| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | April 15, 2013 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Connecticut
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Jennifer
Clinton Sustainability Coordinator Office of Environmental Policy |
Total number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
Program name (1st program):
Number of students served by the program to whom peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education is offered (1st program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
EcoMadness is a month long competition held in six dorm areas around campus encouraging students to reduce their usage of energy and water. Students who are particularly interested may volunteer to be EcoCaptains to motivate their peers from within the dorm. At the end of the competition the dorms that were able to reduce their consumption of energy and water the most receive an ice cream party and energy offsets are bought for the amount of carbon offset by the competition.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
EcoCaptains meet with an intern and are given a variety of ways to reach out to their fellow students. They may also email the student intern with any other questions to supplement their training throughout the course of the competition.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
Through the Office of Environmental Policy, students who are interested in the environment can apply for an internship in our office where they engage in a variety of activities to educate fellow students about sustainability. EcoMadness is an event organized and run by one of these student interns. During the annual EcoMadness competition, additional student educators volunteer as “EcoCaptains” to promote sustainable practices within the student dorms. A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
The Office of Environmental Policy provides funding for the intern in charge of running EcoMadness and buys the offset certificates. ResLife offers funding to supply ice cream for the winning dorms.
The website URL for 1st Program:
Program name (2nd program):
Number of students to whom peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education is offered (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
UCONN is partnered with Willimantic Waste in order to run a single stream recycling system on campus. Through this program recyclables do not need to be sorted and thus recycling rates are increased. Throughout the course of each semester a variety of events and activities help to promote this program and encourage recycling around campus. In addition, a Recycling Work group meeting is held once or twice a year for members of the various departments to collaborate and find new ways to increase recycling on campus.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Through the Office of Environmental Policy, students who are interested in the environment can apply for an internship in our office where they engage in a variety of activities to educate fellow students about sustainability. All of the interns are taught about the recycling program at UCONN and we incorporate that knowledge in many of our outreach campaigns and general education opportunities. In addition, students from EcoHouse (a living and learning community) and EcoHusky (student group) volunteer to help spread the word about recycling.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
Interns receive one to two days of formal in office training and then they are continually trained on the job. EcoHouse and EcoHusky students are given specific training based on whichever outreach activitie(s) they volunteer for.
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
The recycling program is funded by the University.
The website URL for 2nd program:
Program name (3rd program):
Number of students to whom peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education is offered (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
In both the fall and the spring certain game days (football in the fall and basketball in the spring) are selected to be “Green Game Days.” For these selected games interns at the Office of Environmental Policy partner with the Athletics department to include green initiatives in the game advertisements. Volunteers welcome fans to the games and encourage them to recycle during the event. After the game is over the volunteers walk through fan sections to collect any recyclables that have been left behind. At each game we try to engage the fans as much as possible to educate them about sustainable practices.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Students from EcoHouse and EcoHusky volunteer to come to the game and educate others about recycling and general sustainability. Also an intern from the Office of Environmental Policy manages the team of volunteers at each game.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
Volunteers receive training the day of the game on how to approach fans and the best methods of promoting recycling.
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Typically no funding is needed for this program. Any required funding comes from the Office of Environmental Policy and the Campus Sustainability Fund.
The website URL for 3rd program:
Program name (All other programs):
Number of students to whom peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education is offered (All other programs):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (All other programs):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (All other programs):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (All other programs):
A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (All other programs):
The website URL for all other programs:
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.