Recognition | Sustainability at OSU | Oregon State University

OSU has several times attained a Gold rating in STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. As a STARS Charter Participant, OSU was the first school in Oregon to submit its report.

For the 2021 Sierra Club "Cool Schools" ranking, Oregon State is listed as 26th in the nation for exemplary sustainability practices. For 2020 we were 24th, in 2019 placed as 22nd, in 2018 15th and in 2017 20th. OSU received high scores for co-curricular education, research, planning, sustainability administration and several other categories. For 2014, OSU placed 41st in the nation and for 2015, OSU ranked 42nd.

OSU is one of twelve universities in the United States to be awarded Gold-Level designation by the League of American Bicyclists under the Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) Program. The league recognizes institutions of higher education for providing a bicycle-friendly campus for students, staff and visitors. The BFU program provides a roadmap for technical assistance to create great campuses for cycling and commuting via bicycle.

Each year since the publication began in 2015, Oregon State has been listed in the Sustainable Campus Index from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The Index highlights and recognizes colleges and universities that are top performers as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).

In the 2024 and 2025 Sustainability Campus Index, OSU was recognized as a Top Performer, ranking third for Coordination and Planning, with a score of 93.9%.

In 2012, The Princeton Review named OSU to its Honor Roll for the 16 Most Environmentally Responsible Colleges. Every year since 2011 OSU has been recognized in the annual Guide to Green Colleges for sustainability practices such as food sourcing, transportation, green building, opportunities to focus on the environment and sustainability in curriculum.

Oregon State University placed first in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2018 in the annual Civil War RecycleMania competition with University of Oregon.

In 2008, OSU was rated as one of the top 25 green colleges and universities by the Kaplan College Guide. A number of criteria, including environmentally-responsible courses, and initiatives, as well as student groups and organizations on campus, were evaluated to develop the list.

OSU was awarded a Green Power Leadership Award in 2008 from the US Environmental Protecon Agency and has been a large purchaser of renewable energy. OSU has also dominated the PAC-12 conference in terms of renewable energy purchases. For several years, the university purchased the majority of its electricity from renewable sources.

Each year since 2010, Oregon State has been the recipient of Tree Campus USA, awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Oregon Department of Forestry. The Tree Campus standards require the school to have a campus tree advisory committee, campus tree care plan, campus tree program with dedicated annual expenditures, Arbor Day observance, and a service learning project.

OSU has over a dozen LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings, with one being certified at the highest rating, Platinum. All construction and major remodels at OSU are LEED silver equivalent or higher.

Oregon State was ranked 13th in the nation by BestColleges.com for sustainability practices. This ranking is based on high achievement in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System used by hundreds of schools in the US and across the globe.

In 2018, Oregon State was listed in LendEDU's Top 40 Greenest College Campuses. The list highlights efforts of colleges across the country in their endeavor to create a thriving green campus.

OSU ranked 9th in Humane World for Animals protein sustainability scorecard. The survey focused on three main topics to demonstrate each school's efforts in creating a more sustainable dining operation on its campus: transparency, goals and a plan of action.

OSU's main campus has been designated by the National Center for Urban Transportation Research as one of their Best Workplaces for Commuters. This designation recognizes employers for outstanding efforts to provide alternative to the single occupancy vehicle.