| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.02 |
| Liaison | Christine Bruckner |
| Submission Date | Jan. 24, 2025 |
Illinois State University
IL-66: Innovation B
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Christine
Bruckner Assistant Director Office of Sustainability |
Name of the innovative outcome, program, or initiative:
Does the innovation represent a new, extraordinary, unique, ground-breaking, or uncommon outcome, program, or initiative that addresses a sustainability challenge and is not covered by an existing credit?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the innovation:
The ISU Sustainable City Tour is a registered student organization sponsored by the Office of Sustainability. This program seeks to learn from the most sustainable and socially responsible cities and communities across the globe. An immersive tour of a chosen sustainable city occurs two to three times throughout the year during academic breaks. Students engage with local industries, organizations, companies, and governments. Service days such as beach clean-ups, assistance with waste audits, or participating in sustainable and/or Fair Trade farming are incorporated into each tour. Students practice sustainable travel by utilizing public and alternative transportation, packing minimally and with reusables, refusing single-use plastics, and eating local foods.
Prior to each Sustainable City Tour, students must attend two informational meetings in preparation for travel. These meetings are an opportunity for the students to meet each other and share their own ideas or thoughts on locations they may like to visit. Culture, history, geography, and current sustainable practices in the city being visited are researched and covered during these meetings.
During the tour as time allows, reflections are led by the student trip leader with prepared questions and thoughts from the day to encourage discussion and hear from diverse perspectives. These discussons also provide an opportunity for the students to brainstorm the challenges or path to future sustainable development in their own community.
Some Sustainable City Tours are also offered in conjunction with a course/independent study whereby students can earn credit.
The Sustainable City Tours have traveled to Switzerland in 2023, Iceland in 2024, and will be traveling to Nepal in 2025.
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
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.