University of Central Florida
EN-3: Student Life

Each active student group falls into one or more initiative areas and are centralized around the goal of sustainability, despite their range in focuses.

Student groups include, but are not limited to: Advocates for World Health, who reduce medical waste and improve sustainable healthcare systems; Association of Environmental Professionals, who connect students with environmental-focused professionals and opportunities; Body of Animal Rights Campaign, who promotes ethical eating practices and animal rights; Campus Peace Action, who promote peace and acceptance via a conglomeration of political activists, environmentalists, and community volunteers; Energy Knights, who expose students to technical experience in the energy industry; Engineers Without Borders, who focus on community-driven development via sustainable engineering; Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (IDEAS), who promote environmental action on campus and within the community; Knights for Marine and Wildlife Conservation, who volunteer to conserve wild habitats in Florida; Urban Knights Planning Association, who connect students to emerging urban planners; and Volunteer UCF, who organize various volunteer opportunities including specifically focused divisions in environment, global health, and animals.

The various student groups form a coalition to serve as a think-tank in promoting sustainable practices at the university.

The university has an on-campus community garden within its Arboretum natural lands that is utilized daily as a volunteering space, educational medium, and food security provider. It is predominantly student-run and overseen by the Landscape and Natural Resources staff. Students who volunteer on good will or via service learning are typically given complimentary produce for their time. The rest of the produce is donated to the Knights Helping Knights Pantry, where students can pick up fresh produce with their Student I.D. free of charge, daily. The Arboretum also has a 1,000 square foot greenhouse that supports educational and research efforts in its propagation tables and prospective hydroponic systems.

Additionally, the university has an on-campus garden at the Creative School for Children, which is utilized as a living learning space for pre-school students and to locally supplement their meals and snacks. This garden is integrated into weekly lesson plans of every age group, as well as part of their daily recess time. Space is maintained by school staff, comprised of mostly undergraduate and graduate students/

Fresh U, a program within Wellness and Health Promotion Services, sponsors the upkeep of hydroponic tower gardens within active spaces on campus, such as the Student Union and Recreation and Wellness Center. The tower gardens grow herbs and small produce plants year-round that supplement weekly tower garden workshops and cooking demos/classes.

The university holds many events throughout the year with sustainability as the main focus or integrated within its overall mission. The College of Sciences and College of Undergraduate Studies have taken initiative in holding distinguished speaker series annually, featuring speakers working or researching in sustainability fields (i.e. Adaptive Planning for Coastal Resistance Under Climate Change presented by Dr. Zhenghong Tang, Associate Professor in the Community and Regional Planning Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Why We Do and Don't Worry About Climate Change, presented by Dr. Kenny Broad, Professor and Chair of marine ecosystems and society at the University of Miami; Earth Abundant Materials for Solar Energy Conservation with Dr. Giulia Galli; Telling The Climate Change Story with Susan Hassol).

In addition, non-traditional speakers have been invited to the university recently, such as Bill Nye with his new novel "Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World," Josh Fox with his new environmental activism film "Let Go and Love All The Things That Climate Can't Change," and the Crossroads Project quartet with their Rising Tide performance integrating art and science with climate activism.

The university has hosted various art exhibitions related to sustainability including visual, performance, and applied arts. This has included the musical performance of the Crossroads Project quartet that focused on climate change messaging, I-Cubed STEAM Percussion Recital that incorporated a Food, Energy and Water nexus in music communication, and College of Art and Humanities' Art in Odd Places pop-up display showcasing trash reuse.

The university has an Outdoor Adventure Center, via the Recreation and Wellness Center, that offers a variety of rental gear free of charge including kayaks, tents, sleeping bags, surfboards, and paddleboards for outdoor enjoyment. This program sponsors adventure trips year-round, an on-campus challenge course, an indoor climbing tower, SCUBA certifications, and equipment rentals. In addition, this program manages Lake Claire, an outdoor park facility for students to utilize. All of the prior mentioned services follow and promote Leave No Trace principles.

While the university as a whole does not practice a designated sustainability campaign, April is recognized as Earth Month by many internal organizations. The Department of Housing and Residence Life dedicates their April residential curriculum to sustainability, and UCF Foundation, Inc. has engaged alumni and annual giving campaigns with an April green initiatives fund. Student organizations host various events throughout the month to celebrate sustainability based on their focus.

The university hosts an annual Kill-A-Watt Energy Conservation Competition that ultimately educates and promotes behavior modification in everyday energy usage. This is accomplished by setting aside a two-month competition period for on-campus housing communities. Throughout its duration, residents receive curriculum on how to reduce personal energy usage, with the incentive of winning a scholarship.

The university offers many student employment opportunities including, but not limited to: student internship positions within the Sustainability Initiatives office of various focuses (i.e. Outreach, Marketing, Digital Media, Engineering, Reporting); student research positions withing various colleges and/or departments with sustainability research focuses; and student positions within unrelated campus departments with sustainability titles and goals (i.e. Student Government Association's Health and Sustainability Coordinator).

The Student Sustainability Advisory Committee (SSAC) is an annually elected group of a dozen interested student leaders who work in an advisory capacity of sustainability-related projects in six key initiatives. The students are given the option to utilize this opportunity for internship credit, however, have shown to register for zero credit in past semesters.

The Committee is run mainly by a non-voting student Chair who is responsible for leading the internship opportunity, writing and upholding the by-laws, creating meeting agendas and running them, and maintaining open communication and active involvement of the Committee.