| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.87 |
| Liaison | Amy Parrish |
| Submission Date | July 16, 2021 |
Boise State University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Kat
Davis Sustainability Coordinator Campus Sustainability |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Sustainability and Community Garden Club,
Boise State's Sustainability Club strives to promote sustainable living on and off campus. We maintain a community garden located off of Juanita St. in order to provide fresh free vegetables to students and community members. We also work with local organizations to promote different aspects of sustainability such as recycling, re-using, water conservation, environmental conservation, and reducing your ecological footprint!
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/sustainability-club/
Net Impact Club
Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization with a mission to mobilize new generations to use their skills and careers to drive transformational social and environmental change. Spanning six continents, our membership makes up one of the most influential networks of professionals and students in existence today. Net Impact members are current and emerging leaders in CSR, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability who are actively improving the world.
https://www.boisestate.edu/cobe-netimpact/
Trash Club
The Trash Club at Boise State is an environmental club dedicated to litter clean up on campus and in the community.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/trash-club/
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The Boise State Sustainability and Community Garden Club maintains and operates a plot of land just off campus where they practice sustainable agriculture techniques such as companion planting, compost, hydroponics, and connecting fresh produce with the Campus Food Pantry.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/sustainability-club/
The Bee Team is dedicated to learning about the health and care of honeybees by maintaining our apiary on the roof of Boise State Student Union Building. In addition to harvesting honey and beeswax, we make products to sell at the Broncoshop, take part in team building activities, and hold educational events featuring TVBC members.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/food-and-sustainability/
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
The Boise State Campus Sustainability Eco-Reps program is entirely designed and executed by student employees, creating professional development and leadership opportunities for the 10 active Eco-Reps. This program not only connect students with local leaders and innovators through the Fall speaker series, it also gives the student staff and the Eco-Reps alike project management and event planning skills by using the connections curated in the Fall to create a project for the Spring. With these projects, the Eco-Reps learn to create a project budget and proposal, fill out a "grant application" to gain funding through the Campus Sustainability department, and then work with community partners to implement the project.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/eco-reps/
The Boise State Bee Team oversees the campus bee apiary, while also learning how to create a circular business model by collecting the bee wax and honey to sell in the Student Union Building Bronco Shop.
https://www.facebook.com/TheBeeTeamBSU/
https://www.boisestate.edu/sps-environmental/experiential-learning/capstone-projects/boise-bee-project-connecting-boise-state-students-to-the-treasure-valley-beekeeping-community/
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
The 2019 Celebrate Earth Day event series included a career symposium, Careers for the Earth, as well as a student speaker innovator speakers series to connect the students with local alumni, sustainability professionals, and passionate peers.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/programs-and-events/archived-events/earth-week-2019/
Careers for the Earth: https://www.boisestate.edu/epi/upcomingevents/careers-for-the-earth/
Solutions for the Earth: https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/programs-and-events/archived-events/earth-week-2019/save-the-earth/
In Fall 2020 Campus Sustainability hosted a virtual documentary showing and discussion around the film Plastic Wars, engaging students in the problematic issue of recycling and thinking critically about feasible zero waste solutions.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/programs-and-events/archived-events/plastic-wars
The BroncoFit Annual Food Symposium brings together the campus community and stakeholders around food sustainability on campus to discuss relevant issues and brainstorm solutions to challenges around food insecurity, food waste, and sustainable food sources.
https://www.boisestate.edu/broncofit/food-symposium/
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Art for the Earth is an annual arts and culture event as a part of the Celebrate Earth Day Event Series. Students, staff, and community are invited to submit pieces of sustainability-themed or upcycled art for the Earth Day art exhibit with a mixer targeted towards students where they can participate in live upcycle activities and be entered in for a raffle that gives away items and gift cards from local sustainability and creativity-themed businesses.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/programs-and-events/archived-events/earth-week-2019/art-for-the-earth
Voices of the Earth is an annual arts and cultural event as a part of the Celebrate Earth Day Event series where students, staff, and community are invited to share poetry, spoken word, short stories and essays about the earth. The target audience is for students and includes vendors, community partners, and raffles for students to engage with.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/voices-of-the-earth/
In October 2019 the Sustainability Club and the Department of Campus Sustainability created the Upcycle your Style Sustainability Fashion Show to encourage creative thinking about sustainable fashion, reuse, and upcycle design. This event was completely planned, curated, and executed and outfits modeled by studnets. Description: Sustainability, fashion, and creativity are coming together on October 25th at 4 p.m. in the Jordan Ballroom! Exercise your design skills by creating an outfit, show off your moves by signing up to be a model. Our team will help connect interested models with designers to make sure that each piece has a person. Is your Halloween costume DIY? Make it zero waste too and walk your costume down the runway!
