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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: Bridget Kapler
Position (in student organization): Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) Chair
Date survey submitted: June 29, 2009
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
1) Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role.
Name of organization: Student Sustainability Committee
Number of active members: 12
Website: http://www.stthomas.edu/usg/default.html
Date of last meeting: Thursday May 7 at 1:30pm
Frequency of meetings: Bi-monthly
Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2008:
Recycling – The SSC determined that recycling could be seriously improved at St. Thomas.
Elections – The SSC learned that not many people understood the upcoming Minnesota bill to protect lakes and clean water that was up for public approval during the 2008 election.
Recycled Printed Paper – The SSC noticed that lots of paper is recycled after only being used on one side.
HOURCar – The SSC determined a car sharing program would be perfect for St. Thomas, as it is located near downtown areas, but does not have the best of access to public transportation.
Progress made on each issue/program since August 2008:
Recycling – We hosted a successful Recyclemania competition in the spring of 2009 and implemented poster campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of recycling.
Elections – We attended the student government’s opportunities to speak with students and answered questions, completely non-partisan, on certain bills and topics of interest.
Recycled Printed Paper – We developed a successful system with the library to take already printed paper and recycle it for use in another printer to be printed on the other side as well; however, there will need to be a couple adjustments as we go into the next year in order to keep the program running properly.
HOURCar – We have approval from the community, but we are awaiting various other approvals.
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: 2009
Frequency of competition: Annually
Participants: Students, Faculty, Staff
Incentives: Chipotle gift cards and/or guacamole and chips.
Goal of competition: Reduce waste and increase recycling
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced: over 40 lbs. per person was diverted over the ten week competition
Lasting effects of competition: The competition results are still posted around campus and more people seem to be recycling.
Website: http://www.recyclemania.org/
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: The position of Student Sustainability Committee Chair serves as a voting member in the Undergraduate Student Government.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
4) Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:
Earth Week: The SSC hosted the second annual Earth Week celebrations during the week of Earth day, which included a river cleanup session on Saturday to kickoff the event, building a recycling statue outside the student center on Sunday afternoon, a green jobs seminar on Monday night, a focus on St. Thomas activities on Tuesday, outside speakers on Wednesday, a green research seminar on Thursday, and community businesses sharing their sustainable activities on Thursday afternoon. Altogether, these student-organized events provided student, faculty, and staff insight into the depths of sustainability interest at the University of St. Thomas.
http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/news/200916/Thursday/EarthWeek4_16_09.cfm
Campus Compact Civil Engagement Forum: The SSC hosted this event along with St. Catherine’s University to provide a forum for discussion around the topics of sustainability in the East Metro of St. Paul. St. Thomas’ Engineers for a Sustainable World presented on designs they had created for purifying water.
http://www.compact.org/calendar/
Hard Rain Exhibit: The SSC helped host several events around St. Thomas’ display of the environmental exhibit, Hard Rain.
http://www.hardrainproject.com/home.htm
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:
BEAST: Bike Enthusiasts at St. Thomas – A bike sharing, repairing, and fellowship group run by undergraduate students, which sponsors bi-annual bike tune-ups and a bike sale on campus.
http://www.stthomas.edu/ustclubs/beast/default.html
ESW: Engineers for a Sustainable World – A student club dedicated to projects in sustainable design, architecture, and engineering to foster a closer relationship between the design and use of the product.
http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/engineering/esw/
Environmental Law – The law school at the University of St. Thomas has a club dedicated to investigating and understanding the principles of environmental law.
http://www.stthomas.edu/law/programs/studentorgs/organizations/environmental%20law%20so.html
Green Team – An undergraduate St. Thomas student club that focuses on organic foods, natural living, and local production. They also help sponsor a river clean up and community clean up for the areas around campus. http://www.stthomas.edu/ustclubs/greenteam/default.html
NET Impact – A St. Thomas student organization for the MBA school, which focuses on the social and environmental impacts of running a business on the community and the planet.
http://www.stthomas.edu/business/degrees/clubs/netimpactclub.html
SSC: Student Sustainability Committee – This committee consists of representatives from various clubs and organizations on campus and serves as a forum for discussion toward increasing environmental awareness and creating an environmentally sound campus. The committee also hosts several events and sponsors competitions throughout the year to incorporate the sustainable principles into everyday student life. http://www.stthomas.edu/usg/default.html
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):
TEAM Minnesota, Energy Action Coalition/Campus Climate Challenge, AASHE – Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, UMACS – Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability, NWF – National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology program
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