Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living (CASL) A living laboratory and education facility at the University of Oregon PROJECT SUMMARY Project Background & Vision The Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living (CASL) was inspired by projects such as the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) in Arcata, California and the Gaviotas community in Vichada, Colombia that have taken on the challenge of materializing examples of sustainable living. Recognizing the need to have more such experiments and locally-appropriate examples to follow, a student and a community member resolved to create a similar project at the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, Oregon. Since its beginning in August 2002, over two dozen students, faculty, staff and community members have gotten actively involved in making this vision a reality and providing it with a solid foundation of university and community support and involvement. CASL started as an autonomous project of the student-run Ecological Design Center and in December 2003, became its own officially-recognized and supported organization of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO). The organization's central purpose is the conversion of a conventional house and yard into an example of residential sustainability. Few people in our culture know how to "live sustainably" or even what it means. Yet this is clearly what we need to work on because ecologically, socially, and economically, things are becoming less and less efficient or fulfilling and it need not be this way. Addressing sustainability is a complex, multi-varied task that requires a systemic approach in order to leverage true change. Much of this change will be through questioning the assumptions and altering the vision we hold as a society for what is possible and desirable. This process requires an ongoing effort that engages multiple perspectives and experiences and includes students who are still determining their priorities and roles in society. By creating a home in a neighborhood that also functions as a research facility, an interactive learning space, and a community resource center, CASL will provide the University and larger community with a service and forum that is currently not available. Mission Statement The mission of the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living (CASL) is to: - provide experiential learning opportunities for the University of Oregon and surrounding communities; - demonstrate ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable technologies and living practices in a residential setting; - collect and disseminate information about such technologies and practices; - facilitate original research in this field. CASL is dedicated to challenging the notion that living lightly is difficult or burdensome. Critical Activities CASL will create a "seeing-is-believing" example of how to lower a household's impact and resource needs in an urban, residential context in the Pacific Northwest by: - Demonstrating resource-efficient appliances and other energy, water, and material-saving home design features and living practices. - Carefully considering the full life-cycle costs of materials and products and bringing to light the often tough ethical decisions involved. - Providing a forum for the discussion, learning, and exploration that is needed to bring about the individual transformation from awareness to action. - Forming partnerships with local businesses and providing a venue to promote their products and services. - Training new leaders who will provide needed advocacy, guidance, and examples of how to "walk the talk." CASL will carry out and maintain its mission of research, education, and social transformation by: - Active outreach/education to the community through formal and informal tours, workshops, volunteer workdays, and classes. - Maintaining close curricular ties on campus in order to provide a resource that is otherwise not available for certain topics and course work. - Conducting research, collecting data, and publicizing results on an ongoing basis. - Securing funding through organizations on and off campus and, simultaneously, increasing the self- sufficiency of the project through potential revenue-producing goods and services and lowering the cost of living by the residents. - By catering largely to students, there will be a constant influx of new learner-participants. Additionally, as more awareness and demand builds for finding less consumptive lifestyles, the need for projects such as CASL will continue to grow. Accomplishments & Existing Support Members of CASL have successfully carried out much of the initial project development and have gained a broad range of support in the community and on campus. After developing the project's vision and goals, the mission statement was carefully crafted. By-laws and a budget proposal were established after conducting background research. Publicity materials were created including brochures, power point presentations, posters and articles written for venues like the Eugene Permaculture Guild newsletter, the Environmental Studies Ecotone biannual publication, the Ecological Design Center newsletter, and the Environmental Sustainability Network's website. Organizational meetings have been held on a near weekly basis since the project's inception. A weekly reading course (ENVS 405/605) was developed around CASL in the winter term of 2004 that over a dozen students (mostly non-CASL members) participated in along with faculty, staff, and community guests. Other activities that CASL members have undertaken include guided tours to: Echo Hollow, an intentional community in Cottage Grove that is working to be largely self-sufficient for its needs; Aprovecho Educational Center near Cottage Grove where one of the co-founders offered ideas and support to CASL; CCAT in Arcata to celebrate its 25th anniversary and learn more about this inspirational model; and The Energy Center in downtown Eugene to gather information about residential energy and water conservation strategies. Collaborative efforts with these various organizations are already envisioned such as a "sustainability tour" of the local region that will allow students and the public to see various examples and approaches used in rural and urban contexts. Formal presentations of the CASL project have taken place at the following: ? The Environmental Issues Committee (EIC) meeting in October 2002. A subcommittee for CASL was formed as a result which continues to report to the EIC on a regular basis. ? West Coast Education for Sustainability Best Practices Conference held on the UO campus in October 2002. ? The Public Interest and Environmental Law conference held in March 2003 in Eugene. ? The ASUO-sponsored Earth Day celebration in April 2003. ? The 2003 H.O.P.E.S. (Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability) 24-hour design charrette on 'Ecological Urbanism' presented by the Ecological Design Center which featured CASL in the criteria given to the design teams. ? The Architecture faculty's monthly meeting in June 2003 to encourage them to consider if classes they teach could benefit from the resource CASL would provide and in what way. ? At the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, a power point presentation was given to the Institute's Director, Rob Ribe, in November 2003. Over the past year, support has been gathered both on and off campus. Various programs and departments at the UO have written letters of support including the Environmental Studies Program, Landscape Architecture department, Campus Recycling, Service Learning Program, the Environmental Issues Committee, and the ASUO. The Institute for a Sustainable Environment is supportive of the project and may be able to provide future funding. Numerous faculty and staff members have also volunteered their time and expertise to the project. A major piece of support has come from Dan Williams, Vice President of Administration, who has given written commitment of a University-owned house to the project. Associate Vice President, Jan Oliver, has worked closely with the group and indicated that the property will likely be identified by March 2004 and that major abatement costs such as lead paint or asbestos removal will be covered by the University. Organizations outside of the University who have written letters of support include EWEB and BRING Recycling. When it became clear to the UO administration that there was a wide base of interest in the project, the group was told that additional letters of support were not needed. However, several other organizations as well as individual architects, landscape architects, and other community members have indicated their support and interest in the project. The neighborhood association from the area where the CASL property will be situated has also responded positively to the project as recently as January 2004 and several neighbors participated in the 2003 design charrette that included CASL. Current Status CASL is currently working with the UO administration to secure the site for the project. The academic sponsor will likely be the School of Architecture & Allied Arts (AAA) and the Dean of the School, Robert Melnick, is working closely with the group to establish this commitment. The 10th anniversary of the HOPES conference this year (April 2004) will have a panel on "eco-houses" which will include CASL representatives. In addition, the 24-hour design charrette will focus on CASL and use this project as a case study of the concepts and issues involved in residential sustainability. Student projects including an Environmental Studies Master's Terminal Project and an undergraduate Public Policy, Planning, and Management thesis have already emerged from work on the project. Over a dozen faculty members have stated that they would like to incorporate CASL into their course curriculums (currently over twenty courses have been listed). Prospective students to the UO have also contacted CASL expressing interest. Grant proposals have been drafted and a few individuals have expressed interest in making financial contributions to the project. An EPA grant for student projects will be submitted in March to compete for $10,000. A potential collaboration with the Energy Management Program at Lane Community College is being discussed in the hope that in the future, UO students may be able to get certified as energy auditors using CASL as a training facility. More Information To learn more about the CASL project or to find out when the next meeting will be, please visit the website at: www.uoregon.edu/~casl. To contact the CASL coordinator, please send an email to: casl@uoregon.edu.