| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.23 |
| Liaison | Josh Lasky |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2020 |
George Washington University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Kimberly
Williams Not available at this time Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Student groups
Yes
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
• Green GW - The mission is to unite the student body, administration, and faculty alike to create a more environmentally friendly and green campus while simultaneously increasing awareness of environmental issues. Green GW runs various events on and off campus to raise awareness of sustainability issues and encourage sustainable behaviors, including coffee giveaways for students who bring a reusable mug to the event. They also perform innovative student engagement activities, such as an annual "Trashion Show", where students compete to create clothing out of trash and recyclable materials.
• Net Impact - Net Impact’s mission is to improve the world by growing and strengthening a network of new leaders who are using the power of business to make a positive net social, environmental, and economic impact.
• Environmental Law Association - ELA is a student-run organization that works to bring together law students interested in environmental protection and provide educational, career, and networking opportunities in the practice of environmental law. http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/ela/.
• Campaign GW - Campaign GW is an ongoing forum for students to directly share their ideas with the administration and participate in the decision-making process on future GW campus development issues, including sustainability.
• GroW Community – The GroW Community is a GW student organization founded the spring semester of 2009 to restore the environment, promote community, build relationships, and pursue justice through food. The GroW Community partnered with the Office of Sustainability to launch the first on-campus community garden in fall 2009.
• GW Energy Club– The GW Energy Club strives to enhance the networking and educational opportunities for students and the GW community interested in investment, development and regulation of the energy and sustainable development industries. With a focus on the Renewable Energy, Cleantech and Green Building markets, the group meets regularly to develop skills, share experiences, contacts, and coordinate speakers/events.
• Sustainable Urban Planning Student Organization: SUPSO engages GWU, the District of Columbia and the global community through advocacy and outreach to advance the overall field of sustainable urban planning.
• Sunrise GW: Sunrise GW's ultimate goal is the complete divestment of GW's endowment from 200 companies that own the world's economically recoverable fossil fuel reserves. They advocate for the design and implementation of a reinvestment strategy that will replace fossil fuel investments with investments in the green economy. They work with the national Sunrise Movement to share strategies and resources.
• Engineers Without Borders: Engineers Without Borders USA builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
• GW Food Recovery Network: The GW Food Recovery Network aims to tackle both food waste and hunger by collecting food that would otherwise be thrown away from restaurants and events. We donate the food on the same day to local D.C. shelters.
• The George Washington Humanitarian Mapping Society: GWHMS's purpose is to support international development, and international disaster preparation/response efforts through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• The mission of the George Washington University Student Association is to further the interests and promote the welfare of all students at GW. Their responsibilities are defined in four ways: to advocate, allocate, advertise, and assist. Sustainability is a priority issue for the Student Association, who helped initiate the creation of a Sustainable Investment Fund.
• Me to We GW is associated with an international non-profit, WE Charity, whose mission statement is to reduce world poverty through sustainable development. We further this mission here at GW by holding fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and other events focused on development-related topics.
• Clean Closets: Clean Closets is dedicated to education and activism around sustainable fashion.
• Surfrider Foundation GW: GW Surfrider is associated with the national nonprofit the Surfrider Foundation. The GW Chapter works to raise awareness and take action to address plastic pollution in the oceans.
• Take Back the Tap GW: Take Back the Tap is a campaign of the national nonprofit organization Food and Water Watch. The students at GW are working to raise awareness and promote access to clean and safe tap water over bottled water on campus.
• Animal Advocates: This student organization brings together students who are interested in animal rights.
All of the student groups above are student-governed, with the exception of the Student Association, which is the Student Government facilitated through the GW Center for Student Engagement, and CampaignGW, which is not a traditional student organization. CampaignGW is a group of student volunteers led by staff in the Division of Operations. These students serve as volunteer Eco Reps to promote sustainability among students living on campus.
• Net Impact - Net Impact’s mission is to improve the world by growing and strengthening a network of new leaders who are using the power of business to make a positive net social, environmental, and economic impact.
