Organizational Sustainability Work

Sustainability has been important to Corvallis local government for many years. Officially, sustainability became part of organizational operations in 2004 when the Corvallis City Council adopted an organizational sustainability policy. Prior to that, significant emphasis was on cost-saving aspects of projects, such as how to reduce energy consumption to save money, but it wasn’t referred to as ‘sustainability’.

The concept of sustainability was embraced by the Corvallis community long before it was a more mainstreamed discussion for municipal operations.  The Corvallis community should be proud of its leadership, environmental stewardship, ongoing actions, and overall resolve; much of which has resulted in sustainability being a core value, reflected in our everyday efforts.

The organization’s sustainability policy provided guidance and direction to staff, and a definition: “Sustainability means using natural, financial and human resources in a responsible manner that meets existing needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Since implementation of the policy, the organization’s sustainability efforts have matured considerably.  The image on the left describes the evolution of the City’s framework for sustainability since originally developing goals and metrics for tracking. The image on the right links you to the most recent Sustainability Report.

Visit the History of the Organization’s Sustainability Efforts to learn more about our progress over time.  Other tabs will take you to our annual Sustainability Reports, organizational and community greenhouse gas inventories, the Corvallis Climate Action Plan, and other endeavors.

For questions about the City’s Sustainability Program, contact Scott Dybvad, Sustainability Coordinator at (541) 766-6331 or Scott.Dybvad@CorvallisOregon.gov.