The Lillis Business Complex helps the University of Oregon earn high marks for sustainability.

Renowned management expert Peter Drucker once said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it." Applying Drucker's insight requires leading by example. For instance, lessons learned about sustainability are reinforced when those courses take place in an energy-efficient building. Such reinforcement happens every day in the Lillis Business Complex at the Lundquist College of Business, and that is one of the reasons why the recently released College Sustainability Report Card 2008 graded the University of Oregon an "A" in green building.

The report, produced by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, noted that UO received high marks for green building because "campus sustainable development guidelines and a campus environmental policy require adherence to LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Silver certification criteria." The Lillis Business Complex was the first building on the UO campus to receive LEED Silver certification, and it is a major reason the UO adapted the standard for all buildings.

The report also singled out the Lillis Business Complex as one of the greenest business school facilities in the nation. The green elements of the building include one of the largest installed arrays of architectural solar glass, a natural day-lighting system, and use of recycled and natural materials. Those sustainability elements were also integrated throughout the college's Peterson Hall, which recently underwent renovations. The historic hall was completely modernized with a sky-lit staircase, occupancy sensors, natural Marmoleum floors, low-VOC paints, and more. The renovations brought Peterson Hall into compliance with the LEED Silver standard, making it a seamless part of the Lillis Business Complex.

The nonprofit Sustainable Endowment Institute is the only independent sustainability evaluator of colleges and universities in North America. The College Sustainability Report Card 2008 assessed more than 200 public and private institutions in eight categories. The University of Oregon received an "A" in five of eight categories, qualifying it as one of only twenty Campus Sustainability Leaders. Only 18 percent of the 200 colleges and universities evaluated received an "A" for green building.