Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 62.77
Liaison Lisa Noriega
Submission Date June 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Yale University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.77 / 4.00 Amber Garrard
Associate Director
Yale Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
12,458

Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
8,612

Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
69.13

Name of the student educators program:
Sustainability Service Corps

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
5,472

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:

All undergraduates are targeted for sustainability outreach by the Sustainability Service Corps, a group of 15 undergraduate students who are trained to implement sustainability initiatives on the Yale Campus. SSC students are members of the Energy Squad (raise awareness and try to reduce energy consumption on campus through energy competitions and energy surveys), Materials Management Team (raise awareness and try to increase waste diversion on campus through waste surveys and audits, or Campaign Coordinators (implement outreach activities that target all Residential Colleges including holding events, social media campaigns, competitions, light bulb exchanges, etc.).


A brief description of how the student educators are selected:

Students apply for the positions, are interviewed and selected by a graduate student with oversight by the Office of Sustainability's staff.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:

All SSC students attend a full-day training in September to prepare them for their outreach.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):

SSC students are paid by the hour by Facilities Operations for their work.


Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Sustainable Waste Reduction at Yale (SWAY)

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
262

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

Sustainable Waste Reduction at Yale School of Public Health (SWAY) was founded in 2017 as a student organization to promote environmental stewardship at Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). In its inaugural year SWAY established a BYO campaign to promote an internal cultural shift at YPSH towards reducing unsustainable disposable item use and transitioning to reusable items instead. In this initiative SWAY procured and distributed reusable food and beverage containers to the entire YSPH community to avoid the use of disposable items (paper, plastic, Styrofoam) and stop current unsustainable food/catering disposable item practices. SWAY held multiple direct outreach and advocacy events throughout the year including a launch party in January and a school-wide educational trash bash in April. At these events, SWAY emphasized empathetic education and advocacy through peer to peer communication as well as large group engagement.


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

SWAY was founded by a student leader with a passion for sustainability and community engagement. This student leader put out a call and application to join the student committee as either a sub-team leader or general committee member. Applications were followed up with in person interviews and then selected based on best fit for each role. Committee members were expected to maintain an active role in the organization and in engagement with the school community.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):

SWAY committee members meet regularly with the student leader to discuss tasks, review protocol, and brainstorm ideas. In these regular meetings, any problems are also discussed and reviewed to find solutions. These meetings are de-facto continuing training sessions for team members.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):

SWAY received advising and mentorship from one faculty and staff member at YSPH, both of whom serve as co-chairs of the school's official Sustainability Committee. Additionally, SWAY received advising from a mentor at Yale's Office of Sustainability. These individuals supported SWAY in development, troubleshooting, coordination, and implementation of activities. SWAY received funding through a University grant providing financial support to actionable student research. Additionally, SWAY received funding and financial support from the YSPH's Dean's Office.


Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Environmental Stewardship Committee

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
302

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

The central aim of the Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC) at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (F&ES) is to increase environmental awareness and stewardship at F&ES. This professional school should serve as an environmental leader on campus through waste management practices, energy use, and environmental communication and education.


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

Interviews are conducted that identify students particularly inspired by the idea of stewardship of our learning community.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):

We connect students to past reports from ESC teams to give them a sense of the history of stewardship. On particular issues or areas of outreach, we seek professionals, professors, and practitioners of many sorts to help inform our strategies.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):

The ESC is appointed a chairperson by the Dean of FES. This is a staff member. A group of volunteers also participates on the ESC, and a faculty member is sought each year to participate.
The ESC has a small budget, but this is money earned through recycling and through sales of reusable lunch containers in the larger Yale community, not a fund awarded through central monies.


A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:

PROGRAM: Divinity Faith and Environment Group (FERNS)
Students reached: 320
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: Students self-select to participate in the group. Leaders are selected by the group and paid by the school.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability has developed a Sustainability Action Plan for the Divinity School, which serves as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with sustainability professionals and peers from other schools reinforce this and drive innovation.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: FERNS receives financial and administrative support from the Dean’s office as well as the office of sustainability. In the 2018 – 19 year, the School will pilot a program to charge fees for domestic and international. The collected funds will be used for sustainability initiatives.

PROGRAM: Architecture GAIA
Students reached: 190
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: Student leaders are selected by the Office of Sustainability. Other members are self-select volunteers.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability has developed a Sustainability Action Plan for the School of Architecture, which serves as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with sustainability professionals, faculty, and peers from other schools reinforce this and drive innovation.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: GAIA receives administrative support from the Dean’s office as well as the Office of Sustainability.

PROGRAM: Nursing
Students reached: 356
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: Students are selected by the Associate Dean for student affairs.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability has developed a Sustainability Action Plan for the School of Nursing, which serves as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with the school’s green team, sustainability professionals, and peers from other schools reinforce this and drive innovation.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: the peer educators are paid by the office of the dean, and receive programmatic support from the Office of Sustainability.

PROGRAM: Drama – Green Cabaret
Students reached: 200
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: The Yale Cabaret is a student-run on-campus theater. The Cabaret has its own sustainability standards, so each year the leader of the cabaret is charged with upholding those.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability has developed a Sustainability Action Plan for the School of Drama, which serves as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with sustainability professionals and collaboration with peers from other schools reinforce this and drive innovation.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: The Cabaret is self-funded (mainly through ticket sales). They have chosen to allocate some funds to additional sustainability efforts.

PROGRAM: Law – Yale Environmental Law Association
Students reached: 684
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: Yale is a self-selecting group with nominated leadership positions.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability has developed a Sustainability Action Plan for the Law School, which serves as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with sustainability professionals reinforce this.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: As a student interest group, YELA receives support from the Dean’s office.

PROGRAM: Management
Students reached: 826
A brief description of how the student educators are selected: School Administrators interview and hire two students per year.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive: The Office of Sustainability is developing a Sustainability Action Plan for the School. The operational goals of that document serve as the foundation for the work. In-person meetings with sustainability professionals and peers reinforce this.
A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides: the students are paid by the School, and receive in-kind support for events and activities from the School’s administration.


Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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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.