Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.40
Liaison Havina Georgieva
Submission Date April 4, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

FIE: Foundation for International Education
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Havina Georgieva
Programmes Coordinator
Administration
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:

The Sustainability Action Group: This standing committee of FIE staff works to promote sustainability issues and raise awareness throughout the entire FIE community. Organisational advocacy has led to initiatives including but not limited to strategic policy development, comprehensive recycling programs, energy-efficient facility upgrades, and student energy-saving residential competitions


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):

Representatives across all departments within the organisation:

John M. Pearson (Chair) - Senior Vice President – Operations
Jaqueline Patton - Academic & Experential Education Coordinator
Havina Georgieva - Programme Coordinator
Hannah Feakes - Administration & Accessibility Manager
Deanna Gouros - External Communication Coordinator
Mieke Berg - Residence Life Director
Neena Agnish - Facilities Support Team Manager


Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
No

A brief description of each sustainability office:
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Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
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Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Diversity and Social Responsibility Officer

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution (e.g. a campus-wide committee or an officer/office responsible for the entire campus)?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:

Activities:

• Switch-off stickers are placed on all electrical appliances and next to light switches in washrooms in Foundation House and residences in London
• All service internship students and NU-in students are given guidance and support to pursue a V-inspired award. "VInspired is an independent British charity dedicated to helping young people volunteer in their local communities. Its projects are designed to engage young people who are under-represented in volunteering – for example, minority groups and those not in education, employment or training. vInspired campaigns to have the benefits of volunteering recognised by everyone".
• SharePoint is the current new system for accessing work emails and files from anywhere
• PaperCut printing system which can help reduce print resources and calculate environmental impact of students printing activity
• Fairtrade, eco-friendly and organic foodstuffs and products are bought for FIE catered events wherever possible. This includes using Wholeleaf Co palm plant compostables wherever possible. This includes using Wholefeaf Co palm plant compostables.
• Tea & coffee purchased for the staff kitchen are fair trade. Milk is delivered throughout the week to avoid waste.
• 100% recycled hand towels and 100% toilet paper
• Green board Metrogate House's Entrance (one of the student's residences) devoted to providing students with information about environmental issues
• Facilities & Facilties Support Team - Level 2 Environmental Principles and Best Practice Training
• Donation Drive - from all FIE residences.
• Non-required textbooks and additional books are collected by Oxfam
• Used battery collection point at Metrogate House
• Lyreco Stationary Supplier - Collects the Study Area in Foundation House & FSD toners periodically
• Skype for Business and Go-To-Meeting are in place to be used in lieu of travel, wherever possible.
• Using PowerPoint presentations instead of print-outs
• Student Switch Off scheme across residences
• 'My Promise to the Environment' stickers is given to students in Dublin and is placed on the fridges in the residences in London
• FIE's supports Meat Free Mondays. As part of the "Food Society & Culture in Britain" course students are encouraged to participate on Mondays during their course duration. Also, each term communication regarding Meat Free Mondays and other initiatives in place (Dublin and Residence Life Teams) is sent out to FIE students.
• Green Living (used to be 'Get Sussed') is a monthly email/ Facebook post sent to staff, faculty and students to highlight useful links, events, and information on issues to do with environmental, ethical and social responsibility
• Various sizes of reusable plastic wallets are used for internal mail & transport student keys
• Environmentally-friendly cleaning products are used in residences and offices
• FSD TV Powerpoint presentation: Mailing System Guide & Trash & Recycling Guide
• Cycle Stand located in the external basement area, Building 5, Metrogate House
• CRT monitors were replaced with flat screens in Foundation House and MetroGate Study Area, reducing energy consumption by >50%
• The Sustainability Lecture Series featured eminent leaders in sustainability and environmentalism (once per academic semester).
• Sustainability film

Accomplishments:
- Sustainability Action Group Champion Award - each semester faculty and students are recognised by the committee for their contribution to sustainability initiatives
- Student Switch Off (SSO) Scheme in partnership with the UK's National Union of Students (NUS) - energy saving/carbon footprint reduction initiative. In Fall and Spring semesters students are encouraged to participate in the scheme by saving energy, and taking part in climate change quizz; competition between residences for saving energy and sharing photos on Facebook how they do so. As part of the initiative FIE always recruits SSO Student Ambassadors who encourage their peers to participate and raise student awareness of sustainability
- In 2014 FIE won GO Abroad 'Innovation in Sustainability Award' for our Student Switch Off campaign
- Sustainability film investment - in 2016 lead by the sustainability committee, FIE invested in creating it's own sustainability film to be used in key course classes for educating students on the topic of sustainability
- In 2014 FIE's Academic Team completed an initiative called 'Chartering the course' which involved mapping FIE's values to the FIE London curriculum. As one of the core values of FIE is the company's commitment to sustainability, now every course has clearly outlines how sustainability is part of the curriculum
- Sustainability scholarship route - as part of their scholarship application, students are required to submit 750 - 1000 word proposal titled 'How one student can make a difference'. This should relate to environmental responsibility, conservation, or advocacy initiatives that could be implemented while studying abroad. Once they start their study abroad program they are assigned a member of staff as a mentor and they are supported in executing their sustainability project.
- Since 2012, FIE has partnered with ClimateCare to tackle the impact associated with the business travel of our London, Dublin, and US-based staff and offset our CO₂ emissions. Since 2012, FIE has offset 226.78 tonnes and contributed £1700.85 towards sustainable projects around the world.


Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Diversity and Social Responsibility Officer

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:

The basic purpose and primary objectives of this position are to:

• Lead on established projects, new initiatives and events to showcase FIE’s values of
diversity, sustainability and social justice across all programme sites and
departments
• Act as a key contact for these value-led initiatives internally and externally
• Organise and manage FIE’s annual Student Global Leadership Conference
(SGLC) and associated academic activities
• Support and motivate students in ‘living’ FIE’s values throughout their experience
• Act as the Chair of the Sustainability Action Group (StAG) - FIE's sustainability committee, leading well-established sustainability projects.


Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

FIE sustainability film - https://youtu.be/lxBGB8mlvqk

Student Switch Off Campaign - http://www.studentswitchoff.org/unis/fie

Facebook FIE Student Switch Off page - https://www.facebook.com/FIELondonSwitch/?fref=ts

Climate care - https://climatecare.org

Go Abroad Sustainability Innovation Award - http://www.goabroad.com/awards/innovation-awards-2014

Meat-Free Monday - http://www.meatfreemondays.com/recipes


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.