Brandon Trelstad Oral History Interview, April 4, 2018

Partial Transcript: Today is April 4th, 2018.

Segment Synopsis: Date and location of interview. Introduction of Brandon Trelstad, Sustainability Officer at Oregon State University. Introduction to focus of interview: climate change and career at OSU.

Keywords: Climate Change; Global Warming; Oregon State University; Sustainability Officer

Subjects: Climatic changes; Global warming; Oregon State University

Partial Transcript: Where were you born?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes growing up in Salem, Oregon. His father was a school teacher and his mother was a nurse. Trelstad recalls spending time outdoors as a child, recreating on his father's Christams tree farm and neighboring public farm land.

Keywords: Christmas Tree Farm; Early Nature Experiences; Oregon Public Farm Land; Salem, Oregon

Subjects: Christmas tree growing; Oregon--Salem; Outdoor recreation

Partial Transcript: What was your school experience like?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes being an average student before attending college. He remembers being unsure of his academic path when leaving high school and first arriving at OSU.

Keywords: Early Academic Experience

Subjects: Education

Partial Transcript: And at OSU, what kind of organizations were you involved in as a student?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses his experience as an undergraduate student studying environmental science at OSU. He recalls his uncertainty in a career path as a student, and his interest in environmental policy and natural resources.

Keywords: Environmental Policy; Environmental Science; Undergraduate Studies at Oregon State University

Subjects: Environmental policy; Environmental sciences--Study and teaching; Oregon State University

Partial Transcript: So as an environmental science student, I had to do, I think it was six credits, of internship experience.

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes how an internship with the OSU Government Relations Office during his senior year (set up by his adviser Bill Lunch) opened up a career opportunity. Trelstad recounts the onerous task of reading and interpreting Oregon State legislation to determine impacts to the university. He reflects on how the internship, which turned into a job, clarified what direction he wanted to move his career into. Trelstad discusses the process of transitioning to a brand new position at the university as the Sustainability Officer.

Keywords: Environmental Science Internship; Oregon State University Government Relations Office; Sustainability Officer

Subjects: Environmental policy; Internship programs; Sustainability

Partial Transcript: When you became the Sustainability Officer at OSU, what was the university's policies or attitude at that time around sustainability?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad reflects on OSU's policies on sustainability in 2005, when he took on the role of Sustainability Officer. He describes the lack of unifying policy, despite the community of researchers working on topics relating to sustainability. He discusses how he had not anticipated a long-term career with OSU.

Keywords: Sustainability at Oregon State University

Subjects: Sustainability; Universities and colleges--Government policy

Partial Transcript: What appeals to you about working- focusing on sustainability within a university environment instead of another institution or government?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes the appeal of working with students in a university. He frames it as a future-focused environment, in terms of investing in people as well as considering impacts to future generations.

Keywords: Sustainability in a University Environment

Subjects: College environment

Partial Transcript: What were your initial duties like in the first few years, and maybe you can talk about how your position has changed over the past 12 or 13 years that you've been in it?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses how his position had initially focused on improving operational efficiency to save money and have a positive environmental impact. He describes how the staff and student support has grown over the years, in addition to the number of projects his office is involved in. He reflects on how student engagement has changed over time, citing a recent experience with interviewing incoming student workers.

Keywords: Evolution of Sustainability Officer Position

Partial Transcript: What are ways in which the sustainability office tracks OSU's environmental footprint?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes how his colleague tracks OSU's energy use in order to asses greenhouse gas output. He refers to the abundance of other data they compile, and the goal to translate the data into sustainability index indicators. He discusses the role of the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) in assessing and reporting data.

Keywords: Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System; Tracking Environmental Footprint

Subjects: Environmental impact analysis

Partial Transcript: And you were involved in working on OSU's Climate Plan?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad describes working on the 2009 Climate Plan and the more recent update to it. He compares the plan's initial strategic plan to its current tactical implementation. He cites changes to the campus in the past eight years to move towards carbon neutrality. Trelstad discusses how departments are now creating their own plans to reduce carbon emissions. He reflects on the attainability of the goal to be a carbon neutral university by 2025.

