Elon University
IN-39: Sustainability Office Diversity Program

The Office of Sustainability promotes student job opportunities specifically to underrepresented groups, including students in the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE), International Students and the Gender and LGBTQIA Center, through newsletters specifically targeting these audiences. Additionally, during the application process, the Environmental Justice Intern promotes job opportunities to students in the CREDE at their weekly office hours that take place in the CREDE.
The Office of Sustainability has not had a non-student employee opening for which to recruit in the last three years.

The Office of Sustainability has a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Initiative that includes a number of action items. Two of those action items address training for sustainability employees:
-Provide ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion training, including topics such as anti-racism and environmental justice, for all student staff in the Office of Sustainability.
-Ensure professional staff in the Office of Sustainability participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training and discussions on a regular and ongoing basis.

Every student staff member (Eco-Reps and Interns) that works for the Office of Sustainability is required to attend training, which includes information about environmental justice. This training defines environmental justice, gives a brief history and highlights environmental justice issues in North Carolina and BIPOC leaders who are pivotal to efforts to address these issues.
Each year professional staff participate in DEI training sessions through AASHE, Elon University and/or other resources.

During Black History Month (February 2023), the Office of Sustainability partnered with the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE) and Elon Dining to bring a local chef who was born in Kenya to campus to educate the Elon community about African foods. This visit included a dining hall takeover, a farm-to-table dinner and a teaching kitchen demonstration.
The Associate Director of Sustainability and the Environmental Justice Intern presented Environmental Justice 101: the intersection of racial justice and climate justice at Black Solidarity Day in February 2023. This presentation highlighted NC-based environmental justice issues and local Black and Indigenous leaders who are working toward environmental justice.
During Campus Sustainability Week (in October 2023), the Office of Sustainability (via the Eco-Reps program) partnered with CREDE for a Sustainable Stories event, which offered students a space to discuss environmental justice issues in their hometowns, feelings associated with these issues and opportunities to take action to address these issues.
The Office of Sustainability partnered with the Gender and LGBTQIA Center throughout the spring 2023 semester for a monthly Queering Sustainability series, which highlighted the intersection of queer and environmental issues, such as queer access in outdoor spaces.

The Office of Sustainability has a student Environmental Justice Intern position.
The essential duties and responsibilities of this position are below.
•Research, design and implement outreach campaigns to increase awareness of environmental justice issues.
•Collaborate with fellow interns to plan and implement campus sustainability education and outreach programs/events
•Collaborate with Office of Sustainability student staff to plan and implement environmental justice outreach programs/events.
•Collaborate with Elon Departments to plan events infused with environmental justice knowledge throughout campus.
•Work with the Associate Director of Sustainability to enhance environmental justice programming throughout campus.
•Work with the Associate Director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education to enhance environmental justice programming in the CREDE.
•Other duties as assigned