Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 77.43
Liaison Daimon Eklund
Submission Date Oct. 14, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Washington, Seattle
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Claudia Frere-Anderson
Director
UW Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
43,297

Name of the student educators program (1st program):
SEED (Students Expressing Environmental Dedication)

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
7,542

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):

The mission of SEED is to promote sustainability in the UW's Residence Halls and campus community. SEED's efforts focus on composting, bottled water, tabling, pilot programs and many other activities to address a broad array of issues. SEED not only raises student awareness about sustainability, but also works with administrative staff to create institutional change on campus.

Some of SEED's activities include creating posters and games to educate students, a “Forget the Fragrance” project, a “Think Outside the Bottle” project, a hand towel pilot project, organizing campus clean ups, maintaining a p-patch for residence hall students, and "Trash Talkers" - an ongoing program in which students educate other students on what can be composted, recycled, and trashed at mealtimes.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):

Elections with question and answer sessions are held for most of the official board positions, except for the executive director. The executive director goes through an application process, with questions and interviews with Housing and Food Services, and then the final decision is confirmed with votes from members of SEED. Liaisons from Residence Hall Councils apply for positions for their halls to be in SEED. All other members are volunteers and receive training from the board committee members.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):

A transition retreat is held at the end of each school year for the old executive board to train the new incoming board. At the transition retreat, students share past experiences, provide documents, share photos, offer advice, exchange items (games etc), and share contacts. General leadership trainings/conferences are provided by Housing and Food Services to leaders of SEED and other groups through the Residence Hall Student Association.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

Housing and Food Services provides some funding to SEED for supplies, activities, events, and outreach campaigns. Staff support is also provided by Housing and Food Services. Also, since SEED is a Registered Student Organization, they receive an advisor and can receive funding and other resources from the Student Activities Office.


Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
EcoReps at the University of Washington

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
43,297

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):

The EcoRep Program is designed to encourage sustainable behaviors in students at the University of Washington through peer-to-peer communication, motivation and education. This program’s goal is to make sustainability a social norm within the UW student body, offering education and outreach efforts for a sustainability topics such as alternative transportation, waste diversion, energy reduction, and water management. A few examples of outreach efforts over the past two years:
1. Trashion Show - A recycled material fashion show for Earth Day 2012 and 2013 designed to promote awareness of waste and encourage recycling.
2. Green Greek outreach - Greek outreach efforts have included clean up events, recycled art competition, creation of a Green Greek Certification and Greek Sustainability Officers. Delivered 150 recycling and compost bins for free to the Greek houses.
3. Paper towel composting - worked with UW Recycling to pilot test composting of kitchen and bathroom paper towels.
4. Other events have included free coffee if you bring your own mug, movie screenings, tours of the power plant and more.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):

Currently, the student educators are volunteers identified through either peer to peer outreach, or through our Carlson Center for Service Learning.EcoReps partners with the Carlson Center to host service learning students each quarter. These students are able to obtain class credit for their outreach efforts, while also learning about environmental service as part of their studies.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):

The educators receive formal training and education on sustainable habits, such as transportation choices, energy and water use, and compost and recycling standards. They also receive formal leadership training, learning their communication styles and how best to communicate with others.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):

Currently there is one paid EcoReps coordinator, a paid Greek Outreach coordinator, and a small fund from UW Sustainability. Additionally, the Student Activities Office provides standard Registered Student Organization resources to the student group of EcoReps.


Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
UW Farm

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
43,297

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):

The UW Farm provides students with an opportunity to gain experience in the practice and study of urban agriculture and sustainability. It is an educational, community-oriented resource for people who want to learn about building productive and sustainable urban landscapes. The UW Farm offers many opportunities for the UW community to get involved with volunteering, farm tours, and community pizza bakes. The farm has three locations in a variety of settings, including central campus and planting areas prominently featured near student housing. They maintain several student committees, with specialized focuses including beekeeping, fungi, compost, and education.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):

Student educators are selected through peer-to-peer outreach or through the Carlson Center for Service Learning. Through the Carlson Center, students can earn credit for their work with the UW Farm.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):

Students working with the farm receive formal training in the organizing volunteers and instruction on farm practices. Students interning at the farm learn about developing planting/harvest schedules, volunteer coordination for directing work parties and/or construction, and facilitation/negotiation skills.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):

As well as providing space on campus and buying the produce and vegetables grown by the UW Farm, the University of Washington offers staff support and paid internship positions to students through the UW Farm. The UW Farm has a paid manager to coordinate all farm activities.


Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
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A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
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A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
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Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
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The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.