Florida State University
EN-3: Student Life

There are numerous student-run sustainability-related student organizations and initiatives: Take Back the Tap – In conjunction with Food & Water Watch, TBT is a student run advocacy campaign aimed at transforming FSU into a “bottled water free campus” by ending the sale of bottled water within the University and encouraging the student body to take advantage of FSU’s hydration stations. TBT has worked with departments and student organizations to commit to bottled-water free programming where the saved dollars are recommitted to additional programming resources. Environmental Service Program - ESP is a student-run organization which aims to engage students and community members with the environment around them through education, service, and advocacy. We focus our activities on the Red Hills bio-region surrounding Tallahassee, conducting educational service field trips and hosting speakers on pertinent environmental topics, encouraging sustainable lifestyles that connect humans with the environment. We take an active approach, empowering students to take action on important issues they feel strongly about as well as volunteering for causes. Tallahassee Sustainability Group - the mission of TSG is to research, develop, and implement a sustainable framework for the Tallahassee community that will enhance its ecologic, economic, and cultural welfare. TSG has successfully implemented numerous projects: - Agrinauts Training Program - A food and environment focused curriculum, holistically designed to engage students in gardening while achieving Florida Sunshine State Standards in science, math, health, and art. With this program students will achieve five objectives: (1) recognize that nutrition is vital for human health (2) recognize that human nutrition is derived from our neighborhood food environment (3) master skills in growing, preparing, and marketing healthful meals (4) further academic success by accomplishing Sunshine State Standards (5) connect with a broader Tallahassee community that is focused on food and nutrition security. From these objectives, we expect students to form healthier dietary habits based on the knowledge and recognition that nutrition is essential to our well-being and is accessible with our own ingenuity. - Tally Fresh Salvation Army Garden (now closed but hugely successful and instrumental in the creation of the FSU campus garden) - A volunteer-run garden on the property of the Tallahassee Salvation Army. We grow healthy food for the community in an area where access is limited. The produce is distributed to local restaurants and community members. We also have fun and educational social events that promote a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

The Seminole Organic garden is a place on campus for students to learn about and grow their own food. Garden beds are available for student organizations to rent so that they can experience growing their own food. Volunteers are encouraged to come to our workdays as we continue to plant trees, shrubs, construct garden beds, perform other garden maintenance activities, and learn about the garden. The day-to-day management of the garden is overseen by a student coordinator who is in turn advised by a board of students and faculty.

The Grindhouse coffee shop at the Askew Student Life Center is a student-run enterprise operated with sustainable practices: - cups are made from recyclable cardboard - organic, fair trade coffee products are sold - reusable, BPA-free tumblers for sale (customers receive their first drink free and discounts on any future drink purchases for using their ASLC tumbler).

The Student Green Fund provides funding in an effort to help students realize their ideas for sustainability and environmental progress at FSU. Preliminary funding for the Student Green Fund has been provided by the Student Government Association and will be administered through Sustainable Campus and FSU Facilities. Projects funded through the SGF must help support efficiency, conservation, and sustainability-related projects (water, energy, waste, alternative transportation, food, etc.) that reduce FSU’s energy costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and waste. Proposals should include details on how project success will be quantified and how each project contributes to student learning. The Diehl Family Social Enterprise Competition, hosted by the DeVoe Moore Center at Florida State University (College of Social Sciences & Public Policy), is part of a broader institution-wide initiative to establish and promote social entrepreneurship and innovation as a core program at FSU. Project proposals must address a significant social problem in the targeted community and show the potential for the enterprise to address and alleviate that problem.

Around campus, and in partnership with community organizations, numerous speaker series, movie screenings, symposia, and other events are held each year targeted to students to encourage understanding of sustainability issues and foster a culture of dialogue and engagement.

Since 2008, the Art Alley and related Get Green workshop has been transforming a blighted site in between campus and downtown Tallahassee. The objective is to keep the alley clean and green over the long haul and to organize an “art event” in the alley three or four times a year. Students explore the surrounding vegetation with the goal of creating “art/plant zones” and other green spaces that broadly relate to the region. Students research green spaces and communicate & collaborate with local businesses and land owners to determine the most eco-friendly environment to create.

Outdoor Pursuits (OP) provides a variety of programs and services that allows the FSU community to enjoy the outdoors. We offer three main programs: Adventure trips, Equipment rental, and Recreation resources (skill clinics, information, etc). All OP programs and services are available for FSU students, faculty, staff and the Tallahassee community. Exploring new skills, meeting new people, and having a positive learning experience are all parts of OP. The 5 key goals of OP are: 1. Provide participants with the opportunity to develop new skills 2. Enhance participants' appreciation of the wilderness 3. Enable participants to adapt to new and challenging situations 4. Provide participants with a change from "the everyday" 5. Create opportunities for participants to foster collaborative relationships FSU Outdoor Pursuits is a proud partner of Leave No Trace in its efforts to build awareness, appreciation and respect for our wild lands.

One Book / One Campus is Florida State University's first-year shared-reading program. The initiative is designed to engage new students in critical reading and reflection and engage them a community dialogue with faculty, administrators, and their peers as soon as they arrive on campus. Discussions, course assignments, and other activities centered around the book's themes and information will be introduced into the freshmen year - supporting critical thinking and college success. Book selection is determined by a campus-wide committee and a variety of topics are considered, including sustainability and other social issues important to the incoming class. For example, the 2012 book, Wine to Water, tell the story of a nonprofit organization focused on providing clean water to people in need around the world, from Darfur to Haiti. Service projects, fundraisers, and the convocation ceremony were centered around the books' theme.

A variety of programs exist on campus for students to learn and practice sustainable life skills (each described in a different question of the Student Engagement section): Eco-Reps: http://sustainablecampus.fsu.edu/Our-Programs/Eco-Reps Outdoor Pursuit trips: http://campusrec.fsu.edu/outdoors/op campus garden: http://sustainablecampus.fsu.edu/Our-Programs/Seminole-Organic-Garden Center for Participant Education classes: https://www.facebook.com/pages/FSU-CPE-Center-for-Participant-Education/172370012817200?ref=bf Center for Leadership & Social Change: http://thecenter.fsu.edu/ & hundreds of volunteer opportunities

The Sustainable Campus program, through FSU Facilities, employs student coordinators for a handful of programs: game day recycling, garden manager, Eco-Reps, Take Back the Tap, social media. Program partners, including the Commuter Services of North Florida also support sustainability-focused student employment opportunities. Additionally, the Center for Leadership & Social Change employs numerous students who work within a variety of social issue engagement programs.

Each spring, graduating students are encouraged to participate in FSU’s Green Graduation Pledge: As a graduate of Florida State University, I pledge to consider the environmental and social implications of my future actions in both my personal and professional life and to always uphold the Garnet & Gold.

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