Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 34.48
Liaison Rebecca Jones
Submission Date Feb. 9, 2022

STARS v2.2

Austin College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Rebecca Jones
Coordinator
Center for Environmental Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Campus Engagement

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
As part of a class project, a student submitted a proposal to change the college's default web browser to Ecosia, which "uses 80% of its ad revenue to plant trees."

Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
Each school year, the Environmental Studies department chooses actively-engaged students to act as "guides" for Sneed Prairie Restoration Project field trips. These students learn and then teach a specially-crafted curriculum to local school children, covering topics like prairie ecology and local wildlife.

Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
Every other January, students who sign up for the "Prairie Restoration" JanTerm work to maintain the aforementioned Sneed Prairie Restoration site, preparing it for experimental treatments like cattle grazing and mowing. Students also help perform controlled burns under supervision.

Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
As part of a class project, a student wrote a proposal to cover reflective windows on campus buildings with a special tape/decal that makes bird collisions less likely.

Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
As part of a class project, a group of students wrote a proposal to include individual energy monitoring systems (sub-metering) on older residence halls so that they can participate in the college's annual energy saving competition, AC Unplugged. [The program encourages students to cut back on their energy usage by unplugging devices and turning off lights when they are not in use. Students are incentivized to participate by comparing their usage to the other residence halls during the month of competition. The economic value of savings earned during this month becomes donation money, which is usually sent to a charity of the winning hall's choice at the close of the competition.]

Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
As part of a class, a student wrote a proposal to make trays optional in the dining hall on campus, acknowledging that they are necessary in some but not all applications.

Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
The Austin College IDEA Center is landscaped with lush native vegetation. Each fall, students in biology courses (specifically "Entomology" and "Plant-Animal Interactions," among others) use the landscaping for observation of plant-pollinator interactions.

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
As part of a class project, a student wrote a proposal to recommend that Austin College use LEED standards for all new campus construction, citing reduced waste and energy use among the main factors for consideration.

Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
For a class project, a student wrote a proposal to work with local transportation companies to create a bus stop on campus.

Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
Students in the Fundamentals of Environmental Studies class (taught each semester) engage in lab activities wherein they are asked to collect and analyze data about the efficacy of the college's recycling system.

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
As part of a class, two students wrote a proposal to eliminate trays from the dining hall, citing food and water waste as major issues with the current system.

Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Students in the Fundamentals of Environmental Studies class (taught each semester) engage in lab activities wherein they are asked to collect and analyze data about the efficacy of the college's recycling system.

Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
---

Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
As part of a class project, a student wrote a proposal to recommend that Austin College use LEED standards for all new campus construction, citing reduced waste and energy use among the main factors for consideration.

Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
---

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
https://www.austincollege.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/center-for-environmental-studies/projects-activities/#impact

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
All of the above listed proposals came from an Environmental Studies course assignment where students propose ways to reduce the environmental impact of Austin College. Students are required to do adequate research (including things like the cost of the project) and also consult with the offices on campus that would be affected by their proposal. The Environmental Studies faculty maintain a library of all proposals submitted since 1997. More than 30 student proposals have been adopted by the college in that time. The above projects and proposals were all created or carried out in the last three years.

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.