| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 33.04 |
| Liaison | Olivia Herron |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2022 |
Austin Peay State University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.50 / 2.00 |
Olivia
Herron Sustainability Coordinator Physical Plant |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
APSU's Sustainability Club is the primary organization focused on promoting environmentalism within the student body. Other organizations with some sustainability components are The APSU Subunit of the Environmental Conservation Society and the Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society at Austin Peay. Additionally, 14 student organizations identify common goals of a promise to service, contribute to society, economic empowerment, community impact and / or contributing to a global network of responsible citizens.
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:
APSU Agriculture Department Farm and Environmental Education Center is composed of 440 acres of land that affords a bounty of environmental habitats and supplies immeasurable support to academic programs at Austin Peay.
The Farm is approximately 50 percent in natural cover and forest with the other half serving as a demonstration area and for the production of farm commodities. In addition to wildlife, cattle raised on the Farm provide hands-on experience for agriculture students. The Farm has as its major goal the support of the academic programs at the University. Available for study through the Farm are livestock, crops, forests, wildlife and land formations. A state of the art $1-million Animal Science teaching facility is now operational and available for classes, labs and other agriculture activities.
The Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement has two Victory garden locations with spring, summer, and fall seasonal gardens beds to benefit the campus food pantry. Currently 13 Victory chickens provide fresh eggs for our pantry users. The Victory Garden near York Street offers a raised bed space to members of the community who want to practice gardening. The APSU Victory Garden will provide the garden plot, water, compost, and garden information.
https://www.apsu.edu/agriculture/environmental-education-center.php
https://www.apsu.edu/volunteer/sos-food-pantry/gardens.php
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:
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:
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:
Environmental artist Eliza Evans performed a recreation of her piece "Time Machine" on Earth Day 2021 to emphasize the impact of increasing global temperature on the body. Eliza spent the day inside a greenhouse while a nursing student monitored and displayed her vitals. An additional greenhouse was included in the exhibit for students to experience the temperature rise.
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:
Leave No Trace workshops, training and trips are run through the Govs Outdoors program.
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:
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:
Campus Sustainability partnered with Service Learning & Community Engagement to create a "living green" living learning community for first-year students. This program began in the '19-'20 academic year and returned in the '21-'22 academic year after a hiatus due to COVID-19. Students take monthly field trips to learn about local sustainability initiatives and are provided unique opportunities such as in room composting.
The Student Engagement Office includes sustainability as one of their six "Adulting" lessons each semester.
https://www.apsu.edu/housing/living-learning/living-green-LLC.php
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Student employment positions are available at the Agriculture Dept. Farm and Environmental Education Center caring for livestock and habitat.
Student employment position available through Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement tending community garden and chickens.
The campus sustainability office hired its first sustainability interns during the spring '21 academic semester.
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):
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.