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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: Sara Cleaves
Title: Associate Director, University Office of Sustainability
Date survey submitted: July 21, 2009
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Many student organizations and groups on campus advance sustainability. Examples include the following, and links to their websites can be found at sustainableunh.unh.edu/students.html#studentorgs.
- Artists Circle
- ChildVoice International
- Circle K
- Diversity Support Coalition
- Earth Science Club
- Eaton House
- Ecological Advocates, the student group that runs the Student Energy Waste Watch Challenge, RecycleMania and UNH-RENU
- Energy Club
- Forestry Club
- Habitat for Humanity
- Mask and Dagger Dramatic Society
- Model UN
- NH Outing Club
- Organic Garden Club
- Oxfam UNH
- Peace and Justice League
- Project Sunshine
- Relay for Life
- Rotaract Club
- STAND
- Student Arts Association
- Student Environmental Action Council (SEAC)
- Student Nutrition Association
- Students Advocating Gender Equality
- Students Without Borders
- UNH for ONE
- UNH Slow Food
- WildACTS Social Change Theatre Troupe
- Wildlife Society
For example, the UNH Ecological Advocates engage their fellow UNH Durham students in environmentally sustainable behaviors in order to foster an atmosphere of increased sustainability awareness, thinking, and living among on-campus residents. Their goals are:
- To help students connect larger environmental issues to their daily lives, studies, and choices at UNH.
- To promote thinking and discussion about environmental sustainability among students.
- To engage students in eco-friendly behaviors that will last a lifetime.
- To work with UNH faculty and staff to ensure that the student perspective and voice are heard in sustainability discussions -- and to work with them to transform UNH into a sustainable learning community.
Activities including:
- Student Energy Waste Watch Challenge every fall
- RecycleMania and UNN-RENU every spring
- Other campaigns around waste reduction, recycling, food waste minimization, Earth Day, and more! The Ecological Advocates held or participated in a number of fun and informative events to celebrate Earth Day 2008. The week's events focused each day on different topic: rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle, renew, respect, and rejoice.
- Awareness-raising events on campus, such as Step It Up and SolarFest
- Participation in local community efforts, like environmental activities for children at the Durham Public Library
- Much more!
MORE INFORMATION:
- www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/ecologicaladvocates.html
- President: Erin Thesing,
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.
- Student Energy Waste Watch Challenge: www.unh.edu/etf/challenge.html. The Student Energy Waste Watch Challenge is an annual on-campus energy use reduction competition held on the UNH Durham campus for four weeks in the fall semester. The major goal of the Challenge is to engage the students living on campus in activities that facilitate behaviors that reduce the ecological and economic costs associated with the their on-campus energy use. Students compete as a residence hall or an apartment complex to reduce their per capita energy consumption. Each apartment complex and residence hall has one or more volunteer student “Energy Captains” who educate and motivate their fellow students to lessen their ecological footprint, especially their energy use. The three buildings that reduce their energy consumption the most win prizes, bragging rights, a cool student-made trophy that moves from first-place building to first-place building each semester, and peace of mind! The UNH Panhellenic Counci oftenl holds a Greek Energy Challenge at the same time.
- RecyleMania: www.recyclemania.org. UNH participates every spring semester in the waste minimization competition of RecycleMania as part of its American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment obligations. www.ustainableunh.unh.edu/biodiv_ed/recyclemania.html
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: Both the UNH Student Body President and Vice President have met with the University Office of Sustainability over the last few years to talk about upcoming academic year agenda items and ways that students in Student Senate can advance sustainability. In addition, several Student Senate Councils deal with sustainability, including the Campus Structure and Community Change Councils and their council chairs.
MORE INFORMATION:
· www.unh.edu/student-senate/
· www.unh.edu/student-senate/councils.html
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
Other student-focused activities (which often have involved students in their development and/or implementation) include:
· Cat Cycles: http://www.unh.edu/transportation/programs/bikeprogram.htm
· ENERGY STAR™ Discounts: http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/climate_ed/energydiscount.html
· Local Harvest Feast: www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/fas/unhlocalharvest.html#annualdinner
· Real Food Challenge: http://realfoodchallenge.org/about
· Sustainable YouNH Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=ce795cb8c55332bf444824fc459d7d98&gid=133145295384
· UNH-RENU: www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/biodiv_ed/renu.html
· University-wide Dialogues on topics like health, energy, globalization, democracy, poverty, etc.: http://www.unh.edu/academic-affairs/discovery/dialogue/index.html
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:
Please see Question #1.
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):
· Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
· Campus Climate Challenge
· ChildVoice International
· Engineers Without Borders
· Habitat for Humanity
· Model UN
· Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium
· ONE Campaign
· OXFAM
· Real Food Challenge
· Slow Food International
· Slow Food USA
· Student Environmental Action Council (SEAC)
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