University at Buffalo
EN-3: Student Life

There are several groups that focus on sustainability issues.

The UB Environmental Network is a student run, student led network of individuals whose aim is to uproot environmental injustices through action and education. UB Environmental Network defines the environment to include the physical, economic, political, and cultural conditions in which we live. By challenging the power structures which threaten these environmental conditions, UBEN works to create positive social change on campus, community, and on a global level. http://www.sa.buffalo.edu/councils/academic#anch42

The Student Association's Environmental Affairs Department is the undergraduate student voice on environmental issues. The department works closely with university administration on all environmental issues that impact the lives of students. As a link between students and the administration, SA Environmental Affairs also educates students on topics related to sustainability within the university setting.

SA Environmental Affairs strives to make the Student Association’s operations more sustainable. Guided by the UB Climate Action Plan, which aims to make all of UB climate neutral by 2030. Environmental Affairs is responsible for implementing this plan within the Student Association and they work every day to make this goal a reality. As a facet of this plan, they have written a Climate Action Report and a Climate Action Plan, which calculates SA's greenhouse gas footprint and works to eliminate it by 2020. http://www.sa.buffalo.edu/student-affairs

Engineers for a Sustainable World: ESW partners with developing communities to develop appropriate solutions that improve their quality of life and that of future generations. http://www.sa.buffalo.edu/councils/engineering#anch41 https://www.facebook.com/groups/esw.ub/

Alpha Kappa Chi is a co-educational professional fraternity whose mission is to promote the self-confidence, professionalism, and brotherhood of member individuals in preparation for, and commitment to environmental careers. http://alphakappachi.com/

UB Campus Garden: Their mission is to connect students, faculty and the community through experiential learning and practice. The garden is a model of sustainability and by being accessible and highly visible; it contributes to the advancement of the University at Buffalo and Campus Dining & Shops’ sustainability efforts.

UB's Engineers for a Sustainable World operate a solar smoothie cart which is operated during events to raise money and awareness about sustainability on campus and in the community.

The Sustainability Film Series provides students and the greater campus community with an informal, relaxed setting to explore issues related living a sustainable life, consumption of natural resources, social impacts and environmental justice issues. Each semester members of UB's students groups and staff members collaborate to select films with a focus on sustainability. Films are screened for free and followed by a group discussion led by that month's film sponsor.

UB Sustainability and Assistant Professor of Art, Stephanie Rothenberg, collaborated on a design project in which students in Rothenberg's class were tasked with creating a graphic campaign to create a culture of sustainability on campus. Students were asked to develop a concept and design a campaign to support and reinforce this culture shift at UB. Creating a series of communications and highly engaging graphics to inform, encourage and inspire people to choose actions that are in their best interest both individually and collectively as a whole UB community. These sort of campaigns, which are sometimes referred to as “empathetic signage”, are intended to appeal to people’s sense of caring for one another and help turn “doing the right thing” into the cultural norm and expectation.

UB Outdoor Pursuits provides students, staff, faculty, alumni and the community at large, opportunities to share in the experience of all aspects of outdoor adventure.

Courses are offered in backpacking, cross country skiing, and outdoor safety, an annual trip to Alaska is very popular, and rentals of gear and equipment are available--all of which implement the Leave No Trace principles

UB also has a student run outdoor club, UB Outdoor Adventure Club (UB OAC) that is very active and offers several experiences each week. http://wings.buffalo.edu/sa/oac/

The Sustainability Academy’s mission is to provide a center for student interest in understanding, developing, and maintaining sustainability. Sustainability is often defined in one of two ways. On the one hand, we say something is sustainable if its use does not reduce future opportunities of its use. On the other hand, sustainability has historically been taken to involve a balance between ecological integrity, economic development, and social equity. Balancing these often competing pressures across time provides the challenge and hope for living well in the modern era.
Academies students learn about sustainable practices by examining the subject academically and by pursuing sustainability initiatives in their own lives. Under the guidance of Academic Director, Kenneth Shockley, Associate Professor of Philosophy, students will:
Learn about efforts at sustainability at the personal, local, national and global levels
Develop an awareness of the interdependence of the ecological, the economic, and the social, and communicate this awareness to the broader academic and nonacademic community.
Develop a personal philosophy of sustainability through examination of our own attitudes and behaviors
Enhance their ability to creatively solve problems in a collaborative setting
Examine sustainability efforts on campus and in the surrounding community, and use those efforts to develop new sustainability initiatives
Recognize the relationship between the university and its surrounding social and ecological environment

Life & Learning Workshops is UB's central resource for workshops that support student success in the classroom and beyond. UB Student Affairs, in partnership with Student Advising Services, the College of Arts & Sciences, International Student & Scholar Services, and others offers workshops relating to life skills including those which have sustainability ties. Topics include:
Community of Good Neighbors
Wellness & Recreation
Outdoor Pursuits
Diversity
Leadership
Careers

UB Sustainability employees, undergraduate and graduate students assist our professional staff in program development and implementation. Working as a student coordinator in the UB Sustainability Office provides students with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, communications skills, along with experience developing and coordinating programs, events and activities. Not only do our student coordinators add much needed capacity to our initiative and programs but, by being integral members of the team, they are expected to perform at high levels and as a result gain experience that often helps them secure employment in their field when they graduate.

Every year, Earth Week at UB is an opportunity for UB students to learn more about sustainability at UB. Games, competitions, tabling, and even a Green Auto Show engage students on campus. In the fall, UB holds a Sustainable Living Fair to create awareness about ways people can live more sustainably.