John Onderdonk ’98 Sustainability Pioneer

John Onderdonk ’98 serves as the Manager for Sustainability Programs at the California Institute of Technology where he is developing and managing programs to improve environmental performance in the areas of energy, climate, water, waste, supply chain, transportation and building infrastructure.

Prior to joining Caltech, John worked in the environmental risk management field serving as the Southwest Regional Manager for AIG Environmental where he developed liability transfer programs for Brownfield redevelopment clients. John has also worked as an environmental consultant helping corporate clients integrate sustainability into their business practices and address environmental regulations. John holds a Masters in Corporate Environmental Management from the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. John is a Certified Carbon Reduction Manager and a LEED Accredited Professional.

John received a BS in Environmental Studies and a minor in Economics in 1998 at the University of Oregon. He credits UO for offering all the benefits of a large public research institution while maintaining the supportive, collegial atmosphere of a smaller school. Because of this unique mix, he was able to step out of his comfort zone and pursue his interest in sustainability by building a curriculum in environmental studies and economics. As a student he worked as an organizer for the first Sustainable Business Symposium on campus. It was one of his first introductions to many of the pioneers of sustainable business.

At the University of Oregon, the Office of Sustainability focuses on “meeting our current resource needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Under the direction of Steve Mital ‘01, the UO has accomplished major achievements in sustainability, including the Lillis Building Complex which was designed to be 50% more energy efficient than required by state code, and a recycling program that recovers 47% of all University waste. Mital remarks about UO’s current program, “My office monitors and reports on UO sustainability performance in operations. This includes greenhouse gas emissions and a plan to reduce them over time. We also support greening of the curriculum and research activities. We have a great new program called summer sustainability camp that provides soon-to-be freshmen a chance to see how UO’s activities support sustainability initiatives in the community. This year we have two four day trips. One focuses on sustainable agriculture (Project Tomato) and the other on water (H2Oregon).”

Currently the UO has been working on their plan to reduce GHG (Greenhouse Gases) in order to avoid catastrophic changes to the biosphere. The plan is called the Oregon Climate Action Plan. According to the plan, the commitment requires that universities initiate two “tangible actions” from a list of seven policies. The University of Oregon is already fulfilling three actions which include; requiring a minimum of LEED silver certification in all new buildings, providing free public transportation to all campus users and participating in large-scale waste minimization programs. With the implementation of this plan the Sustainability Programs hopes to gain more recognition with potential students, alumni, and donors as well as encourage similar efforts in other institutions.

For more information on the Sustainability Program at the University of Oregon, please visit their website.

—Myeshia Cleveland