The Environment Initiative (EI) provides transformative research, education, and leadership to address the urgent challenges and opportunities of a changing climate. Rooted in the EI Guiding Principles, the EI launches and sustains areas of expertise and inquiry that are relevant for the state and ecoregion, that are nationally significant in creating new problem-solving pathways, and that are globally recognized.
“The UO’s Environment Initiative grows from our institutional strength in this area. It imagines entirely new organizing principles for a state flagship university. It fosters transdisciplinary approaches to teaching, research and service. And it amplifies all that we know, through our diverse perspectives and voices, about building a just and livable future.”
--Executive Director Adell Amos
Giving to the Environment Initiative Fund will:
- facilitate current experiential learning opportunities and allow for development of additional experiential learning opportunities where students learn by doing;
- provide support for the many environment-related programs, centers, and institutes on campus;
- fund transdisciplinary research projects that have enormous potential to deliver relevant research to inform policy decision makers and the communities we serve.
Our Approach
Putting Academics to Work: The Environment Initiative focuses on policy-relevant, data-driven, applied, and translational work. Our students and faculty are helping initiate meaningful, scalable change.
Helping Communities Adapt and Thrive: Creative, innovative, relevant, and responsive—our work is leading to meaningful progress that will help society address pressing environmental problems.
Preparing Students: We’re helping students thrive in an emerging world of environmental challenges, while forging a better one. This includes opportunities for them to participate in groundbreaking research, experiential learning activities, and proactive problem solving.
Amplifying Diverse Voices: Rooted and focused on issues of equity and environmental justice, this initiative welcomes diverse voices to the conversation. And it amplifies these important voices. This includes working directly with—and within—diverse communities, including Indigenous, Black, Latinx, LGBTQI+, those that are economically insecure, rural communities, and others.
| Rank | State | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OR | 87 |
| 2 | WA | 3 |
| 2 | MO | 3 |
