| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.58 |
| Liaison | James Gordon |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Thompson Rivers University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
James
Gordon Environmental Programs and Research Coordinator TRU Office of Environment and Sustainability |
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 | No |
| 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 TRU Eco Club is a student-governed group that holds weekly meetings and a number of events throughout the year to raise sustainability awareness. The group was founded in 2007 and has been very active since its inception. Its Mission Statement: “TRU-ECO's mission is to identify sustainability issues, promote public awareness, develop strategies, and implement solutions in support of sustainability, both on campus and within the community.” Amongst many other events/activities the group is involved with, they were the successful recipients in spring of 2014 of a $39,000 grant from TRU's Sustainability Grant Fund to replace paper towel dispensers (which produced a lot of paper waste) with high-powered electric hand dryers.
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:
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:
The Common Grounds coffee shop is student owned and operated. It is committed to providing high environmental standards, using renewable and biodegradable cutlery and cups, and offers a discount for students who bring their own reusable mug. They also make it a mission to provide students with a decent living wage.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
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:
TRU’s President's Lecture Series has hosted several prominent sustainability thinkers/speakers over the last three years for the benefit of TRU students and the broader community, including Wade Davis (Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society), Kartikeya Sarabha (founder/director of the Centre for Environment Education headquartered in India), Bob McDonald (science broadcaster for CBC Radio) and Chris Hadfield (Canadian astronaut). http://inside.tru.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/104287_Report_Pres_WEB.pdf
In addition, TRU’s Faculty of Science hosts an Environmental Sciences seminar series in the fall and winter semesters. The focus is fairly broad, involving many different disciplines with a focus on understanding and solving environmental problems.
http://www.tru.ca/science/msces/mscseminar.html
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:
TRU Faculty of Arts faculty member Darlene Kalynka just finished a collaborative show with TRU Sciences on the antibiotic bacteria discovered in Wells Grey Provincial Park. Other TRU faculty members, Lyn Baldwin and Ila Crawford, hosted the Canadian Botanical Society International Exhibition in 2014, where students helped develop some of the work and thematic relationships between art and science, and were also involved with mounting the show. Ila Crawford also organized an exhibition featuring 'place' for the Curriculum of Place research group on campus. All of these exhibitions involved students by displaying art work produced by some of them, and asking other students to focus on the themes; with the aim of getting them involved in their communities and in awareness of their surrounding environment and issues of sustainability.
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:
The entire TRU Adventure Studies program follows similar policies to the 'Leave No Trace' principles in order to ensure that the impact upon the environment is minimized and left in pristine condition for future users.
ADVG 1900-Expedition 1 is a student-governed program but because of the risks that can be involved in it, the department holds decision-making vito power over the critical trip decisions. Staff supervise and mentor the students and intervene when required.
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:
TRU does not have themed semesters or years.
The website URL where information about the theme is available:
A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Programs Beyond the Classroom
Beyond the classroom, TRU offers applied experiences like service learning, co-op work placements, field schools, study abroad, and undergraduate research that will help students engage in their education. Options like the co-curricular Leadership in Environmental Sustainability certificate, the Co-Curricular Peer Leaders Program, or the certificate in Global Competency recognize that today, learning goes beyond the traditional lecture hall. These programs are not student-governed.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
The TRU Office of Environment and Sustainability (TRUOES) has hired students from the TRU Coop Program, and the Undergraduate Research Assistants Program, as well as student interns. All of these students work directly on sustainability-focused tasks alongside TRUOES staff.
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:
The Generator is a venture acceleration centre located on campus and designed to foster and develop the start-up tech companies of tomorrow. This economic sustainability program will expose students to the routes into entrepreneurship and show them the possibilities of starting their own companies. The centre will also act as an entry point for industry to engage with TRU researchers and form collaborations. The ultimate goal of the program is to foster a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship on campus, and to allow students access to people in the field who can help steer them toward success.
Another co-cirricular program is the TRU student-governed program Environomics, which educates local elementary students about environmental economics in fun, interactive ways. Throughout the school year, students are taught about water conservation and quality, ecosystems, healthy eating, ocean acidification, budgeting, private and common goods, and more. The curriculum is adaptable for teachers and each lesson is created as a supplemental addition to the current curriculum. Each section is equipped with an educational field trip or an at home challenge to truly give experiential learning and ensure retention of the material. Environomics goes 'beyond the classroom' by educating and empowering environmental pioneers of tomorrow. The program is run by the TRU student club Enactus: http://www.enactustru.ca/programs/
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.