University of California, Irvine
EN-1: Student Educators Program

The Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) and the Sustainability Housing Program have a collaborative internship program that gives students the opportunity to work with staff within the SRC, UCI Community Resilience Projects, and Student Housing to accomplish key projects in the following areas: 1) Campus as a Living Lab, 2) Community Engagement, and 3) Training. The SRC serves as a hub for co-curricular sustainability programming, providing resources and education for all students through campus-wide outreach activities, community engagement and service, and internship opportunities.

A number of students are employed by or affiliated with the SRC/Housing to forward campus, local, and global projects. Students may be hired directly through the SRC or the Sustainability Housing Program. Others may be placed through the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI) or Global Food Initiative (GFI) Fellowships. Others may receive course credit for their appointment through Campus as Living Laboratory (CLL), Social Ecology field study, or another Academic Affairs partnerships. The SRC’s CLL pathway additionally helps to place interns across campus departments to work on sustainability projects. Student interns engage in peer-to-peer outreach through campus events, online newsletters and social media communication such as Facebook and Instagram. The interns also aid in curating and maintaining an active sustainability events calendar and student opportunities database that is accessible by all students.

The SRC and Student Housing determines the activities and projects each intern focuses on based on the intersection of intern interest and what is needed to support greater sustainability education. More experienced student assistants, interns, and fellows also educate the incoming interns to become experts on substantive sustainability issues, action planning, and office management.

Core student staff attend a 10 hour popular education facilitation training each summer and 3 weeks of intensive training and team building each Fall. Additional interns are trained on the job as they join the program through an orientation presentation and mentorship by core student staff and professional staff.

Students receive substantive training in:
1) Community building
2) Event planning
3) Organizing skills
4) Education and outreach
5) Communication and information technology
6) Strategic questioning (a technique for values clarification, visioning, action planning)
7) Reflective learning to develop a critical lens on local to global solidarity and deepening understanding of the interdependence of all life

SRC and Student Housing Sustainability interns engage in peer-to-peer education across the campus community. The students table at major campus-wide events including:
-- Student Parent Orientation Program - UCI's summer orientation program for incoming undergraduate students
-- The Anteater Involvement Fair - allows all students to learn more about co-curricular opportunities on campus
-- Celebrate UCI - allows incoming students to learn about ways to get involved at UCI

The interns also work with student and professional staff to curate and execute sustainability peer engagement events that target and serve the entire UCI campus community. These events include:
-- Sustainival – Annual campus sustainability fair
-- Earth Week – Annual campus week of hosted events

See: https://sustainability.uci.edu/studentinvolvement/src/ and https://housing.uci.edu/sustainability/index.html

The numbers provided below are from academic year 2020-2021.

The Sustainability Resource Center and Sustainability Housing Internship Program is targeted to all students (undergraduate and graduate).

CALPIRG is a statewide student-run nonprofit that works on environmental, civic engagement, and college affordability issues. CALPIRG runs quarterly fundraising pledge drives in which they engage in peer-to-peer education with other students about priority campaigns. The priority campaign in Fall 2020 was the New Voters Project, advocating for students to register and turn out to vote. The priority campaign in the Winter and Spring 2021 quarters was the 100% Renewable Energy campaign, advocating for bold action on climate change and an increased commitment to 100% Renewable Energy by 2030 in California.

CALPIRG members are trained on communicating a campaign story, describing the problem, solution, and call to action on this issue in a succinct and compelling way in one-on-one conversations with their peer students on campus as well as in class announcements. They are also trained on basic grassroots campaign actions, like petitioning, phonebanking, as well as how to work with a team and give effective feedback.

In recent years CALPIRG has worked to ban all single-use plastics on college campuses. Across the UC system, CALPIRG interns and volunteers built a movement of student support for stronger limits on plastic use on our campuses, and recently won a commitment from the UC system to phase out single-use plastics.