• Environmental Law Association - ELA is a student-run organization that works to bring together law students interested in environmental protection and provide educational, career, and networking opportunities in the practice of environmental law. http://docs.law.gwu.edu/stdg/ela/.
• Campaign GW - Campaign GW is an ongoing forum for students to directly share their ideas with the administration and participate in the decision-making process on future GW campus development issues, including sustainability.
• GroW Community – The GroW Community is a GW student organization founded the spring semester of 2009 to restore the environment, promote community, build relationships, and pursue justice through food. The GroW Community partnered with the Office of Sustainability to launch the first on-campus community garden in fall 2009.
• GW Energy Club– The GW Energy Club strives to enhance the networking and educational opportunities for students and the GW community interested in investment, development and regulation of the energy and sustainable development industries. With a focus on the Renewable Energy, Cleantech and Green Building markets, the group meets regularly to develop skills, share experiences, contacts, and coordinate speakers/events.
• Sustainable Urban Planning Student Organization: SUPSO engages GWU, the District of Columbia and the global community through advocacy and outreach to advance the overall field of sustainable urban planning.
• Sunrise GW: Sunrise GW's ultimate goal is the complete divestment of GW's endowment from 200 companies that own the world's economically recoverable fossil fuel reserves. They advocate for the design and implementation of a reinvestment strategy that will replace fossil fuel investments with investments in the green economy. They work with the national Sunrise Movement to share strategies and resources.
• Engineers Without Borders: Engineers Without Borders USA builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.
• GW Food Recovery Network: The GW Food Recovery Network aims to tackle both food waste and hunger by collecting food that would otherwise be thrown away from restaurants and events. We donate the food on the same day to local D.C. shelters.
• The George Washington Humanitarian Mapping Society: GWHMS's purpose is to support international development, and international disaster preparation/response efforts through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• The mission of the George Washington University Student Association is to further the interests and promote the welfare of all students at GW. Their responsibilities are defined in four ways: to advocate, allocate, advertise, and assist. Sustainability is a priority issue for the Student Association, who helped initiate the creation of a Sustainable Investment Fund.
• Me to We GW is associated with an international non-profit, WE Charity, whose mission statement is to reduce world poverty through sustainable development. We further this mission here at GW by holding fundraisers, awareness campaigns, and other events focused on development-related topics.
• Clean Closets: Clean Closets is dedicated to education and activism around sustainable fashion.
• Surfrider Foundation GW: GW Surfrider is associated with the national nonprofit the Surfrider Foundation. The GW Chapter works to raise awareness and take action to address plastic pollution in the oceans.
• Take Back the Tap GW: Take Back the Tap is a campaign of the national nonprofit organization Food and Water Watch. The students at GW are working to raise awareness and promote access to clean and safe tap water over bottled water on campus.
• Animal Advocates: This student organization brings together students who are interested in animal rights.
All of the student groups above are student-governed, with the exception of the Student Association, which is the Student Government facilitated through the GW Center for Student Engagement, and CampaignGW, which is not a traditional student organization. CampaignGW is a group of student volunteers led by staff in the Division of Operations. These students serve as volunteer Eco Reps to promote sustainability among students living on campus.
Gardens and farms
Yes
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
In fall 2009 GW opened its first on-campus garden: The GroW Community Garden. It is a project of the student group, The Food Justice Alliance, implemented in partnership with the GW Department of Landscape Design and the GW Office of Sustainability. The group was founded in spring 2009 to "restore the environment, promote community, build relationships, and pursue justice through food". The garden was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant for Eco-Leadership and the funds were used to enhance and expand the garden.
In Fall 2011, the garden received a $20,000 award from a contest put on by Nature's Path to fund expansion and enhancement in the space. Each year since then, 500 - 1000+ pounds of food from the garden are donated to a local soup kitchen, Miriam's Kitchen.
