President's Office -Sustainability

OU partnership with county raises sustainability as a top priority for region

Timely opportunities for OU faculty and students to help shape county’s long-term sustainability policies

oakland county, oakland university, sustainability, county goal

icon of a calendarMarch 21, 2022

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Timely opportunities for OU faculty and students to help shape county’s long-term sustainability policies

Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz and Oakland County Executive David Coulter have agreed to a new partnership that draws on faculty expertise and students to play a prime role in the county’s unfolding sustainability plan.

Coulter announced the partnership during his State of the County address on Tuesday. The county plans to integrate newly formulated sustainability practices into the maintenance of county buildings, parks and public spaces.

“Oakland University’s talented faculty and students will be working in urban, suburban and rural areas to support the county’s transformation to sustainable policies that improve the quality of our public buildings, open spaces and shared natural resources,” said President Pescovitz.

“We are greatly appreciative to the county executive and the county’s environmental sustainability officer for their confidence and collaboration, and look forward to providing research and environmental analysis that supports the county’s overall sustainability plan,” she said.

The contractual terms of the OU-Oakland County partnership, which calls for funding to OU faculty and students, will be presented to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for review and approval.

“Our new partnership with Oakland University aims to address a variety of environmental sustainability issues in our county, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air and water quality, and creating more renewable energy opportunities,” said Coulter.

“Not only is this (partnership) good for residents of Oakland County, but it will help to further position Oakland University as an elite regional research institution and a sustainability model for higher education,” he said.

The OU-Oakland County partnership comes a week after President Pescovitz announced a faculty-and-staff led university sustainability plan. The OU sustainability effort is directed by Chris Kobus, associate professor of engineering; Mozhgon Rajaee, assistant professor in health sciences; and, Christopher Reed, director of the Oakland Center.

OU’s sustainability plan focuses on developing sustainable practices in academics, research, environment (renewable energy, biodiversity), food and dining, public engagement, transportation, and wellbeing.

Over the past year, an assessment of current university sustainability practices was led by Kobus, Rajaee, Reed along with Thomas Raffel, Tom LaMarbe, David Stone, Pat Engle (former associate vice president, facilities), Becky Lewis, Michelle Piskulich (formerly senior associate provost), and Amy Banes-Bercelli.

In the fall, the OU sustainability team is expected to submit new sustainability proposals that complement the university’s current practices.

 

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