At UCI, CALPIRG students advocated for UCI to become a Bee-Friendly University and officially became certified as a Bee Campus USA in February 2021. UCI now joins three other UCs in this distinction and has committed to protecting pollinators by using pollinator friendly practices on the grounds and educating the campus community on the issue. This win is due to the advocacy work of students educating their peers and administration about the environmental importance of bees. They collected petition signatures, collected endorsements from folks on campus, as well as hosted educational events like webinars.

The numbers provided below are from academic year 2020-2021.

CALPIRG Students is targeted to all students (undergraduate and graduate).

Earth Representatives or EarthReps is a student training and community building internship for undergraduate on-campus residents offering education, skills, and hands-on experiences broadly related to sustainability. EarthReps serve as sustainability ambassadors in Student Housing. The program aims to train emerging young leaders, expand campus awareness of sustainability, and build community among students, staff, and faculty. EarthReps receive training in substantive sustainability issues as well as skills for initiating essential conversations among peers, planning hall activities, and other community building approaches.

The program supports students who want to:
- Interact with like-minded peers and build a resilient community
- Gain a solid background in sustainability including a global understanding of related environmental, economic, and social justice issues
- Increase leadership skills
- Serve as residence hall-based ambassadors for sustainability at UCI

There are two levels of peer-to-peer education in this program. The first involves Student Housing professional staff and student staff; aided by student sustainability organization leaders, campus operations staff and SRC student staff; to educate EarthReps on various sustainability topics each month. The same resource people then assist EarthReps to plan and execute outreach projects in their residence halls on the various topics. The projects represent the second level of peer-to-peer education; through the projects, EarthReps become the educators of their residence hall peers.

The program targets all freshmen and others living in residence halls, with the long-term goal of having a designated number of EarthReps for each of the residence complexes.

The numbers provided below are from academic year 2020-2021.

Earth Representatives (EarthReps) is targeted to all on-campus student residents.

Additional Student Peer-to-Peer Sustainability and Outreach and Education Programs (2020-2021):

1) Solid Waste and Recycling Program

UCI’s Solid Waste and Recycling Program trains "Trash Talkers," students who are present at major UCI events that aim for zero waste. The students stand next to the waste bins and teach event-goers where to direct their trash, in containers marked for recycling, composting, and landfill. Parts of this program were put on hold in 2020-2021, but Facilities Management interns continued virtual outreach and education.

- Number of trained student educators: 5 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 30 weeks
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 8 hours
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 1,200 hours

2) UCI Dining Green Captains

UCI Dining identifies student employees who are passionate about sustainability to be Green Captains each year. Green Captains are responsible for implementing practices designed to reduce the environmental impact of campus dining locations and for educating students through events about environmental sustainability and UCI Dining. 18 Green Captains were active Fall, Summer, and Spring, totaling an average of 32 weeks for the year. Each Green Captain was required to work at least 2 hours per week, totaling 1,152 hours worked annually.

- Number of trained student educators: 18 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 32 weeks
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 2 hours
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 1,152 hours

3) ASUCI Sustainability Project and Garden Commission: The Sustainability Project and Garden Commission

The ASUCI Sustainability Project and Garden Commission focuses on raising advocacy and awareness surrounding sustainability-themed topics. Commissioners are trained through attending multiple sustainability meetings and conferences and working with many resources such as the Sustainability Resource Center (SRC) to consistently learn more about various sustainability topics. The commission promotes and coordinates annual events targeting environmental justice, waste management and reduction, recycling, energy efficiency, and self-sufficiency in the UCI student and staff community such as Sustainival, Earth Week Events, Zot n Clothes, and Sustainability Action Week. Addressing students’ sustainability concerns, the commission helps host events and advocate for sustainability initiatives. The commission primarily focuses on outreach to the UC Irvine undergraduate student population through these events and weekly office hours, opening up space for students to ask questions, interact with sustainable lifestyles, and improve the student experience on campus through the promotion of renewable energy, composting, waste management, and environmental justice issues. The program boasts 2 student commissioners working 6 hours a week for 45 weeks and 12 student interns working 4 hours a week for 30 weeks for a total of 1,980 hours. See: https://www.asuci.uci.edu/internalvp/garden/

- Number of trained student educators: 14 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 32 weeks (average of both student positions)
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 5 hours (average of both student positions)
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 1,980