Since Fall 2013, the GroW Garden has been collaborating monthly with the neighborhood Farmers' Market to promote the garden and the benefits of urban gardening at the market. At Farmers' Markets in Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle, students can pay with their dining dollars. Students can also use dining dollars to purchase tokens that are accepted by eight other Farmers' Market locations across the city.
The GroW Garden team also facilitates Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) shares for students, distributed through Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. Shares are delivered for pick-up weekly, and students participating in the CSA share program can pay with their university dining dollars.
The garden is organic and the student gardeners consistently seek out local vendors who can provide them with pesticide-free soil, mulch and compost.
The Office of Sustainability funds a garden manager student intern position to maintain the space and coordinate student and community involvement with the garden. The initiative is not student-governed, rather is it supervised by the Office of Sustainability. However, the student group GroW Community, who were critical in making the garden a reality, is student-governed, and most of the student Garden Managers are also part of this student organization.
Since December 2017, the GW Student Association has partnered with Hungry Harvest, an organization that takes leftover or unwanted produce that couldn’t be shelved at a supermarket, and sells it for a discounted price. The goal of this program is to help provide healthy, sustainable foods at an affordable price for the GW student body on campus.
In Fall 2011, the garden received a $20,000 award from a contest put on by Nature's Path to fund expansion and enhancement in the space. Each year since then, 500 - 1000+ pounds of food from the garden are donated to a local soup kitchen, Miriam's Kitchen.
Since Fall 2013, the GroW Garden has been collaborating monthly with the neighborhood Farmers' Market to promote the garden and the benefits of urban gardening at the market. At Farmers' Markets in Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle, students can pay with their dining dollars. Students can also use dining dollars to purchase tokens that are accepted by eight other Farmers' Market locations across the city.
The GroW Garden team also facilitates Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) shares for students, distributed through Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. Shares are delivered for pick-up weekly, and students participating in the CSA share program can pay with their university dining dollars.
The garden is organic and the student gardeners consistently seek out local vendors who can provide them with pesticide-free soil, mulch and compost.
The Office of Sustainability funds a garden manager student intern position to maintain the space and coordinate student and community involvement with the garden. The initiative is not student-governed, rather is it supervised by the Office of Sustainability. However, the student group GroW Community, who were critical in making the garden a reality, is student-governed, and most of the student Garden Managers are also part of this student organization.
Since December 2017, the GW Student Association has partnered with Hungry Harvest, an organization that takes leftover or unwanted produce that couldn’t be shelved at a supermarket, and sells it for a discounted price. The goal of this program is to help provide healthy, sustainable foods at an affordable price for the GW student body on campus.
Student-run enterprises
Yes
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
GW provides institutional support for student-run sustainable enterprises through several programs across the university.
GWupstart is GW's central hub for social innovation training, mentoring, and funding. Based in the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, it builds on GW’s strength as an institution that fosters the next generation of citizen leaders. It provides the know-how and support to students to turn their ideas into practical action that makes a measurable, sustained difference.
The DC Climathon at GW provides student and citizen innovators with the financial resources, mentors, and support to launch ideas that address sustainability and climate change in the District of Columbia. Past winners include a small business that creates green jobs while refurbishing appliances for the deaf community, a start-up to recover and transport leftover meals to the hungry through crowd sourcing, a furniture company that reclaims and redesigns old items into new furnishings, a low-tech communication device to help vulnerable populations communicate during weather related disasters, a green job training program on new building technologies, a food truck with fresh produce in grocery scarce neighborhoods, and a start up that repurposes textile waste to create weighted blankets that address anxiety.
The GW New Venture Competition provides GW students, faculty, and alumni with a real world educational experience in developing, testing, and launching their own startups. The competition fosters entrepreneurship at GW through workshops, mentoring, non-dilutive cash grants, in-kind prizes, networking opportunities, publicity, and concept validation. Monetary awards are given to the best student business plans. Students access experts in social and sustainability start-ups as mentors during their preparation for the New Venture Competition. Past winners have included a local farming hydroponic start-up, a producer that grows tea ethically on rooftops in internationally developing communities, clean water for gardeners, and a water desalination company.
