We're on Twitter and Facebook | Search | Login or Register

Report Card 2011

Whitman College

Student Survey

With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2011, 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 2010. 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.

School name: Whitman College

Date submitted: May 7, 2010

For each question, please choose the response that best represents the activities of your student organization. Some questions have additional instructions below the question. If you cannot find information for a particular question, please leave that question blank.

The response to this survey should be only in reference to one student organization. If there are multiple student organizations at a given school, each organization should complete its own survey. Only one survey should be submitted for each student organization at a particular school.

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Nat Clarke

School Name: Whitman College

Name of student organization: Campus Greens

Your position or title: President

2) Student Organization

Please describe the student-run campus environmental/sustainability organization in which you have a leadership role. If you are a member of multiple organizations, you will be able to enter information about their activities on a later page.

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

237

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

May 17, 2010

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Biweekly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

Use the categories below to help describe your group's initiatives in each area. In the "Describe" field, outline actions taken and elaborate on the impact and degree of success. You may want to compose your descriptions in Microsoft Word or a similar program and then paste them into the boxes provided. Please be detailed in your descriptions, and use the "Other" option to describe additional areas of involvement. You can also elaborate or add clarifying comments under "Additional Comments."

	Addressed	Progress	Describe
Academics Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects	[ ]
Administration Examples: Procurement policies, institution-wide sustainability policy, advocating for sustainability-related staff positions	[X]	Moderate
Climate Examples: Climate action plan, greenhouse gas emissions inventory	[X]	Significant
Endowment Examples: Proxy voting guidelines, investment advisory committees	[ ]
Energy Examples: Conservation/behavioral change programs, retrofits and efficiency improvements	[X]	Moderate
Food Examples: Advocating for local, organic, or more sustainable food, campus gardening, food purchasing and ingredient guidelines	[X]	Significant
Green Building Examples: Design or construction policy	[X]	Moderate
Grounds and Maintenance Examples: Green landscaping, non-toxic cleaners	[X]	Moderate
Student Involvement Examples: Facilitating engagement with students, speaker series, establishing EcoReps program, student guide to sustainable living on campus	[X]	Moderate
Transportation Examples: Promoting sustainable transportation, campus fleet improvements, connecting students with public transit	[X]	Moderate
Waste Reduction Examples: Recycling, composting, reducing consumption	[X]	Significant
Water Examples: Water conservation, reducing campus pollution, bottled water campaigns	[X]	Significant
Other	[ ]

Additional Comments

3) Sustainability Competitions and Challenges

This information should describe a campus challenge or competition organized by your group to promote sustainability. To add general information about your group, return to the previous questions.

First competition

Name of competition	Green Commute Challenge
Frequency of competition	Annually
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.	2007
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.	Conservation Committee

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[X]
Staff	[X]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Describe how students, faculty, and/or staff were encouraged to participate in the competition. How were they notified and enticed to join the competition? What was the “prize” or reward for which they were competing?

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[X]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Describe both the raw savings, and the savings as compared to use before the competition. For example, an electricity-saving competition may have encouraged a dorm to conserve 6,000 kW/h of electricity for the month of April, a savings of 5% from the same month last year.

Lasting effects of competition:

Describe other impacts and effects. What are observable changes in campus behavior even after the competition’s completion? Have other efforts towards sustainability been given added momentum? Has the competition inspired other campaigns or initiatives?

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition	Blackout
Frequency of competition	Semesterly
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.	2008
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.	Campus Climate Challenge, Campus Greens

Participants:

Students	[X]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Pride

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[X]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

significant on day of event

Lasting effects of competition:

energy awareness

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

If yes. Please describe below:

Include the following: How many students are active in the committee? How often does it meet? What kinds of power and decision-making ability does it have? What impacts and initiatives has it undertaken? What kind of working relationship does it have with other student groups and the administration?

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Describe any activities that your group or yourself, as a leader on campus, have undertaken that are not already included in your survey responses. If applicable, also describe off-campus and community efforts that relate to institutional sustainability at your school.

