Central Washington University
EN-3: Student Life

Environmental Club: dedicated to improving and promoting environmental quality and sustainability on campus and in the community. Activities include: advocating for sustainability on campus, adopt a stream, campus clean-up, recycling awareness, compost initiatives, organizing Earth Day Events and film showings, hiking, BBQs, and more!

Electric Vehicle Club: A college campus chapter of the Electric Vehicle Association.
- To be an advocate for the future of motion, and the future is electric.
- To be a community of purpose-driven advocates for driving electric, electric vehicle infrastructure, and electric vehicle autosport.
- To provide a public engagement forum where anyone can learn about the future of motion.

PUSH: The CWU campus chapter of Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH) is a combined effort from students, faculty, staff, and Ellensburg community partners to connect students to resources. No academic program is effective when students are hungry or unhoused. PUSH manages a food pantry, an emergency meal fund, and pop-up events to provide boxes of food and hygiene products to students.

Wildcat Neighborhood Farm:
Our mission is to support education, community health, and environmental stewardship on campus by examining the social and ecological implications of our food system.

At the Wildcat Neighborhood Farm, we provide opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to participate in growing food for the community. Our primary work is to grow fresh produce for CWU Dining Services, and to provide space for students and faculty to run experiments or projects centered around food and farming. Examples have included studying soil carbon respiration, offering K-12 education programs, and piloting dryland winter wheat production.

The Farm is a space for building a culture of environmental stewardship, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing, new or traditional, with our neighbors.

https://www.cwu.edu/wildcatfarm/

The Council on Investor Responsibility includes several student representatives. As part of their involvement in this council, the students have analyzed CWU's internally held investment according to ESG criteria and presented their findings to the VP of Finance.

Students have also been working on passing a student green fee. Progress was slowed down on this effort in 2020 due to COVID. The ASCWU (student government) senator for Sustainability has this as her primary goal for 2022, and during SUST301 Introduction to Sustainability in Spring 2022 wrote a proposal that provides the framework for passing a green fee during 2022-2023. The green fee is intended to support student projects and student sustainability employees.

In February 2022, CWU hosted an event series for members of the Central Washington University community and others interested in exploring how to remain optimistic in the era of climate change. The event, sponsored by CWU Sustainability and CWU Libraries, centered around the ideas presented in the book, A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet(link is external), written by Sarah Jaquette Ray.

https://www.cwu.edu/news/education-and-teaching/%E2%80%98field-guide-climate-anxiety%E2%80%99-author-will-speak-cwu-community-february

https://www.cwu.edu/news/campus-and-community/cwu-continue-climate-anxiety-conversation-tuesday

The CWU Museum of Culture and the Environment has hosted several installations focused on sustainability.

In 2021, the museum hosted a series called 'Imagine Sustainable Futures' where they interviewed community sustainability leaders and advocates about how to build a sustainable future. Five total interviews were conducted: Rodeo City Repair Cafe, CWU Wildcat Farm, CWU Sustainability Certificate, CWU Sustainability Coordinator, and Primate Awareness Network. The playlist is archived on Youtube: https://youtu.be/RXKAAWZ8o78

CWU Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals offers guided-excursions as well as discounted rental equipment and special event programs. Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals supports the individual development of participants through outdoor experiences. Outdoor Pursuits and Rentals aims to inspire participants to pursue their goals and challenge what they thought were their limitations.

OPR classes are based on Leave No Trace principles in every aspect of the trip. For example, PEF 162: Backpacking has Leave No Trace principles in the description of the course: https://catalog.acalog.cwu.edu/preview_course_nopop.php?catoid=67&coid=159202

In January 2022, CWU designed it's first Sustainability Living Learning Community. The Sustainability Living Learning Community will be held in Wendell Hill Hall B starting Fall 2022, and is open to students from all majors and levels. Students will learn about about social, economic and environmental sustainability, collaborate with peers, and become empowered to be a sustainability leader, both on campus and in the community.

https://www.cwu.edu/news/campus-notice/students-join-cwus-new-sustainability-living-learning-community
https://www.cwu.edu/housing/sustainability

The Associated Students of Central Washington University employee one student as the Senator for Sustainability. Other sustainability employment opportunities include positions at CWU's Wildcat Neighborhood Farm, including Farm Operations Coordinator, Special Project Coordinator, and Community Garden Coordinator. Students are also employed at CWU's Diversity Equity Center.