Elon University
EN-3: Student Life

Elon has a number of student groups that work on sustainability issues.
Elon students can search student organizations by keyword through an online system to find a student group that fits their interests. One of these, the Sierra Student Coalition, is dedicated to sustainable causes and service in the name of sustainability. The Sierra Student Coalition's mission is to: Explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth. Practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. Educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. Use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
Elon's Sierra Student Coalition is run by a student leadership team and is open to the entire student body. The group programs actively and collaborates with other like-minded organizations on campus.
A second group is Net Impact, which aims to empower students to drive social and environmental change throughout their careers by providing events and programs that support members who want to use business as a force for environmental and social impact.
More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/fa/sustainability/get-involved/student-opportunities/student-groups/
https://elon.campuslabs.com/engage/

The Elon Community Garden was initiated by an environmental ethics course to foster education, spirituality, service, community discussion and sustainability and was fully established by a student as part of a senior thesis project. It is a place for Elon students, faculty, staff, children and community to come together. It is now used as a laboratory for courses and volunteer location for any interested student.
Organic practices are utilized in the garden, and gardening tasks are coordinated by student managers. In 2012, the Elon Community Garden was designated a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
More information:
https://www.elon.edu/u/community-garden/
https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2012/09/05/nwf-gives-stamp-of-approval-to-elon-community-garden/

Elon University also maintains Loy Farm, which fuses sustainable agricultural, responsible architectural design, opportunities for academic research and community service. Garden plots and a high tunnel greenhouse serve as resources for food production related courses. The farm itself is a critical component of the university’s Peace Corps Prep Program. It also offers learning opportunities for community groups and programs, such as the Elon Academy.
More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/arts-and-sciences/center-for-environmental-studies/environmental-center-at-loy-farm/

There is a student organization specifically designed for students to be able to invest. The Elon Microfinance Initiative (EMI) works locally and internationally to promote sustainable giving by providing support to small business owners. On a local scale, EMI provides creative work and networking assistance to small business owners, while international impact is made through loans to developing countries and businesses via Kiva.
More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/business/student-organizations/

Elon holds a number of events throughout the year related to sustainability including speakers, panel sessions, film screenings, exhibits and themed meals among others. Earth Week takes place each spring semester and Campus Sustainability Week takes place each fall. Both of these are a week-long celebration with a number of different events, including one speaker per week. Students are the primary audience for these events, though most are open to faculty and staff as well. Recent Earth Week and Campus Sustainability Week speakers have included Susan Joy Hassol (Spring 2022), Isaias Hernandez (Fall 2022), Peter Kalmus (Spring 2023) and Ashlie Thomas (Fall 2023).
More information:
https://www.elon.edu/u/fa/sustainability/get-involved/live-sustainably/

Throughout the spring 2022 semester, Eco-Art students created a series of art installations open to the entire Elon community. They were presented in both the Living Studio, Eco-Art’s exhibition space, and in various public spaces around campus. Projects explored various topics connected to sustainability.
There is not a website URL for more information.

Elon Outdoors allows students several opportunities to experience nature each semester. Program offerings include canoeing, climbing, kayaking, backpacking, indoor climbing, white water rafting and sailing. Camping equipment is available for weekend rental for those wishing to explore the vast array of outdoor pursuits available throughout the region. The Elon Outdoors Resource Room is a great place to obtain information about outdoor adventure. Elon Outdoors implements Leave No Trace principles on outdoor trip experiences.
More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/campus-recreation-wellness/experiential-learning-and-outdoor-adventures/elon-outdoors/

Consistent with the Elon University mission of nurturing a rich intellectual community, the Elon Common Reading Program (ECRP) challenges students, faculty and staff to examine themselves and the local and global worlds they inhabit through reading. The readings and related discussions aim not only to encourage critical reflection about important issues but also to invite personal consideration of how our individual actions affect these issues.
The ECRP will:
-Offer diverse perspectives and commentary on key issues affecting our lives;
-Provide forums to question and discuss these perspectives in depth;
-Encourage integration of these ideas and perspectives in other aspects of the Elon experience;
-Foster critical thinking by offering multiple opportunities to examine and reflect upon the reading throughout the year.
The common reading often addresses aspects of sustainability, recent examples are:
Fall 2019 – Futureface by Alex Wagner
Fall 2020 - Biased by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt
Fall 2021 - Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Fall 2022 - Factfulness by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund
Fall 2023 - I Never Thought of It That Way by Monica Guzman

More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/common-reading/

Elon has a Sustainable Living Learning Community (SLLC) on campus that brings together students from any major who are interested in learning how to personally live in a manner that supports ecologically, socially and economically healthy environments and communities. The SLLC is a space for students to formally and informally examine sustainability topics and the roles that individuals can play in addressing sustainability.
More information: https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/living-and-learning/residential-learning-communities/sustainable-living-llc/

The Office of Sustainability hires Elon students as interns and Eco-Reps for the academic year.
More information:
https://www.elon.edu/u/fa/sustainability/get-involved/student-opportunities/eco-reps/
https://www.elon.edu/u/fa/sustainability/get-involved/student-opportunities/interns/