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

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):

______________________________

School name: Whitman College

Date submitted: May 9, 2010

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Katie Radosevic

School Name: Whitman College

Name of student organization: Campus Climate Challenge

Your position or title: Leader

2) Student Organization

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

May 7, 2010

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Weekly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

	Addressed	Progress	Describe
Academics Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects	[X]	Significant	Implementation of several green projects on campus into academic internships for credit, including but not limited to the Greenhouse Gas Audit, and Agricultural farm managers.
Administration Examples: Procurement policies, institution-wide sustainability policy, advocating for sustainability-related staff positions	[X]	Significant	Working with the school administration to complete a Greenhouse Gas Audit for the FY2009. From the data discovered, working on drafting a set of recommendations to the college.
Climate Examples: Climate action plan, greenhouse gas emissions inventory	[ ]
Endowment Examples: Proxy voting guidelines, investment advisory committees	[ ]
Energy Examples: Conservation/behavioral change programs, retrofits and efficiency improvements	[ ]
Food Examples: Advocating for local, organic, or more sustainable food, campus gardening, food purchasing and ingredient guidelines	[X]	Significant	Implementation of the Real Food Challenge, inception of Student Agriculture at Whitman (SAW)
Green Building Examples: Design or construction policy	[X]	Moderate	Working through cost-benefit analysis of weatherization of campus buildings.
Grounds and Maintenance Examples: Green landscaping, non-toxic cleaners	[ ]
Student Involvement Examples: Facilitating engagement with students, speaker series, establishing EcoReps program, student guide to sustainable living on campus	[X]	Significant	Engagement through conference attendance. Hosted a Green Jobs Fair, and a myriad of campus awareness-raising events.
Transportation Examples: Promoting sustainable transportation, campus fleet improvements, connecting students with public transit	[ ]
Waste Reduction Examples: Recycling, composting, reducing consumption	[X]	Moderate	Applied for and received a grant for composting tumblers to reduce food waste on campus from residence halls.
Water Examples: Water conservation, reducing campus pollution, bottled water campaigns	[X]	Moderate	Working for the installation of aerators for sinks campus-wide.
Other	[X]	Significant	Starting up the Environmental Justice club to save energy and lower the energy bills of lower-income communities through CFL distribution regionally.

Additional Comments

3) Sustainability Competitions and Challenges

This information should describe a campus challenge or competition organized by your group to promote sustainability. To add general information about your group, return to the previous questions.

First competition

Name of competition	Green Commute Day & Month
Frequency of competition	Ongoing
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.	2010
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.	Conservation Committee, Sustainability Coordinator

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[X]
Staff	[X]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Prizes from community businesses and organizations.

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe	Fuel and energy consumption through encouraging people to walk, bike, or carpool to work.

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Because the program is new, the percentages of reduction have not yet been determined.

Lasting effects of competition:

To be determined.

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

If yes. Please describe below:

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Successfully petitioned to the administration to hire a Campus Sustainability Coordinator. In 2008, senior Karlis Rokpelnis worked for 12 hours per week, in 2009, senior Lisa Curtis worked 15 hours per week, and in 2010, seniors Ari Frink and Nat Clarke will total 20 hours of work per week, working to increase sustainability on campus. Our next step will be to create a full-time sustainability coordinator for Whitman.

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

Campus Climate Challenge, Cascade Climate Network

______________________________

School name: Whitman College

Date submitted: July 26, 2010

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Lisa Curtis

School Name: Whitman College

Name of student organization: Student Sustainability Coordinators

Your position or title: Coordinator

2) Student Organization

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

April 6, 2010

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Monthly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

	Addressed	Progress	Describe
Academics Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects	[X]	Significant	Implemented mandatory Green Orientation for first years and internships for students such as Greenhouse Gas Audit and the farm project
Administration Examples: Procurement policies, institution-wide sustainability policy, advocating for sustainability-related staff positions	[X]	Significant	Just hired TWO sustainability coordinators for next year (previously only one) and raised the amount of the Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund from $25k to $50k
Climate Examples: Climate action plan, greenhouse gas emissions inventory	[X]	Moderate	Completed second greenhouse gas audit
Endowment Examples: Proxy voting guidelines, investment advisory committees	[ ]
Energy Examples: Conservation/behavioral change programs, retrofits and efficiency improvements	[ ]
Food Examples: Advocating for local, organic, or more sustainable food, campus gardening, food purchasing and ingredient guidelines	[X]	Significant	Implementation of the Real Food Challenge, inception of Student Agriculture at Whitman (SAW)
Green Building Examples: Design or construction policy	[ ]	Significant	Initiated cost-benefit analysis of weatherization of campus buildings.
Grounds and Maintenance Examples: Green landscaping, non-toxic cleaners	[X]	Moderate	Planted more edible foods on-campus
Student Involvement Examples: Facilitating engagement with students, speaker series, establishing EcoReps program, student guide to sustainable living on campus	[X]	Significant	Sent 50 students to an environmental conference, hosted Green Jobs Panel, have nine active environmental clubs (1 new from last year)
Transportation Examples: Promoting sustainable transportation, campus fleet improvements, connecting students with public transit	[ ]
Waste Reduction Examples: Recycling, composting, reducing consumption	[ ]	Moderate	Helped students receive a grant to initiate composting on-campus
Water Examples: Water conservation, reducing campus pollution, bottled water campaigns	[ ]	Significant	Working for the installation of aerators for sinks campus-wide.
Other	[ ]

Additional Comments

3) Sustainability Competitions and Challenges

This information should describe a campus challenge or competition organized by your group to promote sustainability. To add general information about your group, return to the previous questions.

