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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: Paulina Guerrero
Position (in student organization): President and Founder
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: Environmental Club at UH
Number of active members:
Website: www.enviroclubatuh.com (website has not been able to be maintained since end of Fall 2008, but the calendar is running)
Date of last meeting: General April 14, 2009 Officer June 25, 2009
Frequency of meetings: Once a month
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008: Comprehensive outdoors recycling program (worked with school to obtain this), carbon footprint assessment- a class measured the impact our school has and the school and club are working hard to reduce impact,
Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008: Recycling outdoors includes over 200 bins- the next step is improve indoor paper recycling, different aspects are being tackled like transportation in order to reduce CO2 impact,
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: Recyclemania
Year initiated: 2008
Frequency of competition: Will be done once a year
Participants: Nationwide
Incentives: Numerous activities done to implement spirit and awareness on campus.
Goal of competition: Try to place as high as possible in the rankings of school nationwide competing. Try to win in Texas.
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: We collected 249,328 lbs and estimated and average of 36.41% per week
Lasting effects of competition: With events like a pep-rally, art contest, news people on campus and the hype the school and the club tried to initiate about recycling, I believe the campus experience a profound change and people realized the attitude on campus regarding recycling and environmental action has changed to a very progressive stance.
Website: www.uh.edu/recyclemania
#2 - Name of competition: Recyclemania at UH
Year initiated: 2009
Frequency of competition: Will be done every year
Participants: Any group of four people or more on campus who want to become a group in the competition. This ended up included sororities, offices, departments, clubs, etc..
Incentives: $150, $75, $50 gift card prizes for first, second and third place correspondingly
Goal of competition: To increase our recycling totals for the Recyclemania nation wide competition
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: 11,000+ lbs
Lasting effects of competition: This competition garnered far more enthusiasm than we ever expected. The school worked arduously on spreading the message to different departments and created a competitive dynamic. The word started spreading and we had the police department fighting it out with the general services. Students participated too, but the offices on campus are here far longer than the usual four years and can have a more lasting effect.
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:
Yes, there is a position. One of the senators is the liaison with the Sustainability Council and represents the Student government at meetings.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
Earth Week- a week full of environmental related activities during Earth Day week i.e. yoga in the park, conference, competitions, etc..
Eco-Mart- we sell handmade crafts by club members and organic or vegan treats. The money goes to an environmental cause of our choice and part to fund our club.
Enviro Movie of the Month
Enviro Speaker of the Month- From professors to Sierra Club speakers, we have had a variety of very interesting people come to lecture.
Monthly visit to arboretum- We help with trail work to keep this protected area running.
Adopt-a- Road Clean up
In collaboration with school:
Green Day @ UH- A variety of activities and educational things to promote environmental stewardship i.e. vegetarian food, electric car rides, planting of flowers, etc…
Community Garden- The school opened a community garden on campus where we grow vegetables and can take care of the garden.
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:
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): Sierra Club, Environment Texas, Houston Arboretum, CLEAN Houston, Mothers for Clean Air (GHASP), Focus the Nation, Houston Wilderness, Clinton Global Initiative0 University (attended inaugural year 2008),
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