Colorado State University
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

Eco Leaders are students in the residence halls who help raise awareness about sustainability issues and encourage environmentally-responsible behaviors for an academic year. There is one Eco Leader per residence hall who helps educate students in their hall about sustainability issues such as waste reduction and energy conservation, and helps plan activities and campaigns.

Housing & Dining Services (HDS) hires one student representative from each residence hall to serve as a peer educator for 3-5 hours per week for an academic year.

Representatives attend a weekly meeting to plan and discuss projects, meet key staff members, learn about university procedures and sustainability issues, and reflect on past activities. Through a training manual, meetings, and field trips, Eco-Leaders learn about a variety of sustainability issues. They then work to bring those messages back to their peers in the residence halls in a variety of formats, and to create collaborative relationships with others. They assist with RecycleMania, Green Warrior, annual waste sort, Earth Week, Leave It Behind, and other related sustainability events and campaigns.

Eco Leaders receive training throughout the year on topics such as effective communication, leadership, community-based social marketing, team building, social justice and diversity, and environmental issues. They attend a mid-year retreat to reflect on past semester’s work and plan for the upcoming semester. Eco-Leaders sign a contract outlining expectations, and receive a $1,600 reimbursement on their housing costs for the academic year ($800 per semester).

The Associate Students of CSU (ASCSU) has organized their Green efforts through a dedicated Student-led Environment group. The Executive Director of Environment position and team was recently created to assist with the university's goals of becoming a Green University. This Department works alongside the green projects of the university as well as creating student based initiatives. The Department will sit on university committees that work on creating a green university. The ASCSU-Environment student group organized Bike to Breakfast Stations this year: four different dates, culminating in over 1,000 students served breakfast if they arrived to campus on their bike. The breakfast stands also offered free tune ups and educational material on biking to campus. ASCSU-Environment also works with the Fraternity and Sorority system at CSU to educate them about energy saving techniques and more. Students go directly to greek houses in order to encourage green living. ASCSU-Environment also organizes an alternative transportation fair each year in order to educate students on biking, riding the bus, or walking to campus. Additional Events include: A National Sustainability Day on campus Food Day (educates students about sustainable dining and food waste on campus)

The Director of the ASCSU-Environment Department is appointed by the CSU Student Body President. The Director then invites any student at CSU to participate in events (including programming, coordinating, participating, and especially educating as all of the events have a peer-to-peer educational component).

All ASCSU participants are trained in governance and CSU University policy. Additional training and support in sustainability is provided by on campus experts in areas relevant to ASCSU-Environment projects/events. For example, in preparation for a Bike to Campus Event, members will meet with the CSU Alternative Transportation Director, Parking Services, and the Bike Committee on campus in order to educate students on relevant issues.

As part of ASCSU, the Environment team has salaries, access to facilities and office space, and other resources.

The Green Warriors are exceptional students dedicated to implementing sustainability in their lives and the lives of others.

There is an online application process asking about experience, sustainability knowledge, and interest. Then phone interviews take place with the applicants who who do well in the first online round. Decisions are made after phone interviews.

Students report on outreach activities and are given resources to connect other student organizations on campus including; the Live Green Team/Community, the Environmental Action Collective, Front Range Student Ecology Symposium, Range Ecology Club, Student Association of Fire Ecology, The Wildlife Society, Environmental Learning Center (ELC), and the SusDev (Sustainable Development) Garden.

House & Dining Services Sustainability Coordinator manages the program. Financial support, including stipends for the Students, comes from Housing & Dining Services.