Portland State Magazine Spring 2009

TAKE BACK THE TAP Portland's water is good and disposable water bottles are not, according to students in the Environmental Club. They are using Miller funds to educate students about the source and quality of Portland's public water and purchase at least 500 reusable water bottles. They plan to sell the bottles to purchase two water filtration centers for installation at key locations on campus. BAMBOO BVOC That lacy grove of bamboo in your backyard or outside your office may be helping or hurting Portland's air quality. Some bamboo species emit isoprene, a biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) that leads to high ozone levels on hot, windless days. BVOCs are com– monly overlooked when analyzing city air quality, according to one student's project. Funding will allow the student to survey emission rates and produce a list of low-emitting bamboos for use by urban planners and horticulturists. BIKES TO BORROW With donated and refurbished bicycles, students are creating a fleet of VikeBikes, which other students may borrow for a term or maybe longer. The students's goal is to make bicycle travel accessible and affordable. VikeBikes will come equipped with the essen– tials: helmet, lights, U-lock, and fenders. Education on rider safety and bicycle maintenance is also part of the package. WORMS + FOOD SCRAPS = COMPOST A knowl– edgeable student will teach the basics of vermicomposting to several faculty and a group of students. Each person, in turn, is expected to share the know-how with two other people. Before you know it, everyone in the state may have rich, brown compost from their own worm bin. LET'S TALK ABOUT IT Kim Stanley Robinson, an award-winning science fiction author, spoke on campus during spring term giving his vision of a future where permaculture replaces our carbon-burning lifestyle. Robinson and scholars in anthropology, history, literature, and philosophy were brought to campus through the Humanities Sustainability Research Project, a Miller-funded grant initiated by English and philosophy faculty. RAIN APPRECIATED The PSU Engineering Building at SW College and Fourth uses 40 percent less water than similar buildings. Some of it comes from a rainwater reclamation system that collects water on the rooftop and pipes it to a room on the second floor. There the water is stored in a 1,000-gallon tank, filtered through carbon, and zapped with UV light before it is pumped to toilets on the first floor. It's pretty interesting, if you know about it, but many people don't. Engineering faculty are making sure students understand the process by turning the water filtering room into a teaching laboratory. 12 PORTLA ND STATE MAGAZINE SPRIN G 2009