topic.

General Updates on OSU Progress on Carbon Neutrality – Brandon Trelstad, Lety Cavazos (52 minutes into the recording)

• Solar installing in 2023 in four buildings – Beth Ray Center, Centro Cultural César Chávez, Milam, Richardson
• Ross Ruecker has been hired in Building Control Shop, reports to Brandon, and is doing data collection that is having major impacts. Coast Range building on Research Way has saved $20K and extended equipment life with his changes.
• The new Arts and Education Complex will have solar, along with solar being added to Witcombe and Pride Center with their renovations. See meeting recording for the percentage of power used by the building that will be created by the panels. Magruder and pavilion are in the works. Many variables come into play
• This topic should be added to the November agenda for a longer update as there is much interest by the committee.

Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC)

• March 6-8 2023 at Oregon State University CH2M HILL Alumni Center
  • We are currently in a ‘call for speakers’ that speak to the landscape/mindscape connections – send recommendations to Lety
  • Think about what departments and specific names should be reached out to and send to Brandon/Lety
  • Hoping for 450 attendees

Other Business

• No other business

Next Meeting

• We will return to 90-minute meetings going forward.  
  • Complete this poll for scheduling of the next meeting

Adjourn