The Ohio State University
EN-3: Student Life

• Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) at OSU - The purpose of the OSU AEE student chapter is to provide engineers of all backgrounds opportunities to learn, network, and explore within the field of energy engineering. Backed by the national, professional chapter of AEE, the student chapter aims to work together with local energy engineering professionals to engage themselves in the energy industry. Through site visits, networking opportunities, professional workshops, panel discussions, and monthly meetings the OSU AEE student chapter strives to help students interested in all types of energy obtain and succeed in jobs related to energy engineering.

• Bike OSU - Bike OSU provides resources to student cyclists to create a strong, safe cycling community. Cycling clinics, repair workshops, and bike tours are offered to students.

• Buckeye Blackout The mission of Buckeye Blackout is to advocate for sustainable living and awareness through music.

• Center for Energy, Agriculture, Renewable Technology, and Health - The mission of the EARTH Center is to provide a center for scientific research, design, demonstration and deployment of vital projects that enable humanity to confront the most profound global challenges of the 21st century including climate change, food insecurity, and extreme poverty. The EARTH Center aims for the advancement of scientifically-proven sustainable solutions to global challenges as well as the development of economic policy and global decision making that promotes the equitable implementation of such solutions.

• EcoCAR Challenge Team at the Ohio State University - The EcoCAR Team at Ohio State is a group of undergraduate and graduate students who convert a Chevrolet Malibu (Donated by GM) into a vehicle with higher fuel economy and lower emissions, while maintaining performance and consumer acceptability. Ohio State competes with 16 other universities throughout North America in an annual EcoCAR Challenge competition. This competition evaluates vehicle design in a variety of dynamic and static events over the course of 3 years of the automotive design process.

• Ecological Engineering Society - Ecological Engineering Society Mission Statement: To educate members and others about ecological engineering and the potential for ecological engineering, to develop our potential as ecological engineers, to develop ecological engineering as a course of study at Ohio State and as an area of science in the broader community, and to influence local and global sustainability.

• Engineers without Borders - The goal of Engineers without Borders is to use engineering solutions to aid underprivileged communities in various countries.

• Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) - ESW's vision is a world in which engineering fosters environmental, social, and economic sustainability to improve both quality of life and the condition of our planet.

• Environmental Law Association - To promote knowledge and understanding of issues effecting the environment, and to foster critical thinking of how public policy and laws should be shaped to support intelligent conservation of natural resources.
• Growing Green at The Ohio State University - Growing Green is dedicated to the improvement of the Columbus community through its efforts to encourage environmental stewardship in younger generations and guide them towards strong educational futures.

• Net Impact - Net Impact brings together leaders with a passion for creating solutions to a wide range of Environmental and Social issues. Through Networking across academic and professional disciplines, Net Impact strives to Educate, promote Curriculum Change, foster Discussion, and actively engage in Social Change Projects targeting our local community and beyond.

• Parks and Recreation Society – consists of students interested in outdoor adventure, environmental education, park rangers, search and rescue, park administration, community recreation, tourism planning and development and all things related to parks, recreation and tourism careers. Guest speakers are invited to meet and their expertise in the field. Parks and Recreation Society goes on outings to meet professionals at work and learn about what they do and how to do it, participates in mentoring workshops, attends conferences, and gain special skills necessary to this career field.

• Project Green OSU - Project Green OSU is a student organization at Ohio State that focuses on raising awareness among fellow peers and staff members about conscious living. The organization’s goal is to shift the wasteful consumerism behaviors of our generation by educating, inspiring and mobilizing campus around a variety of sustainable initiatives. Project Green OSU lives by the motto, “Dream and Do” and welcomes all ideas and initiatives that students have relating to sustainability!

• Real Food OSU - Real Food OSU program at Ohio State gives students a platform from which to pursue community and individual projects in the local and sustainable food movement. RFOSU fosters leadership skills among students who are driven to be change agents in the local and sustainable food movement. The group will give students a platform from which to pursue community and individual projects by building off of Local Matters’ core program areas: healthy food education, community and backyard gardening, systemic change, grassroots engagement, and political action.

• Roots & Shoots - Roots & Shoots is an organization whose purpose is to bring about positive community-oriented change through innovative projects led by its members. By focusing on habitat restoration, cleanups, pollution, and recycling, the organization aims to make the world a better place and foster an appreciation of nature, including all living things and the environment.

• Society of Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (SEEDS) - The Society of Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (SEEDS) is the first and only student organization at Ohio State dedicated to representing students within the EEDS Major. Forming a coalition between students, SEEDS can help our members achieve the greatest results from their education and create further opportunity for future graduates. Through SEEDS collective effort and initiative, our work may also benefit the community, both within the university and the surrounding Columbus area, in achieving sustainability through a number of SEEDS projects and campaigns.

• Solar Education & Outreach - strives to educate members, fellow students, and the university in general about Solar energy and other green technology and initiatives emerging in the world.

• SENR Coalition of Student Organizations - strives to make it easy for students from the School of Environmental and Natural Resources (SENR) to find a group that suits their personality and passion. They are home to over 10 student organizations.

• Students for a Sustainable Campus - Students for a Sustainable Campus (SSC) actively works with students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State in pursuit of ecological awareness and change. SSC leads a variety of initiatives to address issues related to energy, the environment, and public health.

• Students for Recycling - It shall be the purpose of Students for Recycling to build a coalition of student organizations to promote recycling, to raise awareness about recycling on campus, to raise money to assist the already established Ohio State Recycling Program, and to provide education on the impact of waste disposal.