4) Leave No Trace at UCI

In 2020-2021, two Leave No Trace at UCI student interns served 200 hours total to create educational outreach materials, host virtual booths, and social media content devoted to the principles of Leave No Trace. Students educated their peers about Leave No Trace principles during virtual events, such as Sustainival, accompanied by resources and materials. See: https://www.campusrec.uci.edu/outdoor/index.asp

- Number of trained student educators: 2 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 20 weeks (average of both student positions)
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 5 hours (average of both student positions)
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 200

6) UCI Basic Needs FRESH Hub

The UCI Basic Needs FRESH Hub had nine students serving as interns, fellows, and student staff. One student served as the Global Food Initiative Fellow and was included in the calculations under the first student educators program and is not included within the calculations below. Student responsibilities included communications, website management, marketing, outreach, research, writing, event planning, community organizing, and network building. Students educated and informed their peers about food security locally and globally. See: https://basicneeds.uci.edu/

- Number of trained student educators: 8 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 30 weeks
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 5 hours (average of both student positions)
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 1,200

7) Natural Lands Management Internship (UCI Eco Preserve)

Students are trained on how to design and structure a public outreach event, with a focus on educating peers or public audiences on topics related to the management and protection of natural lands and the species that rely on them. Staff then work with students to design an outreach component of their focal project-this can be a citizen science campaign with fellow students, a public education or data collection event on the preserve, or a campaign using content posted to social media. See: https://ecopreserve.ucnrs.org/index.php/education/

- Number of trained student educators: 5 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 10 weeks
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 10 hours (average of student positions)
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 500

8) BikeUCI Ambassadors
In support of campus sustainable transportation objectives to increase alternative transportation use, UCI Transportation & Distribution Services hosts the BikeUCI Ambassadors program. League Cycling Instructors from UCI Transportation & Distribution Services provide opportunities for campus representatives to become "Smart Cyclist" certified, demonstrating their knowledge of cycling skills and safety. Smart Cyclists are then encouraged to join the Bike UCI Ambassadors program. BikeUCI Ambassadors help to address the five “E’s” of a Bicycle Friendly University: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Education. Students have been greatly involved in the program, serving as ambassadors to their student peers at campus biking events and bicycle campaigns.

- Number of trained student educators: 60 students
- Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually: 30 weeks
- Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator: 10 hours (average of student positions)
- Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators: 300

Student enrollment was not carried over from PRE-5 (36,908) due to that number reflecting the 2019-2020 academic year. For purposes of this credit, UCI elected to provide program data and information from the most recent academic year (2020-2021). The total student enrollment was 36,303 (similar to the year prior). UCI is pleased to demonstrate that even in the midst of an unusual year, peer-to-peer student programs continued to take place. The 2020 total student enrollment can be found here: https://www.oir.uci.edu/Data-Hub/Enrollment-Dashboard.php

The information in this credit was developed by:

Rachel Harvey
Sustainability Coordinator
Housing Administrative Services

Program information and numbers provided by:
- Sustainability Resource Center and Student Housing
- CALPIRG
- EarthReps
- UCI Facilities Management
- UCI Dining
- ASUCI Sustainability Project and Garden Commission
- UCI Campus Recreation
- UCI Basic Needs FRESH Hub
- UCI Eco Preserve
- UCI Transportation & Distribution Services

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Additional Student Educator Program (not included in counts above due to its establishment in 2021):

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COLLECTIVE AT UCI
The Environmental Justice Collective is a student-led group that works to reflect on and respond to the intersecting crises of environmental, racial, and social justice. They aim to connect with the student community in a critical and collaborative shared space, contribute to programming that centers environmental justice, and gain familiarity with the knowledge and skills to support our commitment to communities and social justice. As of Spring 2021, the Collective meets every Wednesday 4:30 – 5:30 PM. The Collective also sponsors a "Courageous and Transformative Action for Environmental Justice Writing Award" to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to share their reflections on, and research about, environmental justice.

For more information, please visit: https://sustainability.uci.edu/environmental-justice-collective/