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/wp-admin/post.php?post=489&action=edit
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The Outdoor Program does have an extensive process to train and teach students the principles of Leave No Trace.
All Trip Leaders go through a 5-day backpacking training course and by the end of the course, they are familiar and can teach all seven principles. We not only talk about what they are but the importance of the why and how to best follow those principles. Each trainee takes on a single topic and gives a 10-15 minute presentation on the topic and best guidelines to follow the principle. By the end of the training, all the staff present the LNT principles and know-how each principle is managed in the backcountry.
Each trip the OP takes out LNT is covered with participants at the Trip leaders' discretion. It usually involves a practical situation for its use. Example of micro trash when having lunch and the need to if you Pack it in, you need to Pack it out. Or in a lot of cases disposing of waste properly. This simultaneously provides a nice teachable moment as well as gives specific reasoning on why we must take care of the areas we recreate in.
As far as the official training of the staff, we teach them to the level of "Master Educator'' for LNT but do not have the official Certification from the organization. The coordinators of the outdoor program are LNT "Master Educators" and train our staff about the different principles and how those principles change depending on the environment that you are in.
https://www.boisestate.edu/recreation/become-a-trip-leader/
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
The Boise State Sustainability Club has a sustainable garden space, shed and community meeting space where students can come together to learn about sustainable practices in growing food, connecting with local community partners, upcycling, and zero waste practices. In addition, the club space has a solar panel that powers the lighting in the shed/community space, and a hydroponics system to learn innovative energy and growing practices. The club brings in speakers from different are
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/sustainability-club/
COBE offers Sustainability minor, an interdisciplinary course that teaches students sustainable cost-benefit analysis and problem solving strategies on balance social, environmental and economic needs.
https://www.boisestate.edu/registrar-catalog/program-list/sustainability-minor/
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Boise State Campus Sustainability offers a variety of employment opportunities for students to be paid to do meaningful work on campus. These paid positions include work-study positions, current student positions, and a one post-graduate fellowship to bridge the transition out of college for motivated students to continue and deepen their work on campus. The positions offered at Campus Sustainability include: Sustainability Program Coordinator (Post-Graduate Fellowship), Community Development Coordinator, Communication Specialist, a Service-Learning Student Leader (work-study), and two Student Program Coordinators.
Meet the team and the work that they do here: https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/our-team/
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
1) B CORP WORKSHOP
(B-Corp is a workshop presented by Responsible Business Initiative that teaches the economic, social and environmental impact of a business by the use of impact assessment survey)
https://www.boisestate.edu/cobe/blog/2017/03/rbi-cobe-students-help-treefort-re-certify-b-corp/
2) SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING BADGE
The sustainability reporting badge is an extracurricular badge that students producing the sustainability report can earn to signal interest and skills in analyzing and reporting on sustainability measures. The badge gives students a foundational understanding in non financial reporting concepts, in addition to hands on opportunities that allow them to put newly learned skills into action. Students execute research, attend workshops, learn about well-known frameworks, produce the college’s sustainability report, and pitch roadmaps to administrators and faculty to accomplish sustainability target goals.
3) Bronco Sustainability Pledge
The Bronco Sustainability Pledge is available for all students to pledge to adopt sustainable lifestyle changes at home. Students that take the pledge receive a follow up from The Department of Campus Sustainability to learn more about how the team can better assist students with sustainable lifestyle changes.
https://www.boisestate.edu/sustainability/the-bronco-sustainability-pledge/
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.