Pacific Students Start Community Dialogue on Sustainability

This month saw six Pacific students (myself included) organized the Washington County Sustainability Summit at Pacific University - a two-day event that engaged locally elected officials and community organizers in a dialogue about environmental issues with Pacific students and Washington County residents. Topics covered at during the Summit included everything from preparing our region for peak oil and higher energy prices, to environmental and social justice issues connected with the Palomar Liquefied Natural Gas Pipeline proposed to cut through Forest Grove.

Pacific's own Professor Terry O'Day and Miguel Cervantes, coordinator for the B St Farm Permaculture Project, spoke about the role permaculture can play in making our communities more sustainable. A panel of local government officials representing the Washington County Board, Metro, and the cities of Forest Grove, Beaverton, and Hillsboro explained what local governments are doing in our area to save energy, and what still remains to be done. Community organizers such as Peter Lunsford of Washington County Peak Oil and Olivia Schmidt of Columbia Riverkeeper urged listeners to get involved in sustainability initiatives that have the potential to transform our local area. These were just a few of the knowledgeable and inspirational speakers who came to Pacific to participate in the Summit.

To me, though, the true test of the Sustainability Summit's success will be in how it triggers future involvement in projects with the potential to make change - on the Pacific campus and beyond. I'm happy to report that so far I personally have seen Pacific students getting delve into the issue of Liquefied Natural Gas development and attend a community meeting on peak oil as a direct result of activities at the Summit. The event also helped consolidate a new student group, the Pacific University Cascade Climate Network, which will continue to build on the foundation laid by the Sustainability Summit by involving Pacific students in the most important environmental issues facing our local community.

The message of the Sustainability Summit seemed to be that our area is well positioned to become a leader in green initiatives. Washington County's plentiful farmland and proximity to the new clean energy in Oregon means the community perfectly placed to invest in locally grown food and renewable energy projects. Meanwhile our very own Pacific University, as the only major institute of higher in the county, has a unique opportunity to move the regional sustainability movement forward. It is my hope that this month's Sustainability Summit is a harbinger of things to come: of a future in which Pacific University is seen as a vital player in building a new and greener future for our region. Let the story continue!


Special thanks to Pacific students Olivia Round, Brenda Mbaabu, Guthrie Straw, Mikaila Way, and Jordan Nakayama for helping make the Sustainabiliy Summit happen, and to Professors Deke Gundersen and Terry O'Day for their support. For further updates on initiatives inspired by the Summit, please visit http://sustainwacounty.blogspot.com/