The Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living

The History of CASL

University of Oregon students founded The Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Living in 2003 based upon a senior thesis project by Jo Rodgers. Rodgers, a student at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, designed a low-impact house using innovative technology that integrated natural resources with modern living. With those design plans in mind, CASL was established to design and build the low-impact center as a model near campus by students with a wide range of interests in energy, the environment and natural resource use.

Because CASL is a student organization, the University of Oregon monitors and must approve all plans for the center, which will house three center members. Multiple university departments collaborated with the group to codify the center’s plans and location on campus. The Associated Students of the University of Oregon approved and recognized CASL as a student organization in 2003, and granted funding in 2004. The development process gained momentum in 2006 when the School of Architecture and Allied Arts agreed to support CASL and appointed two faculty advisers.

In December 2008, CASL student leaders reached a memorandum of understanding, including CASL’s mission statement and building details, with Facility Services, University Housing, and the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

CASL receives financial support from various sources, including the ASUO, which provides continual funding. CASL received a one-time allotment of $112,500 on May 11, 2008 from the ASUO, a $25,000 grant from the University of Oregon Space Committee, and funds for the center’s green roof and solar hot water from The Energy Conservation and Alternative Futures Fund, which is now called The Student Sustainability Fund.

CASL has significantly expanded in 2009. CASL members rung in the New Year by celebrating the ownership of the center site at 1801 Moss St., which the University of Oregon awarded on Jan. 7, 2009. Six years in the making, this momentous agreement allows CASL to begin the renovation and construction of a low-impact demonstration center.

CASL received a 104 percent budget increase from the ASUO on Feb. 10, 2009, that further stabilized its future. On Feb. 17, 2009, the exterior design plans were approved by the Campus Planning Committee to finalize the center’s aesthetics for the east campus area. Most recently, CASL celebrated its groundbreaking on Earth Day. The event included tours of the future demonstration center and gardening activities. The groundbreaking ceremony featured speeches from Mayor Piercy and Jo Rodgers followed by dinner and live music. CASL is now working to raise more funds and secure construction details with contractors.