| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.26 |
| Liaison | Megan Litke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 12, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
American University
SD-1: New Student Orientation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Tiffany
Sanchez Director of New Student Programs New Student Programs |
Does new student orientation include presentations, speakers, or skits that address sustainability and take place in large venues that most or all first-year students attend?:
Provide a brief description of the presentations, speakers or skits:
1,500 freshman attended a presentation by Seamus McGraw who wrote The End of Country, a book about fracking and sustainability. The students were required to read the book over the summer before attending American University.
Does new student orientation incorporate sustainability information into presentations (e.g., made by Residential Advisors to individual dorm floors)?:
Provide a brief description of the presentations:
The office of Sustainability gives a presentation to orientation leaders on what is sustainability, the importance of sustainability, what our campus is doing to be sustainable, and what the AU community can do to help. Additionally RA's brief students on recycling in the dorm rooms during student orientation floor meetings.
Does new student orientation actively engage students in activities that raise awareness about sustainability, highlight how sustainability plays out on campus, or allows students to take part in a productive green activity?:
Provide a brief description of the activities:
Students paint a mural during orientation representing AU's core values. Orientation leaders stress the importance of sustainability at AU and that students should use paint carefully. They also use biodegradable corn cups and wash the paintbrushes in order to reuse them. Additionally students entering AU for the 2012-2013 school year had the option of attending the Sustainable Campus Sustainable City Welcome Week Program. The program was a three day event which included a campus sustainability tour, a presentation on sustainability at AU, a craft project to make solar powered battery chargers, storm drain labeling with the DDOE, a presentation on urban forestry in D.C., and a guided tree walk. Twenty students enrolled in the program for fall 2012.
Does the institution make new student orientation more sustainable via efforts such as a zero-waste meal or carbon offsets?:
Provide a brief description of the efforts:
New student orientation has reduced paper significantly by eliminating handouts and providing more online resources, always printing double sided or quarter sheets, and reducing the use of bright and dark colored paper since it cannot be recycled. Name tags used at orientation can be recycled as luggage tags, and prizes awarded at orientation are sustainable such as reusable water bottles.
Does the institution incorporate sustainability into new student orientation in other ways?:
Provide a brief description:
When students register for orientation online they have the option of donating money to the Sustainability Grant Fund to help offset their travel to orientation. This fund provides money for projects and research on campus related to sustainability.
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Link to sustainability initiatives related to new student orientation: http://www.american.edu/ocl/orientation/Orientation-is-Green.cfm
Link to sustainability initiatives related to new student orientation: http://www.american.edu/ocl/orientation/Orientation-is-Green.cfm
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