The AccelerateGW program provides $3,000 grants to entrepreneurial GW students and faculty in science and engineering to move their projects from the lab toward commercialization. GW students are incubating projects related to building energy efficiency as well as solar-powered self-charging batteries.
GW supports its researchers and their student teams in participating in the National Science Foundation I-Corps Program. Through I-Corps GW provides research infrastructure and training that help researchers and their students transition fundamental science and engineering discoveries to the marketplace. Resulting projects at GW have focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy technology start-ups, as well as others.
The Store is a student-run food pantry at the George Washington University (GW) that is managed by the Store student organization and the Center for Student Engagement, providing resources and support for students living with food insecurity. Awareness of this need has increased on college campuses as students make hard choices about how to spend their limited resources. The Store was founded on the principles of Faith, Trust, and Respect and these values guide the Store's work. The mission is to address student need at GW by offering food and other resources to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed.
GWupstart is GW's central hub for social innovation training, mentoring, and funding. Based in the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, it builds on GW’s strength as an institution that fosters the next generation of citizen leaders. It provides the know-how and support to students to turn their ideas into practical action that makes a measurable, sustained difference.
The DC Climathon at GW provides student and citizen innovators with the financial resources, mentors, and support to launch ideas that address sustainability and climate change in the District of Columbia. Past winners include a small business that creates green jobs while refurbishing appliances for the deaf community, a start-up to recover and transport leftover meals to the hungry through crowd sourcing, a furniture company that reclaims and redesigns old items into new furnishings, a low-tech communication device to help vulnerable populations communicate during weather related disasters, a green job training program on new building technologies, a food truck with fresh produce in grocery scarce neighborhoods, and a start up that repurposes textile waste to create weighted blankets that address anxiety.
The GW New Venture Competition provides GW students, faculty, and alumni with a real world educational experience in developing, testing, and launching their own startups. The competition fosters entrepreneurship at GW through workshops, mentoring, non-dilutive cash grants, in-kind prizes, networking opportunities, publicity, and concept validation. Monetary awards are given to the best student business plans. Students access experts in social and sustainability start-ups as mentors during their preparation for the New Venture Competition. Past winners have included a local farming hydroponic start-up, a producer that grows tea ethically on rooftops in internationally developing communities, clean water for gardeners, and a water desalination company.
The AccelerateGW program provides $3,000 grants to entrepreneurial GW students and faculty in science and engineering to move their projects from the lab toward commercialization. GW students are incubating projects related to building energy efficiency as well as solar-powered self-charging batteries.
GW supports its researchers and their student teams in participating in the National Science Foundation I-Corps Program. Through I-Corps GW provides research infrastructure and training that help researchers and their students transition fundamental science and engineering discoveries to the marketplace. Resulting projects at GW have focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy technology start-ups, as well as others.
The Store is a student-run food pantry at the George Washington University (GW) that is managed by the Store student organization and the Center for Student Engagement, providing resources and support for students living with food insecurity. Awareness of this need has increased on college campuses as students make hard choices about how to spend their limited resources. The Store was founded on the principles of Faith, Trust, and Respect and these values guide the Store's work. The mission is to address student need at GW by offering food and other resources to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed.
Sustainable investment and finance
Yes
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
The Committee for Sustainable Investment was approved and announced in February 2018. Its charter is under development and will have significant student involvement, seeking to engage stakeholders on issues relevant to responsible investing for a designated portion of the endowment directed to the Sustainable Investment Fund. In 2018, the Sustainable Investment Fund was created with an initial $2 million from the university endowment.
Events
Yes
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
GW hosts many events throughout the year related to sustainability. GW's location in Washington, DC, gives the university ample access to key decision makers and policymakers at the Federal and local level, and GW views itself as a vital convener on sustainability issues in the District. GW has recently hosted events including:
- GW Planet Forward Storyfest recognize the best and most compelling student-told stories illuminating environmental issues and solutions. The winning submissions are part of a two day symposium for students from GW and other Planet Forward Consortium members.
