Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.36
Liaison Ian Johnson
Submission Date June 8, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Colorado College
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.93 / 4.00 Ian Johnson
Sustainability Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Yes

Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
2,096

Name of the student educators program (1st program):
ECO-RAs

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
1,548

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):

The Colorado College ECO-RA program, supported by the Sustainability Office, promotes peer-to-peer education to foster sustainable living practices on and off campus. All residential areas, including large residence halls, apartments, smaller campus houses and off-campus areas are served by one or more student ECO-RAs. Selected ECO-RAs educate locally in their respective residential spaces, through formal and informal programming, marketing materials, and events. In addition, ECO-RAs implement conservation measures in their residential areas. Examples of activities include monitoring and reporting on energy and water use, identifying opportunities to minimize paper waste, coordinating CFL lightbulb exchanges, and supporting material reuse & recycling. ECO-RAs also participate collectively in campus-wide initiatives such as Recyclemania and Campus Conservation Nationals. Stipends for ECO-RAs are $50 per block ($400 per year), with additional funds available to support programming. Although almost ten years old, The ECO-RA program has been inconsistent and has therefore been reworked and rebooted for the 2014-2015 academic year.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):

The Sustainability Office accepts applications for the ECO-RAs program on an annual basis.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):

ECO-RAs are trained by Sustainability Office staff and are provided with a published guide for peer-to-peer education.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):

The ECO-RAs program at Colorado College is stipend based, with a budget of $2400 per semester. Educators are also provided with funding for programming needs and materials.


Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Sense of Place - New Student Orientation Program

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
509

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):

The program was built to familiarize new students to the unique ecology and community of Colorado Springs while fostering the spirit of sustainability that Colorado College aims to embody. The presentation introduced students to plant, bird, and animal species within the area as well as the energy and waste disposal systems that support Colorado Springs and Colorado College. In the fall of 2014, the sense of place program included videos and live speakers on various subjects. The program now also has a website that is open to the public (http://senseofplacecoloradocollege.wordpress.com). The entire NSO program is being reworked and revamped for fall of 2015, where Sense of Place will have an even bigger role, potentially providing the theme of the entire program.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):

The student educators are interns through the Office of Sustainability. A specific internship position entitled 'Sense of Place Intern' was created in the Office of Sustainability in 2014.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):

The student educators receive mentorship from the Sustainability Manager, Ian Johnson, and collaborate with the Director of Outdoor Education, Ryan Hammes.


A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):

The institution does not have a single source of funding for this project. In its first year, the program was funded by an Eco-Fund grant from the Office of Sustainability, funds from the Outdoor Recreation Club, existing New Student Orientation funding, as well as funding to the individual intern responsible from the Office of Sustainability.


Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
---

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
---

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
---

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
---

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
---

A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
---

Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
---

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
---

A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
---

A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
---

A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
---

A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
---

Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
1,200

The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
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.