| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.35 |
| Liaison | Andrew Porter |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
University of Cincinnati
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Alex
Roman Gonzalez Sustianability Coordinator PDC |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
UC has a number of student groups which focus on sustainability. These include Leaders for Environmental Awareness and Protection (LEAP), Clean Up Cincy, Society of Environmental Engineers, Engineers without Borders, Sustainable Fashion Initiative, Net Impact, UC Cycling Club, Mountaineering Club, The Sustainable Industrial Design Initiative, and more.
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project 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 Soiled Hands Learning Garden is a collaboration between the UC Office of Sustainability and Empower Learn Create. Its mission is to engage students of all ages in experiential environmental education, foster interest in gardening and sustainable land use, and build community, all while inspiring deeper connections with nature.
The UC garden is expanding into a new location with more space, and where more students will have access to it. The Office of Sustainability is increasingly being more programmatic with the space through organizing educational workshops and community building work days.
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
While we don't have initiatives that qualify as such, we do have a newly-formed Net Impact chapter and many related efforts to support student-run sustainable enterprises.
https://campuslink.uc.edu/organization/netimpactuc
https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2022/05/center-for-entrepreneurship-links-sustainability-with-business-problem-solving.html
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative 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:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
Each semester, the Office of Sustainability holds a Sustainability lecture series. The Climate Commitment 101 lecture series was founded in April 2007 by the President's Advisory Council on Environment & Sustainability (PACES) to help educate the UC community about the Second Nature Carbon Commitment (formerly the ACUPCC). At that time, the lecture was a quarterly event and featured a variety of staff and faculty who spoke about climate change issues and their research in sustainability. The lecture series gradually expanded to a monthly format and now features several lectures each term, some organized by the Office of Sustainability and others organized by academic departments and centers, like the Taft Research Center. The topics and speakers are diverse, ranging from science and engineering to philosophy and the fine arts. They are a way for the UC community and Greater Cincinnati to learn about sustainability in an informal atmosphere which encourages dialogue and further exploration. All lectures are free and open to the public.
https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/get-involved/events-&-programming.html
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
In addition to hosting the Sustainability lecture series, UC has a regular series of films related to sustainability. These engaging documentaries, fiction films, and shorts all capture the diverse sustainability movement in unique ways. All film screenings are free and open to the public.
https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/get-involved/events-&-programming.html
Additionally, the University's Conservatory of Music (CCM) presented Mozart's The Magic Flute with a contemporary spin including the devastating effects of climate change. In a world in such turmoil, the themes of a young man caught at a border war and undertaking the greatest journey of his life to rescue the woman of his dreams feel particularly relevant. Together, Tamino and Pamina try to save the planet from the threat of fire, floods and the effects of climate change. This contemporary spin on the Mozart opera takes a beloved classic and creates an entirely new relevance in the 21st-century world.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The UC Mountaineering Club organizes outdoors trips of all kinds including cycling, climbing, caving, canoeing, backpacking, mountaineering, white water rafting, skiing, and skydiving. They also provide educational classes and equipment rental.
http://ucmountaineering.weebly.com/
Other programs that follow Leave No Trace principles include UC Cycling Club, the Sustainability Summit, and Clean Up Cincy.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
The freshmen seminar program offers first year students the opportunity to explore an intellectually stimulating scholarly topic in the company of a small group of fellow students and a faculty member of the college. Each seminar satisfies a core requirement of the college, and introduces or develops one or more Baccalaureate Competencies (critical thinking, effective communication, knowledge integration, social responsibility), while introducing students to the expectations of college-level work. Examples of Freshman Seminars that are directly related to sustainability are Sustainable Energy and Society, At the Zoo: Animal Behavior, Mapping Climate Change, and Earth, Sea, and Sky. See https://www.artsci.uc.edu/information/futureundergrad/admissions/fye/seminars.html
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Seeing as it is integrally important to teach students sustainable living skills, the Office of Sustainability offers numerous workshops each semester the focus on hands on learning. UC Sustainability has been hosting workshops in the UC Garden, where students learned valuable skills regarding organic gardening, composting, and permaculture methods, which educate and power students to be more resilient in their lives.
UC Sustainability also took students on a tour of the Rumpke Recycling tour to give students the opportunity to learn exactly what is recyclable in their homes and how it is recycled, and regularly offers information through a variety of means about waste reduction.
Additionally, the Office of Sustainability offers a variety of sustainaable living guides: https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/links-&-resources/tools-&-guides.html and offers students a chance to earn an Environmental Literacy Certificate of Achievement.
https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/get-involved/environmental-literacy.html
Finally, DAAP has their Sustainable Living initiative which touches many students on campus: https://daap.uc.edu/strategic-futures/sustainable.html
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Student Sustainability Advocates help run Office of Sustainability outreach events. For example, they staff informational tables at many events on campus, help provide programs in residence halls, lead discussions after film series events, teach sustainability-related skill workshops, and encourage fans to recycle at sporting events. See https://www.uc.edu/about/admin-finance/planning-design-construction/sustainability/get-involved.html
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
N/A
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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.