Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.01
Liaison Katie Koscielak
Submission Date May 8, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Cal Poly Humboldt
ER-T2-1: Student Group

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Jerri Jones
Clubs & Activities Coordinator
Clubs & Activities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

The name and a brief description of each student group:

Natural Resources Club: The Natural Resources Club provides opportunities for students at HSU to be directly involved in the community: volunteering as a "work force" for a variety of local government agencies and non-profit organizations.

American Fisheries Society at HSU: This club strives to improve the consevation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by working within the local community and raising awareness of fisheries issues.

California Waterfowl Association (CWA): The California Waterfowl Association is a student chapter of the statewide nonprofit organization where the principal objectives are the preservation, protection, and enhancement of California’s waterfowl resources, wetlands, and associated hunting heritage.

Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT): CCAT is a sustainable living demonstration home and educational center that demonstrates that living lightly on the earth is both practical and rewarding. CCAT offers educational opportunities which include tours and classes on special topics. Projects within CCAT are initiated, coordinated and executed by student volunteers.

Waste Reduction & Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP): WRRAP provides a means for students to take responsibility for waste generated on campus and to make a positive contribution to the quality of the environment. WRRAP gives students hands-on training in composting and maintains a compost demonstration site on the North side of Redwood Bowl. The community can also utilize WRRAP's Reusable Office Supply Exchanges (ROSE) located in House 53.

American Water Resources Association (AWRA): The American Water Resources Association is a student chapter of the national organization. The AWRA promotes the advancement of water resources research, planning, development, management and education. They work to provide a common meeting ground for physical, biological, and social scientists, engineers, and other persons concerned with water resources.

Renewable Energy Student Union (RESU): Renewable Energy Student Union is a student club at Humboldt State University dedicated to the promotion of research, education and application of clean renewable energy technologies and energy conservation. They seek opportunities for hands on learning and community involvement to further their academic experience.

Environmental Resources Engineering Student Association (ERESA): The Environmental Resources Engineering Student Association aims to develop and foster relationships between themselves and the community. ERESA members may become student members of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Engineers Without Borders: Engineers Without Borders is part of the larger nationwide organization, their mission is to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of environmentally, equitable, and economically sustainable engineering projects, while developing internationally responsible engineering students.


List up to 4 notable recent activities or accomplishments of student group(s):

The natural resources club goes out almost every Saturday and volunteers on projects such as, but not be limited to stream bank stabilization, invasive plant removal, highway and coastal clean-ups, spawning ground replenishment, and trail-work. The Natural Resources Club serves as an example that people can make a positive change in the natural environment.

The California Waterfowl Association has hosted a speaker series that gave students and community members an opportunity to hear about conservation and research that is going on within and outside of Humboldt County. CWA has also arranged multiple hunter education workshops for the community which was attended by community members of all ages. The members of CWA also volunteer on many local projects at the nearby Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) had over 20 workshops in 2011-12 on topics around appropriate technology that over 400 students attended, an increase of 25% over the prior year. CCAT also offered five eight-week classes in topics such as sustainable technology, green construction and organic gardening with an enrollment of 150 students. CCAT continues to host volunteer work days every Friday and had over 500 volunteers participate throughout the year. Over 1,000 individuals received tours of the CCAT facilities.

The Waste Reduction Resource and Awareness Program (WRRAP) has aided the campus in its goal to help the campus reduce its waste. In 2011-12 WRRAP’s Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) has saved the campus community approximately $20,000 and served over 2,000 users. WRRAP continues to provide zero-waste event services and education to the campus community by consulting with groups to make events waste free and educating the campus community on waste diversion through educational signage at The Depot (campus dining location). WRRAP continues to provide educational opportunities to the University through its Compost Demonstration site, Take Back the Tap initiative and through numerous small events including: Clothing Swaps, Recyclemania, Seed Exchange and American Recycling Day.

The American Water Resources Association does restoration work such as bank stabilization by planting riparian species and local redwoods, water quality testing, attend conferences to stay up to date on current water resource issues, and help inform the community about how to be water wise. AWRA participated in World Water Monitoring Day and contributed towards the worldwide data collection

The Renewable Student Union is a project oriented organization that provides students opportunities to propose and implement energy related projects. RESU has outreached to assist on international projects in Bhutan providing hands-on work on grid share systems to help remote communities prevent brownouts with assisting in installation and education for international community members. RESU has also assisted with local business requests for sustainable energy projects such as solar thermal showers where RESU worked with the business to provide a cost-effective system specifically for that business’ needs.

ERESA raises funds for student events, organizes student social activities, provides financial assistance for tutoring and works with all other engineering groups.

Engineers without borders have been working on rain data collection in the local area to provide information on trends for our community. Several projects are in the works to be implemented in Arcata's Sister City of Camoapa, Nicaragua where professionals and students are working together to assist in securing a reliable water supply to the city's resident population.

Over the course of the Fall 2012 semester the Wildlife Graduate Students Society held an 11 guest speaker series on Ecology which was available to all students.


List other student groups that address sustainability:
Sustainable Living Arts & Music Festival, Green Campus, Conservation Unlimited, American Water Resources Association and the HSU Society for Conservation Biology

The website URL where information about student group(s) is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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