- Earth Day Activities: Each year, GW hosts a series of student-focused events designed around a theme during Earth Month. The month of events culminates in an Earth Day Fair on Earth Day itself, where student organizations, local businesses, and local community groups come together to promote their programs and celebrate the Earth. In 2019, the theme of the Earth Day Fair was Zero Waste. The fair featured a clothing swap where students, faculty and staff could trade their used clothing, reducing textile waste.
-GW partners with Casey Trees to conduct tree plantings and inventories all over the DC area, especially in our neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in downtown Washington, D.C. These events cater to staff, faculty and students.
- GW hosts an annual Diversity Summit, and made a commitment to putting sustainability into practice at the event as a way to educate students, faculty, and staff on the intersection between equity and sustainability. Participants were served local, plant based meals at the conference lunch, and were provided with reusable cutlery as their event giveaway. Food waste was diverted from the landfill to compost at the event.
- GW has hosted events that support students' sustainable enterprises. The DC Climathon event provides an opportunity for students and community members to develop real-world solutions to climate change challenges impacting the District of Columbia https://sustainability.gwu.edu/dc-climathon-gw. The Office of Sustainability, the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, and the GW Innovation Center hosted a series of workshops in 2019 to guide students’ efforts to launch projects with an environmental and social justice impact in the District of Columbia.
- GW has hosted events to raise awareness and foster discussion amongst students on sustainabilty in the community including a seminar on the intersection between immigration, labor, and food systems with Chef Jose Andres and Dolores Huerta https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/dolores-huerta-%E2%80%98we-all-have-become-organizers%E2%80%99, the 2019 Planet Forward summit bringing students, scientists, innovators, and policy makers together to discuss making an impact on sustainability through storytelling https://www.facebook.com/planetforward.org/videos/1871628239610186/, and the Green Move Out, an initiative which donates items like bedding, clothing, and books to local charity partners that would otherwise be sent to the landfill https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiEi-SI2-zYAhXCnOAKHb1jD-cQFggqMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fliving.gwu.edu%2Fgreen-move-out&usg=AOvVaw28mckVQE7sDc8WSyntjaEQ.
-The Office of Sustainability serves as a liaison between university leadership and student activists like those in the student group GW Sunrise, which regularly holds events to call on the University to divest from fossil fuels.
This is just a sample of recent GW sustainability events. Many students take part in the planning and organizing of these events, as well as participate in the programs. GW is committed to holding outreach events and convening thought leaders on sustainability.
- GW Planet Forward Storyfest recognize the best and most compelling student-told stories illuminating environmental issues and solutions. The winning submissions are part of a two day symposium for students from GW and other Planet Forward Consortium members.
- Earth Day Activities: Each year, GW hosts a series of student-focused events designed around a theme during Earth Month. The month of events culminates in an Earth Day Fair on Earth Day itself, where student organizations, local businesses, and local community groups come together to promote their programs and celebrate the Earth. In 2019, the theme of the Earth Day Fair was Zero Waste. The fair featured a clothing swap where students, faculty and staff could trade their used clothing, reducing textile waste.
-GW partners with Casey Trees to conduct tree plantings and inventories all over the DC area, especially in our neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in downtown Washington, D.C. These events cater to staff, faculty and students.
- GW hosts an annual Diversity Summit, and made a commitment to putting sustainability into practice at the event as a way to educate students, faculty, and staff on the intersection between equity and sustainability. Participants were served local, plant based meals at the conference lunch, and were provided with reusable cutlery as their event giveaway. Food waste was diverted from the landfill to compost at the event.
- GW has hosted events that support students' sustainable enterprises. The DC Climathon event provides an opportunity for students and community members to develop real-world solutions to climate change challenges impacting the District of Columbia https://sustainability.gwu.edu/dc-climathon-gw. The Office of Sustainability, the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, and the GW Innovation Center hosted a series of workshops in 2019 to guide students’ efforts to launch projects with an environmental and social justice impact in the District of Columbia.
