Student Sunrise Movement proposes OCU office of sustainability

Ten OCU students from the Sunrise Movement are leading a project to form an office of sustainability on the university campus. The office of sustainability would work to reduce the university’s environmental impact. Hundreds of OCU community members have signed their names in support. 

“An institution can’t in good faith claim to be preparing students for bright futures if it’s also knowingly fueling the destructing of those futures,” Nathan May said, one of the students behind the proposal.

Catherine García, a student behind the proposal, said the overarching goals of the office would be to understand the university’s environmental impact and to find ways to improve it. The proposal’s organizers stand behind a wide range of measures to reduce the university’s environmental footprint.

One of the office’s objectives would be to increase recycling and to move the campus to 100% renewable energy.

“It’s actually a pretty easy thing to do, and most schools around us are already running on 100% renewable energy,” García said. “The students hope the office would address food waste, compost, and energy efficiency.”

According to May, OCU students are in favor of creating an office of sustainability. 

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” May said. “Almost everyone we’ve talked to has been totally on board after just a few seconds of conversation.”

At a student forum last spring, President Kenneth Evans said he would be in favor of the proposal. 

“I’m less worried about the office of sustainability being established and more worried about how effective and fully funded it ends up being,” May said.

García said she hopes the organization is led by a team of full-time staff members. 

“This way, the onus isn’t on students to get our campus to be sustainable. We’ve already got enough on our plates,” García said. 

“One of the reasons we’re asking for full-time staff is because at some universities, you see offices of sustainability that just have a single overwhelmed part-time staff member that isn’t given the resources and support from admin to get the job done,” May said.