• Sustainability Council - It is a gathering of representatives from sustainability student organizations on campus. The goal is to coordinate the groups’ efforts to have a larger impact and presence on campus.

• The Sierra Club Coalition - The Sierra Club Student Coalition at Ohio State is a student organization dedicated to educating the public of important, timely environmental concerns and to encourage green policies on campus and in the local community.

• The Society of Environmental Engineers - The Society of Environmental Engineers is a professional organization committed to bringing together students with a common interest in Environmental Engineering, providing them with networking opportunities, and opportunities to engage in the community while serving the environment. It is an umbrella organization that houses three former student organizations, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, the Water Environment Federation, as well as the American Water Works Association.

• TerrAqua - TerrAqua is a natural resources based club with an emphasis on the conservation, care, and enjoyment of aquatic and terrestrial environments. The organization is centered at Ohio State’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, and composed of students with an interest in water and aquatic sciences. TerrAqua is open to anyone from any major.

• Student Government Sustainability Committee - This sub-committee of USG is committed to making the entire Ohio State community a sustainable entity through the implementation of projects, policies, and educational initiatives. The group works closely with faculty, staff, and students in the sustainability community at Ohio State to undertake the responsibility of evolving campus culture into one of higher environmental commitment.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a localized food production model. Members of the public purchase shares from the farm, and in turn receive a portion of the farm’s harvest each week. The CSA model makes it economically viable for small farms to produce a wide variety of produce while utilizing sustainable methods. This way of production creates a relationship between the consumer, the farmer, and the land on which the food is grown.

Global Gallery is a non-profit, retail organization that focuses on providing living wages to our producers, developing long-term relationships between producers and consumers, and promoting sustainability locally and worldwide. Global Gallery has an assortment of hand-crafted merchandise from various places around the world, including fairly traded jewelry, cards and notebooks, home decor items, a few clothing items, and more! Operated by Ohio State Consumer Science interns.

President and Provost’s Council on Sustainability projects- The PPCS provides input and strategic counsel on campus sustainability projects. In 2014–2015, these projects included the implementation of energy conservation measures in multiple campus buildings, replacement of ineffective recycling panel signage with new more informative and uniform signage, and installation of a grind-2-energy system for food scraps produced at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. A project completed in 2014 to assess the feasibility of using groundwater as a feed source for Mirror Lake has led to the installation of infrastructure to permanently eliminate the use of drinking water to fill the lake. The lake will now be filled using ground water.

• Earth Week: Each year, Ohio State celebrates Earth Day for an entire week. During this week, there are many different sustainability focused activities hosted by various student groups and administrative units across campus, including a green lunch series, clean-up efforts and topical film series.

• Scarlet Gray and Green Challenge: energy conservation competitions held between residence halls.

• Dump and Run: Each year, students collect materials for donation during summer move-out and offer them for sale during fall move-in.

• Think Before You Throw: Ohio State supports an effort by the Ohio Staters student group to engage students in conducting waste audits.

• March Recycling Madness: Ohio State participates in a suite of recycling events in March, including recycling competitions between residence halls, a collection and repurposing of single use plastic bags, and participation in the national 3 R Action Challenge.

• Environmental Film Series: Weekly film showings and discussions on the impacts of climate change.

• Campus Conservation Nationals: Each year, Ohio State participates in Campus Conservation Nationals, in which residence halls compete to save the most water and electricity.

• Buckeye Blackout concerts include local artists and encourage students to turn off their lights and appliances at home before attending concerts to save as much energy as possible, and sustainability related giveaways are included.

• The Wexner Center for the Arts is committed to using sustainable resources and supporting art that addresses current environmental issues and sustainability practices. The center hosts an Arts & Environment course for high school students and has an exhibition of the artwork of these students that may be attended by Ohio State students.

• The Art of Recycling. Student competition that included sculptures made from recyclable bottles, and a fashion show displaying clothing made by students from recycled and reused materials.

The Outdoor Adventure Centre sponsors trips with the intention of providing powerful group building experiences that help participants develop new friendships, learn lifelong wilderness skills, develop leadership qualities, increase interpersonal skills, and expand appreciation and concern for the environment. These trips follow Leave No Trace principles.

The Outdoor Adventure Center sponsors trips with the intention of providing powerful group building experiences that help participants develop new friendships, learn lifelong wilderness skills, develop leadership qualities, increase interpersonal skills, and expand appreciation and concern for the environment. These trips follow Leave No Trace principles.

• The SUSTAINS learning community at Ohio State The Students Understanding Sustainability and Taking Action to Improve Nature and Society (SUSTAINS) Learning Community focuses on helping students explore and engage with sustainability topics and human interaction with environmental problems. Through discussion, service and hands-on learning, students who are members of this community will learn about best practices for sustainable living and have opportunities to explore how sustainability relates to their lives and the lives of others.

• Sustainability chairs. Each residence hall has a sustainability chair. This is a student selected from the residence hall’s student government. The chair’s main duty is to promote sustainability practices among the residents of his/her community.

• Environmental and Sustainability Career Expo: Ohio State hosts an annual career expo with a variety of sustainability-related employers present for any students interested in a career involving the environment and sustainability.

• Student internships available through the offices of: Energy Services & Sustainability, Office of Energy & Environment, and Student Life’s Energy Management & Sustainability.