Keywords: Carbon Neutrality; Oregon State University Climate Plan

Subjects: Greenhouse gas mitigation

Partial Transcript: Is divestment a part of the Climate Change Plan?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses the campus movement for the university to divest from the fossil fuel industry. He describes his role as one of supporting students and faculty advocating for this issue. In response, the OSU Board of Trustees has chosen to divest the state holding's fund, while the OSU Foundation has not made the same decision with its funds. Trelstad discusses being a proponent for investing in efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Keywords: Divestment from Fossil Fuels; Investment in Sustainability

Subjects: Disinvestment

Partial Transcript: When you talk about working with students or guiding students, is that mostly through the Student Sustainability Initiative?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses partnering with organizations like the Student Sustainability Initiative and Campus Recycling. He references several campus events that engage student groups on campus. He reflects on how working with students has changed over his career, including his attitude as well as the typical student's knowledge of sustainability. He describes how student work can be structured to accommodate their schedule and engage them outside of the classroom.

Keywords: Student Engagement; Student Sustainability Initiatve

Subjects: Student activities

Partial Transcript: You mentioned your collaboration with campus recycling and efforts at waste reduction. What do you think of the future of local recycling, given recent changes to China's waste imports from the U.S.?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses actions that could be taken to reduce waste in the context of limited recycling options. He points to problems associated with plastic waste and recycling. Trelstad reflects on the role of consumption and economic transparency in reducing waste.

Keywords: Recycling; Waste Reduction

Subjects: Recycling (Waste, etc.); Waste minimization

Partial Transcript: You're also on the Alternative Transportation Advisory Committee?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses being involved with the Alternative Transportation Advisory Committee, which has morphed into the Transportation Committee. He describes the role of the committee in improving transit around OSU, and how he got involved. He reflects on his personal interest in transportation emissions, and the impact of these emissions on future generations.

Keywords: Alternative Transportation Advisory Committee; OSU Transportation Committee; Transportation Carbon Emissions

Subjects: Greenhouse gas mitigation; Transportation

Partial Transcript: You are involved with the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition as well?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses the origins of the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, an organization that he co-founded in 2007. He describes the community organization as a network of organizations. He has worked with the city's planning and budget commissions, as well as the Climate Action and Advisory Board. Trelstad compares working with city government to working with OSU's government.

Keywords: Community Involvement; Corvallis Sustainability Coalition

Subjects: Political participation

Partial Transcript: It seems like communicating with a variety of people or audiences is a big part of your role as Sustainability Officer.

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad reflects on how he has improved his communication skills in his position over time. He describes what the term sustainability encompasses, and how he can better articulate it at this point in his career. He also discusses strategies for communicating with people holding opposing viewpoints on climate science or sustainable practices.

Keywords: Communicating Sustainability

Subjects: Communication in science

Partial Transcript: What were your earliest conversations on climate change like and how have they shifted over time?

Segment Synopsis: Trelstad discusses broader aspects of climate change with respect to the OSU community, policy, and education. He reflects on how a hybrid class in high school first opened his eyes to relevant environmental issues and climate change. He talks about the culture of student activism at OSU, comparing it to other campus cultures. Trelstad describes his role as one of assisting students in navigating the university system, as well as dispensing accurate information. He discusses changes to U.S. climate policy, such as participation in the Paris Agreement and implementation of a carbon tax, that he would like to see. Trelstad describes a movement to further incorporate sustainability education into the OSU curriculum. He proposes making higher public education affordable to more people as an important component to educating citizens. He expresses a mixed sense of hope and realism in the face of climate change.

Keywords: Climate Change; Climate Change Policy; Global Warming

Subjects: Climatic changes; Climatic changes--Government policy; Global warming