Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.57
Liaison Yaffa Grossman
Submission Date March 16, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Beloit College
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Lindsay Chapman
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
Yes or No
Active student groups focused on sustainability Yes
Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems Yes
Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes Yes
Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills Yes
Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience No
Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience Yes
Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles Yes
Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences No
Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills No
Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution Yes
Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions No
Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives No

The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:

OEC - Outdoor Environmental Club. The OEC is open to anyone "with any interest in the environment to come share ideas and learn about others' interests. Whether you enjoy hiking and camping or environmental activism, the OEC is the place for you. Each week at our meeting, a club member or group of club members presents a topic or holds a workshop on something of interest to them. Throughout the semester we also have other events which may relate to on-campus activism, camping trips, or simply how to be a better steward to the earth."
Beloit Boating Club. The purpose of this club is to provide a fun and safe environment for the practice and appreciation of boating to all Beloit College students, regardless of experience.
BUG - Beloit Urban Garden Club's goal is to manage an on-campus, student-run garden at Beloit College by bringing together staff, students, food service, and other community stakeholders to grow vegetables and learn about the growing process and how gardening impacts communities.
Peace & Justice Club goal is to encourage not only dialogue regarding local and international issues but also to encourage critical evaluation of these issues in order to bring about thoughtful and effective change.


The website URL where information about student groups is available:
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A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:

BUG - Beloit Urban Garden. Started by Beloit College students, the Beloit Urban Garden club's goal is to manage an on-campus, student-run garden at Beloit College by bringing together staff, students, food service, and other community stakeholders to grow vegetables and learn about the growing process and how gardening impacts communities.


The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:

Dining Co-ops. Students started and maintained the growth of three food cooperatives which feed more than 30 people. Working with Bon Appetit, Beloit's dining services provider, and the pillars of the Real Food Challenge, students participate in dining co-ops by purchasing food and taking turns cooking for each other, enjoying a home cooked meal while also enjoying each others company. All three of the dining co-ops are geared towards vegetarian and vegan options.


The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:

The Beloit College Revolving Loan Fund, also called the Sustainability Project Fund, is a resource available to assist Beloit College in a campus-wide transformation to make our institution more sustainable and help the college more judiciously use the resources available to it. The Fund serves this purpose by providing the initial capital needed to install environmentally friendly projects that generate a savings once in place, and then allocates a portion of the savings generated back into the account until the original cost of the project is repaid plus some additional predetermined amount. The installation of this fund allows the Beloit College community to initiate and further projects previously prohibited for monetary reasons. Because of the parameters set by the fund it will grow over time, thus providing increased capacity to serve future projects. The Fund is student run and a majority of the members on the board are students.


The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
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The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
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A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:

Each year the Beloit Sustainability Office plans and coordinates a week's worth of events around Earth Day. Often there are student art events and cultural discussions included within the week's events. For example, in April of 2014, students planning events around Earth Day arranged for an artist to come to campus to conduct an interactive workshop on creating art from recycled products.


The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
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A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:

"OEC - The Outdoor Environmental club is a place for anyone with any interest in the environment to come share ideas and learn about others' interests. Whether you enjoy hiking and camping or environmental activism, the OEC is the place for you. Each week at our meeting, a club member or group of club members presents a topic or holds a workshop on something of interest to them. Throughout the semester we also have other events which may relate to on campus activism, camping trips, or simply how to be a better steward to the earth.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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The website URL where information about the theme is available:
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A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
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A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:

The Sustainability Coordinator hires 2-3 work-study students each year to help with raising awareness on campus about relevant issues, planning sustainability events, and to track energy, water, and waste metrics for the campus.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
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A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
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A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
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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.