| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.85 |
| Liaison | Karen Eckert, Ph.D. |
| Submission Date | Nov. 30, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Principia College
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Shelby
Tisinai Land Stewardship Assistant Biology and Natural Resources |
Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Active student groups focused on sustainability | Yes |
| Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes | Yes |
| Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills | No |
| Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles | Yes |
| Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences | No |
| Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills | Yes |
| Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution | Yes |
| Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions | No |
| Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives | Yes |
The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:
The Principia College Sustainability Club and the Principia College (dormitory-based) Eco Heads are two groups of students who are dedicated to and focused on sustainability. They actively plan campus events and increase awareness of sustainability issues. The mission of the Sustainability Club, as stated in their Charter, is to "Promote and facilitate—in practical, tangible, and inspiring ways—the participation of Principia community members in sustainability activities on campus.” The purpose of the Eco-Heads, as stated in the campus constitution, is to “coordinate and facilitate the ecological efforts of the campus. This includes working with the Facilities Department to promote and maintain the campus recycling program, as well as updating the campus about the recycling program.”
The website URL where information about student groups is available:
A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:
Located on Principia College property, the Three Rivers Community Farm is a chemical-free CSA that welcomes Principia students as volunteers and interns to learn first-hand about organic farming, sustainable planting, local food distribution, agriculture business principles, etc. These experiences empower our students to bring that knowledge back to the Principia community - and into their careers and life paths.
The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:
Every year, as part of the Sugarbush Management class, students have the opportunity to learn how to create a "value-added" maple syrup product (from maple syrup they made themselves) and sell their product to the college community. They learn sustainable business skills, including product development, marketing, and financing. Students in the Principia Beekeepers Association have a business plan that includes the sale of honey produced from the campus apiary, and a student-run aquaponics team provides campus-grown greens and tilapia (fish) to Dining Services in accordance with an approved business plan of their own design.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
In 2014, students hosted an international conference focused on "Sustainability: Not a Fad but a Future" aimed at a student audience but drawing speakers from around the world and participants from the greater St Louis area. Students host an annual Earth Day Fair featuring sustainable food, crafts, vendors, and entertainment, and a Whole World Festival to showcase the diverse cultures of Principia's international students. Throughout the year, the Center of Sustainability hosts films and speakers - including a Changemaker Speaker Series - to deepen awareness of sustainable issues and career paths.
The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
In 2014, as part of a student-hosted international conference focused on "Sustainability: Not a Fad but a Future", a Seattle-based artist led students in a workshop designed to explore the relationship between community, food and pollinators - and the result was installation art hung throughout the student center.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Educational Studies 130 (Outdoor Education) explores, inter alia, "...Leave No Trace outdoor ethics." In addition,
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
The website URL where information about the theme is available:
A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Principia students learn a wide variety of sustainable life skills through, inter alia, the following entirely student-run initiatives - dormitory recycling and composting, campus book recycling, campus food production outlets (e.g., apiary, aquaculture, Food Forest), Sustainability Club (e.g., leadership, event planning, budgeting, building community around sustainability goals), and community-based volunteering (e.g., food production, sustainable business, environmental stewardship). In addition, students are constantly innovating and practicing sustainable life skills in developing "rent a bag" programs to reduce reliance on plastic shopping bags, planting native gardens, and interacting with the campus store to identify more sustainable consumer products.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
The Center for Sustainability routinely mentors more than 10% of the student population with the goal of identifying and capturing sustainability-focused employment during summer and winter academic breaks. Principia College also offers student employment in various land stewardship arenas, Dining Services, Facilities (e.g., recycling collection), and a 0.5 FTE position managing the FSC-certification processes for the Principia Forest.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
Many of these have been described above, and include students participating - often for academic credit and/or in support of their coursework or career goals - elected campus office, club membership, field trips, immersion experiences, conferences, speakers/film festivals, all-campus events, campus labs, intern/externships, solar car team, aquaponics, beekeeping, and so on.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
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.