Brigham Young University
EN-3: Student Life

The BYU Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) is a student-led organization that aims to increase sustainable practices at BYU on an institutional level and create a campus culture more focused on environmental sustainability, from recycling and composting to service projects and awareness campaigns. Its leadership works directly with the Sustainability Office.

Other student groups fall into two categories: (1) BYUSA clubs, such as the Eco Response Club, which are governed by BYU’s Student Connection and Leadership Center to give students with similar interests a place to meet, enjoy activities, render service, and develop leadership skills, and (2) student academic associations, such as the Social Impact Association, Global Environmental Studies Club, the Environmental Science Club, and the Wind Energy Club, which are sponsored by an academic college, school, department, or academic center to deepen student engagement in the unit’s academic programs.

The BYU Life Sciences Greenhouse is a space for innovation, hands-on learning, and problem solving, with a focus on research in horticultural projects in genetics, plant ecology, and hydroponics/aquaponics. At the greenhouse, students learn to live sustainably by planting, growing, and harvesting sustainable varieties of grains, vegetables, and other foods.

The Pendulum Court Café allows dietetics students to gain experience working in a real restaurant setting. The goal is to help them gain entrepreneurial experience while creating an atmosphere where the students can experiment with flavors and culinary craft that will prepare them for futures in a similar field. The café helps these students develop skills beyond the knowledge learned in the classroom as they perfect recipes, diet, and portion control. The cafe is student-run, and it partners with BYU Sustainability and BYU Recycling to turn its food waste into mulch used on campus, as documented in this March 2022 newsletter.

The BYU Impact Investing Association helps students land impact investing jobs through technical education, quality experiences, and a supportive community. It aims to provide a space for students to learn about investing with social or environmental impact, build relationships with other social-minded professionals, practice financial and impact analysis, and gain experience through case competitions and startup visits.

Two courses on impact investing, one introductory and one advanced, are offered by the BYU Marriott School of Business and open to students from all academic backgrounds and majors. In these courses, students study venture capital and impact investing, hear social ventures pitch their ideas, analyze a business’s social impact and model, and perform due diligence. 

Twice per year, BYU Sustainability hosts a campus-wide Green Week to cultivate a culture of sustainability through service projects, bike rides, films, and lectures, and other events. In the fall of 2022, Green Week included a sustainability forum and zero-waste luncheon for 130 students, faculty, and staff, with presentations by BYU CFO Steve Hafen and BYU humanities professor George Handley.

As mentioned in the points of distinction, BYU holds a weekly devotional or forum attended by thousands of students and employees and broadcasted publicly through BYUtv. In 2022 and 2023, three speakers focused their remarks on stewardship of the environment. See “Loving All God’s Creations” by Katherine Hayhoe, “Exploring Nature’s Curiosity Cabinet” by Paul Allen Cox, and "Six Spiritual Lessons from the Natural World" by Loreen Allphin.

In 2020, BYU's Kennedy Center for International Studies held an environmental stewardship lecture series in response to the rising climate-change crisis.

In January 2023, BYU's Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum opened a student-led exhibit called Change the Climate. The exhibit, created by students from the life sciences, illustration, and design, addresses the climate crisis and showcases solutions that will help humans change the climate for the better, from recycling and composting to taking public transit. It also features original art made from recyclable materials.

In September 2022, the BYU Library's Science and Engineering department held a photo competition titled "Everyday Stewards: Sustainability in Action." Some 50 submissions captured students and staff around the world. A panel of judges selected ten winning photos that were showcased in a prominent gallery space on the second floor of the library, online, and in the BYU Sustainability newsletter. The photos were hung in frames made by one library employee using reclaimed wood.

BYU Sustainability's Green Week, mentioned previously, featured a recycled art show in 2022.

Leave No Trace principles are taught on campus in Introduction to Outdoor Recreation Activities and other courses, adhered to by student clubs, and promoted by BYU's Outdoors Unlimited, a hub for responsible outdoor adventure, from hiking and camping to kayaking, skiing, and biking.

As mentioned previously, BYU's fall 2022 semester invited forum speakers to deliver campus-wide addresses on environmental stewardship. BYU's Kennedy Center chose the same theme for its winter 2020 semester.

BYU's Student Sustainability Initiative, mentioned previously, leads workshops that teach sustainable life skills such as mending, foraging, composting, and recycling.

The Sustainability Office employs up to five students per semester, who support events, research, education, and outreach. It has also sponsored up to a dozen interns per semester. 

Elsewhere on campus, BYU employes students in sustainability-related labs, operational roles, and administrative positions. In the College of Life Sciences, for example, there are lab positions in environmental science, biology, wildlife and wildlands conservation, genetics, biology, and other fields that directly involve climate change research, while in the College of Engineering, Sustainability Lab members address complex challenges at the intersection of the built environment, natural environment, and human-social environment.. BYU Physical Facilities also employs hundreds of students who collect recyclables, run events, beautify campus grounds, and prepare meals. See AC-8.