| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 88.31 |
| Liaison | James Gordon |
| Submission Date | May 31, 2018 |
| 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 active student groups focused on sustainability?:
A brief description of active student groups 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. “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.” In addition to other events/activities the group is involved with, they were the successful recipients in 2014 of a $39,000 grant from TRU's Sustainability Grant Fund to replace paper towel dispensers with high-powered electric hand dryers.
The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects 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 Horticulture Program at TRU incorporates the ideals of organic agriculture and landscape, as well as sustainable food systems within our Fruits & Vegetable course and our Landscape Design instruction. Over the last 6-8 years the program has seen an increase in student awareness regarding the growing of food and the inclusion of food as part of a sustainable landscape design.
In the course Food Systems at a Local Level and Beyond (AGSC 2200), students are introduced to agriculture and food systems, focusing on the local level but including information on global systems. Topics of discussion include agriculture, local food production, food security and food policy, sustainability, commercialization, and globalization. Case studies and projects are used to help students apply concepts learned during lectures, and to develop critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and conflict resolution skills.
The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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 provide students with a decent living wage.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives 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:
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
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 Fabien Cousteau (ocean explorer, social activist, documentary film maker, business strategist and grandson of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau), 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).
In addition, TRU’s Faculty of Science hosts an Environmental Sciences seminar series in the fall and winter semesters. The focus is general, involving many different disciplines with a focus on understanding and solving environmental problems.
https://www.tru.ca/science/programs/msces/mscseminar.html
The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
The TRU department of Visual Arts presented the exhibition “Canada 150+”, and asked the entire TRU community to participate. The exhibition ran November 9-17, 2017 and was open to the TRU community and the outside public for free in the TRU Gallery. It was comprised of art from the TRU campus community. Students, faculty and staff, all responded to the question, "what does Canada mean to you?" The entire experience is an excellent example of encouraging and fostering the TRU community to act in a socially sustainable way.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The TRU Adventure U Club, run by the Adventure Studies Department, has adopted the Leave No Trace Principle for all their activities and takes students on day and overnight trips for social events and adventure education. The club operator is required to submit a report prior to trips to ensure industry standards are met. Source: Craig Campbell.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
A brief description of the 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 sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs 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 residences and Sustainability Office have ongoing educational and outreach programs to promote sustainable living principles in on-campus housing. Students living in the residences have been involved with zero waste pilot projects to educate students and promote reducing waste and diverting organics and recycling materials from entering the land fill. Students living in residence are involved with numerous ongoing energy/utility reduction projects and initiatives. In 2017 the Sustainability Office completed a complete energy upgrade in the residence towers and the students were involved and engaged in every aspect of the project. Student ambassadors and Residence Assistants (RAs)’s help relay the information between students in rez with consultants carrying out the work. Outreach material informed students as to environmental impacts of all measures and why the project and sustainable living principles are important. The following is an example of the material related to thermostat set points – other similar material was developed for similar projects that focused on the environmental impacts related to the projects – including (for example) complete LED lighting retro-fit and low flow shower heads.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The TRU Sustainability Office has hired students from the TRU Co-op Program, and the Undergraduate Research Assistants Program, as well as students from the TRU Work Study program . All of these students work directly on sustainability-focused tasks alongside office staff.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledges:
The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
A brief description of the 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-curricular 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/
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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.