First competition

Name of competition	Green Commute Day & Month Challenge
Frequency of competition	Annually
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.	2009
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.	Sustainability Coordinator (me), Conservation Committee Co-Chairs, Five Community Organizations

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[X]
Staff	[X]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Prizes from community businesses and organizations.

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe	Promotion of environmentally-friendly methods of commuting such as biking or walking

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Still ongoing so difficult to quantify

Lasting effects of competition:

Still ongoing so difficult to quantify

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

If yes. Please describe below:

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

Since I am the Sustainability Coordinator, I don't really have a "group" and instead work with the administration, students, faculty and staff to coordinate environmental activities on-campus

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

N/A

______________________________

School name: Whitman College

Date submitted: July 21, 2010

1) Contact Information

The following fields designate the main contact person for your group.

Name: Robin Lewis

School Name: Whitman College

Name of student organization: Organic Garden

Your position or title: President

2) Student Organization

Active members attend meetings and help implement the organization’s initiatives. Please describe event or email-listserv attendance under “Additional Comments.”

Number of active members:

Date of last meeting (mm/dd/yyyy):

May 15, 2010

Frequency of meetings:

Note: if you meet more than once a week, please select weekly.

Weekly

Key issues addressed and programs implemented since August 2009:

	Addressed	Progress	Describe
Academics Examples: Minor, major and concentration programs, curricular additions, research projects	[ ]
Administration Examples: Procurement policies, institution-wide sustainability policy, advocating for sustainability-related staff positions	[ ]
Climate Examples: Climate action plan, greenhouse gas emissions inventory	[ ]
Endowment Examples: Proxy voting guidelines, investment advisory committees	[ ]
Energy Examples: Conservation/behavioral change programs, retrofits and efficiency improvements	[X]	Moderate
Food Examples: Advocating for local, organic, or more sustainable food, campus gardening, food purchasing and ingredient guidelines	[X]	Significant
Green Building Examples: Design or construction policy	[ ]
Grounds and Maintenance Examples: Green landscaping, non-toxic cleaners	[X]	Moderate
Student Involvement Examples: Facilitating engagement with students, speaker series, establishing EcoReps program, student guide to sustainable living on campus	[X]	Significant
Transportation Examples: Promoting sustainable transportation, campus fleet improvements, connecting students with public transit	[ ]
Waste Reduction Examples: Recycling, composting, reducing consumption	[ ]
Water Examples: Water conservation, reducing campus pollution, bottled water campaigns	[X]	Moderate
Other	[ ]

Additional Comments

3) Sustainability Competitions and Challenges

This information should describe a campus challenge or competition organized by your group to promote sustainability. To add general information about your group, return to the previous questions.

First competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

Second competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

Third competition

Name of competition
Frequency of competition
Year initiated Even if the competition has not been held continually each year, enter the year it began.
Groups involved in coordinating If your group conducted the competition alone enter your group's name. Otherwise, enter other student groups, administrative offices, or faculty departments that assisted in implementation.

Participants:

Students	[ ]
Faculty	[ ]
Staff	[ ]
Other. Please describe.

Incentives/Rewards:

Goals of competition:

Describe the sustainability-related goal of the competition (e.g. conserve electricity, water, reduce waste, increase recycling rates).

Energy conservation	[ ]
Waste reduction	[ ]
Water conservation	[ ]
Other. Please describe

Percent of energy/water/waste reduced (describe):

Lasting effects of competition:

Website:

4) Sustainability in Student Government and Other Activities

Please describe the role of Student Government and other groups.

Does your student government include a specific position or committee dedicated to campus sustainability issues?

Yes

If yes. Please describe below:

Our student government has worked to secure funding for green groups and endeavors. They also passed a resolution in support of sustainability. We have a Sustainability Coordinator.

Please describe any additional campus sustainability activities or projects that you or your group has initiated at your school:

growing food organically, including meat (broiler chickens)composting some of student waste (half of Whitties live off campus and many bring their compost to the garden)Real Food Resolution--Student government support to get more local, organic, fair trade, and humane food into our dining halls

Please Note: The following is for informational purposes only; your response will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.

Real Food Challenge

<< Back to Report Card