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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: Victor Soto
Position (in student organization): Executive Board Member
Date survey submitted: 7/21/09
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Name of organization: Students for an Environmentally Active Campus
Number of active members: 25
Website: http://www.mu-seac.com
Date of last meeting: 5/12/09
Frequency of meetings: Executive Board meetings once a week, group meetings once a week
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008: Living Green at Marquette Seminar, single-source recycling, LEED certification in new buildings being constructed, recycling in the dormitories, developing a garden on campus, Market basket (healthy and organic vegetables) availability on campus, Sustainability Task Force saturation on campus.
Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008:
Living Green at Marquette Seminar: Since August of 2008 (when the seminar debuted to freshman), it has decided to become a yearly approach to advise freshman on the initiatives they can make living in the dormitories for the first time. It educates them on the proper techniques, knowledge, and self-awareness when making adult decisions in order to better the environment in their own living situations. By providing them with resources and allowing them to meet with campus groups and local environment organizations, we hope it allows them to broaden their intent when recycling, turning on their lamps, or throwing out the trash. Blossoming from just an idea to a seminar where we have received full support from the administration just the progress we need. The same goes for making a strong impact on the freshman students before they even begin their lives as freshman!
Single-source recycling: Not much of an update has been provided to SEAC and I about the issue, but we hope that the campus recycling contract has been negotiated and can hope to receive this treatment come fall or spring of 2010.
LEED certification in new buildings being constructed: 3 new buildings being built on campus have been appointed with a particular level of LEED certification. With that, the campus architects hope to perform the most humane tasks when negotiating lighting, energy efficiency, and the use of natural resources and recycling material from old buildings which have been torn down. All of this has successfully been negotiated and we can only hope when the construction is done, it will be best representative of the campus' initiative to becoming more green.
Recycling in the dormitories: Recycling in the dormitories has forever been a campaign which we have always promoted and talked about to students. Since August 2008, we have improved by being in constant contact with all the residence hall directories hoping to begin dormitory floor presentations in order to educate all students on what exactly they should be doing. Hopefully within the next couple of years, we can negotiate progress with Facilities Services and the mechanics to better improve water consumption and the lighting used in many of the residence halls.
Developing a garden on campus: Much to our surprise, a year ago we discovered the campus had a rain garden which was not being used. After discusses the possibilities of usage with the campus architect, it was confirmed that the area could be extended, and tended to. Because most students are gone for the summer, the improvement to the area will not be completed for some time!
Along with the local Growing Power Center (organic farm), we have been able to bring fresh, organic, and sustainable vegetables available for purchase on Marquette's campus. Since being started in the 2005, it was becoming a campus favorite and we are only trying to spread the word more every year. This has also allowed for Marquette to begin a Slow Food organization at Marquette as well.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS
2) Does your group organize any sustainability challenges/competitions for your campus and/or with other colleges?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please list details for each competition.
#1 - Name of competition:
Year initiated: 2008
Frequency of competition: 1-time, lasted 2 months
Participants: Students for an Environmentally Active Campus organization
Incentives: Pizza Party!
Goal of competition: Worked for Power Vote committee with the Energy Action Coalition. The goal of the competition was to pledge as many people to vote for green issues in the 2008 election. The goal was to beat the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: The pledges and any other advertisements of the event were sent off to the Power Vote base where they were recycled. Anything else was recycled properly as well. So it would be be close to 92% of what was used during the competition was recycled.
Lasting effects of competition: The campus knew that we were serious about the cause and realized it was a realistic issue for the world even if they did not agree with it. It made people think about their decision when voting and allowed SEAC to permanently establish their stance on environmental issues in such a historical time.
Website: http://www.powervote.org/
#2 - Name of competition: Trash for Cash
Year initiated: 2007
Frequency of competition: year-around, and weekly
Participants: Marquette University Straz Tower
Incentives: Money is donated to a local organization in need. Floor winners receive a pizza party.
Goal of competition: Make recycling an incentive towards winning things and helping the community in regards to charity.
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: 98%
Lasting effects of competition: Became a long-lasting event that has become a tradition for the dormitory and is hoped to be spreading towards the rest of the student halls in the coming months or years.
Website: N/A
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:
Sustainability Task Force: During the spring of 2008, Marquette assembled an eight-member task force to help encourage the implementation of more sustainable practices on campus. The Sustainability Task Force members include the vice president of administration, the budget director, the vice president of student affairs, the MUSG president, a faculty member, the director of auxiliary services, the sustainability officer, and a dean. This group was created to help generate new initiatives and drive Marquette in a more sustainable direction. First on the agenda was creating four separate working groups to address four key areas on campus, including recycling, natural resources and utilities, new buildings, and suppliers.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
Power by the People: Power by the People was an event which SEAC organized with Marquette for our Earth Week festivities during the fall semester. It was the FIRST university campus to hold a concert entirely powered by local attendees riding the bikes. Not only did we have local press, but various organizations and bike crews from the area lent us their time and effort to make the event an entire success. We also had local bike shops, sustainable lighting companies, and various other Wisconsin-based companies arrive with booths to better educate the masses on what initiatives are being made in the world professions.
Added by Mike Whittow, 7/22/2009:
SEAC members, along with other student organizations helped push sustainability this past school year. The student members of the sustainability working groups had the opportunity to present to the Board of Trustees Committee on Administration and Public Affairs. During this meeting, the students gave updates on what each working group was doing and made such an impression that the committee has requested regular updates.
Students were also an integral part of Earth Week. Instead of celebrating only Earth Day, Marquette utilized the week of April 20th to promote sustainability on campus. Student organizations designed posters that were placed on A-frame easels spread throughout campus marketing their own initiatives while providing simple solutions to live more sustainably. Students also helped plan the events that took place during this week and felt they should be included in planning all future sustainability events.
The Marquette Engineers Without Borders chapter participated in several international programs and were able to install three solar powered water pumping systems along with a hydroelectric water wheel in Guatemala. They are currently assessing a water system in Los Toros, Dominican Republic and is seeking to find better ways to filter their water.
Our Global Medical Relief organization is attempting to establish relationships with Honduran villages in order to provide long term, year round care. A unique program called Students Administrating Medical Relief Abroad (SAMRA) serves as a cornerstone initiative to specifically engage pre-medical students to get hands-on experience in the relief field while carrying important medical relief efforts overseas. Through this, they recently completed the construction of Escuela Global, the first ever primary school in the rural community of Flor Azul, Honduras. The school focuses on providing abandoned and struggling youth with a quality education and providing them with the skills they need to succeed in life.
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:
Marquette University Slow Food, JUSTICE, Marquette Rowing Club, Environmental Law Society, Watumishi, Student Health Services(not a student org., but a student led department)
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):
Energy Coalition, Urban Ecology Center, Forest Ethics, Growing Power, Greener Milwaukee, Four Corners of the World, Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition
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