- GW has hosted events to raise awareness and foster discussion amongst students on sustainabilty in the community including a seminar on the intersection between immigration, labor, and food systems with Chef Jose Andres and Dolores Huerta https://gwtoday.gwu.edu/dolores-huerta-%E2%80%98we-all-have-become-organizers%E2%80%99, the 2019 Planet Forward summit bringing students, scientists, innovators, and policy makers together to discuss making an impact on sustainability through storytelling https://www.facebook.com/planetforward.org/videos/1871628239610186/, and the Green Move Out, an initiative which donates items like bedding, clothing, and books to local charity partners that would otherwise be sent to the landfill https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiEi-SI2-zYAhXCnOAKHb1jD-cQFggqMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fliving.gwu.edu%2Fgreen-move-out&usg=AOvVaw28mckVQE7sDc8WSyntjaEQ.
-The Office of Sustainability serves as a liaison between university leadership and student activists like those in the student group GW Sunrise, which regularly holds events to call on the University to divest from fossil fuels.
This is just a sample of recent GW sustainability events. Many students take part in the planning and organizing of these events, as well as participate in the programs. GW is committed to holding outreach events and convening thought leaders on sustainability.
Cultural arts
Yes
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
• The GW Trashion Show is a student organized event that challenges students to create high fashion out of their trash. The past three shows have featured garbage bags, newspaper, and even plastic cups.
• The on campus art exhibition space, Gallery 102, has featured several art exhibits that incorporate sustainability. Currently, Gallery 102 is presenting Enter: Future. The exhibition displays an array of visions of the future, both dystopian and utopian, and makes an effort to convey these visions of the future from the perspectives of the eleven artists included. The works on display present a range of artwork relating to the future, with themes such as nationality, fashion, technology, social media, surveillance, political depictions, and government oversight. Their works represent a variety of artistic media, such as painting, sculpture, photography, art using found objects, recycled materials, and more.
• The George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum, and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design presented the exhibition Fast Fashion/Slow Art in 2019. Fast Fashion/Slow Art scrutinizes today’s garment industry. A diverse group of emerging and established contemporary artists and filmmakers explore issues of waste and consumerism through eleven films and video installations.
• The on campus art exhibition space, Gallery 102, has featured several art exhibits that incorporate sustainability. Currently, Gallery 102 is presenting Enter: Future. The exhibition displays an array of visions of the future, both dystopian and utopian, and makes an effort to convey these visions of the future from the perspectives of the eleven artists included. The works on display present a range of artwork relating to the future, with themes such as nationality, fashion, technology, social media, surveillance, political depictions, and government oversight. Their works represent a variety of artistic media, such as painting, sculpture, photography, art using found objects, recycled materials, and more.
• The George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum, and the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design presented the exhibition Fast Fashion/Slow Art in 2019. Fast Fashion/Slow Art scrutinizes today’s garment industry. A diverse group of emerging and established contemporary artists and filmmakers explore issues of waste and consumerism through eleven films and video installations.
Wilderness and outdoors programs
Yes
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The Mission of GW TRAiLS is to provide the GW community with diverse outdoor experiences that promote leadership, self discovery, respect for the environment, and community service. Through these principles and actions, TRAiLS strives to foster an active outdoor community at GW that benefits our lives, our city, and our world. TRAiLS strives to be environmentally-friendly and to leave as little of an impact as possible on trips using the Leave No Trace philosophy. This is done through considering the environment in waste disposal, campfire impact, leaving what is found, and respecting wildlife. TRAiLS is a student-governed organization.
Sustainability-focused themes
No
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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Sustainable life skills
Yes
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
GW provides sustainable features as part of the model residence hall rooms that all prospective students visit during their summer campus orientation. These features include sustainable cleaning products, reusable mugs, water bottles, and bags, a drying rack, shower timer, smart power strips, a water filtration pitcher, and more. These features were provided as part of the collaboration between GW Housing and the Office of Sustainability.
