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With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Max Edmands
Position (in student organization): Outgoing President
Date survey submitted: July 1, 2009
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Name of organization: Clarkson ECO (Environmental Conservation Organization)
Number of active members: 19
Website: people.clarkson.edu/clubs/eco
Date of last meeting: 4/15/2009
Frequency of meetings: Weekly
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008 and Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008:
- Focus the Nation 2009: Hosted a Town Hall meeting in Potsdam New York focusing on green jobs and climate change issues
- Earth Hour 2009: Got Clarkson University to officially sponsor one hour of lights out on campus
- First Year Seminar Recycling Awareness Program: We created this program for incoming freshman and every year we ensure that it continues. Incoming freshmen are taught about the campus recycling program and rules
- Trash Experiment: For one week, members of ECO carried around all of their garbage to track consumption and make a statement about how much trash people generate
- Power Shift: Along with Clarkson's NYWEA, we organized a contingent of 20 people to go to Washington, DC for a large activist conference
- Recycling Bin audit: Members of ECO took a tally of all the recycling bins on campus and published a formal report for campus maintenance suggesting better locations and increased numbers of bins
- Clarkson Mugs: ECO members helped design and implement Clarkson's dining policy about mugs: New students get a free coffee mug with meal plan, and if they use it instead of paper or plastic cups they are entered into a drawing for free declining balance
- Real Food Challenge: Started a conversation with Clarkson's dining department (ARAMARK) about increased use of local food on campus
- PowerVote: Set up booths before the 2008 election, distributing information about each candidate (federal, state, and local) and their positions on environmental issues
- Environmentally themed movie nights: ECO hosted 2 in the past year
- A Greener Relay for Life: Eliminated disposable water bottles at Clarkson's relay for life, encouraged volunteers to bring permanent water bottles with them. Also, officially sponsored all of the recycling bins at the event. Started conversation about making relay for life carbon neutral next year.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS
2) Does your group organize any sustainability challenges/competitions for your campus and/or with other colleges?
[ x ] No (although, ARAMARK, our dining service, is currently participating in the RecycleMania competition)
SUSTAINABILITY IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT
3) Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?
[ x ] No
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
N/A, see our list for question 1
5) Please list and briefly describe any other student-run organizations related to campus sustainability at your school, and provide URLs if available (e.g., student groups; student government committees; student-run food co-ops, gardens/farms, bike co-ops) and provide contact information of the student leaders, if possible:
NYWEA (New York Water and Environment Association):
Clarkson's chapter of NYWEA is dedicated to giving environmental engineering and environmental science and policy majors professional experience and contacts. Often, they collaborate with ECO on projects and events.
See list of other groups and activities at http://clarkson.edu/green/involvement.html
I cant guarantee anything about the information provided there.
Questions 6 is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
6) Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition): We have no official affiliations, but we are on a few lists, including the Real Food Challenge Movement (http://realfoodchallenge.org/). Also, students from SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson, and SUNY Buffalo are in the process of starting an informal northern NY network of student-run environmental clubs and organizations.
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Name: Michael Guethle
Position (in student organization): President, NYWEA
Date survey submitted: July 8 2009
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Name of organization: New York Water and Environment Association
Number of active members: 20
Website:
Date of last meeting: April 15 2009
Frequency of meetings: weekly while school is in session
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008: Green Jobs for engineers, Environmental education in k-12 schools; campus-wide awareness; growth in environmental outlook for northern new york
Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008:
A)Green Jobs for engineers has been one of the most successful parts of NYWEA's work. Through working as a professional society on campus, as well as touring environmentaly sound buildings and companies, as well as focusing on bringing sustainable jobs to the campus, NYWEA has been very effective in bringing sustainable jobs to Clarkson graduates; also, we attended Powershift in the spring and were able to gain ideas there.
B) Education in k-12 schools is something our chapter takes pride in. We have worked with the local school in Potsdam and have been making advances where we teach high school students about what environmental engineers as well as sustainable engineers do in the work force. We have been able to help students find their liking in the community for a sustainable future. We also are expanding this program to three other schools across the county.
C) Campus-wide awareness relates to us NYWEA members bringing about recognition to the professional environmental community on campus. We have NYWEA recycle bins and posters about campus and hold forums to enroll in classes structured around the environmental engineering curriculum. We also show movies and have cookouts and the like to get students interested.
D) We held a session in downtown Potsdam to talk about the real possibility of a sustainable future in northern new york. We structured the event, focusing on green jobs, as well as the difference between blue collar and white collar environmentalism.A hundred or so local people showed up to address their opinions and ideas.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS
2) Does your group organize any sustainability challenges/competitions for your campus and/or with other colleges?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please list details for each competition.
#1 - Name of competition:
Year initiated:
Frequency of competition:
Participants:
Incentives:
Goal of competition:
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced:
Lasting effects of competition:
Website:
#2 - Name of competition:
Year initiated:
Frequency of competition:
Participants:
Incentives:
Goal of competition:
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced:
Lasting effects of competition:
Website:
SUSTAINABILITY IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT
3) Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: as part of student government, I am also a member of the Environmental Policy Group at Clarkson. One executive board member from the student government is to be involved in this group
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
Environmental Policy Group
Further sustainability within the student government and faculty (removal of mailbox-stuffing flyers, electronic ads, etc.). Other than this, we serve as a network of student where other students come for help. We offer seminars about how to make a dorm room more sustainable as well as doing tutorign sessions for environmental classes.
5) Please list and briefly describe any other student-run organizations related to campus sustainability at your school, and provide URLs if available (e.g., student groups; student government committees; student-run food co-ops, gardens/farms, bike co-ops) and provide contact information of the student leaders, if possible:
Environmental Conservation Organization
On-Campus Windmill
Engineers Without Borders
Questions 6 is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
6) Please list any regional or national networks with which your group is affiliated (e.g., Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, Sierra Student Coalition, a state PIRG, a state student sustainability coalition): Most of these groups tend to have an effect that will drive people away from a politically inactive student body such as that at Clarkson, so we choose not to affiliate with any grassroots organization. However, we are members of the Water and Environment Federation as well as the state chapter of NYWEA.
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