GW offers Affinity themed housing. The FoBoZero Affinity Housing is a shared living space for sustainability-minded students. FoBoZero affinity aims to reduce the environmental impact of selected students over the course of an academic year
GW's student Eco Reps engage student residents in a number of ways to encourage sustainable living, including hosting events in the residence halls on sustainable topics, going room-to-room for recycling "dorm storming", and encouraging students to reduce electricity and water use as part of GW's Eco-Challenge. In 2014, GW also launched NewU, a program on adjusting to college for first year students, and FutureU, a life skills program for third and fourth year students. Both of these programs seek to ensure GW students are successful as students and alumni through an optional program of module based experiential learning. NewU focuses on competencies including career planning, navigating life in the District of Columbia, and connecting with faculty. FutureU provides participants with skills like financial management and etiquette. A major focus of each program is how to eat healthy and how to purchase and prepare healthy, sustainable foods. This focus equips participants to make environmentally sounds choices and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
GW offers Affinity themed housing. The FoBoZero Affinity Housing is a shared living space for sustainability-minded students. FoBoZero affinity aims to reduce the environmental impact of selected students over the course of an academic year
GW's student Eco Reps engage student residents in a number of ways to encourage sustainable living, including hosting events in the residence halls on sustainable topics, going room-to-room for recycling "dorm storming", and encouraging students to reduce electricity and water use as part of GW's Eco-Challenge. In 2014, GW also launched NewU, a program on adjusting to college for first year students, and FutureU, a life skills program for third and fourth year students. Both of these programs seek to ensure GW students are successful as students and alumni through an optional program of module based experiential learning. NewU focuses on competencies including career planning, navigating life in the District of Columbia, and connecting with faculty. FutureU provides participants with skills like financial management and etiquette. A major focus of each program is how to eat healthy and how to purchase and prepare healthy, sustainable foods. This focus equips participants to make environmentally sounds choices and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Student employment opportunities
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Sustainability Academic Program Director works closely with the staff in the Career Center to provide students with career resources, career preparation workshops, and career and alumni networking events for sustainability students. In addition, Office of Sustainability regularly promotes external positions on the sustainability website. The university regularly maintains student sustainability positions within the Office of Sustainability, Business and Auxilery Services, and Facilities Planning Construction and Management.
Graduation pledge
Yes
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
GW offers a green graduation pledge to graduating seniors, which states "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work."
Optional Fields
The Sustainability Living and Learning Community on Mount Vernon campus brings together first-year students and faculty who are passionate about conserving and wisely utilizing the Earth’s resources. Students live together in a close-knit community of peers who are similarly passionate about protecting ecological health—now and in the future. Together, they explore major issues in sustainability in a special seminar in the fall semester. In spring, students pursue independent, faculty-directed research on a sustainability-related topic. Throughout the year, students in the Sustainability Living and Learning Community draw upon the wide array of resources and opportunities around GW and in the greater Washington, DC region. This living and learning community is open to students of all majors and schools.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional URLS:
Information about the student-run enterprises is available
https://students.gwu.edu/store
Information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available
https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum and https://art.columbian.gwu.edu/gallery-102
https://www.facebook.com/events/1380770348641384/
Other student run enterprise emails:
https://serve.gwu.edu/gwupstart
https://sustainability.gwu.edu/dc-climathon-gw
https://innovation.gwu.edu
https://students.gwu.edu/store
https://mountvernon.gwu.edu/sustainability-living-and-learning-community
Information about the student-run enterprises is available
https://students.gwu.edu/store
Information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available
https://museum.gwu.edu/textile-museum and https://art.columbian.gwu.edu/gallery-102
https://www.facebook.com/events/1380770348641384/
Other student run enterprise emails:
https://serve.gwu.edu/gwupstart
https://sustainability.gwu.edu/dc-climathon-gw
https://innovation.gwu.edu
https://students.gwu.edu/store
https://mountvernon.gwu.edu/sustainability-living-and-learning-community
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.