Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 51.14
Liaison Scott Doyle
Submission Date Dec. 7, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Ithaca College
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Zachary Luckin
REMP Intern
OESM
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
Yes

A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:

- Ithaca College Environmental Society (ICE) promotes environmental awareness and responsibility on our campus through education, activism, and stewardship, while reaching out both within our campus and the community of Ithaca.

- The IC undergraduate chapter of Net Impact represents the School of Business' objective to "foster sustainable enterprises." The program promotes the study and practice of sustainability in corporate enterprises and encourages a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibilities. http://www.ithaca.edu/business/clubs/netimpact/

- S.W.I.F.T. (Stop Wasting Ithaca's Food Today) works with Dining Services to repackage and deliver leftover, unserved food to local food pantries.

- IC Organic Growers developed and maintains the campus organic garden and the Permaculture garden.

- IC Progressives is an organization supporting grass-roots activists, environmentalists, advocates for social justice, non-violent resisters, and regular citizens who have had enough of corporate-dominated politics and want to change society.

-Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP) works to create a more sustainable living and learning experience on campus. The group to promote awareness of environmental concerns, educate the College community about how we can safeguard the earth's life-support system, implements new programs that encourage resource management, recycling, and conservation, manages the College's waste stream in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner.


The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

Ithaca College Community Gardens, located on the lower portion of the IC campus and off of Farm Pond Road, are student-run gardens. We experiment with many aspects of sustainable gardening and farming including permaculture design, crop rotation, companion planting, four-season food production, and heirloom seed saving. We all help to organize classroom tours, assist with student research, and host harvest dinners and other special events for volunteers and community members. The IC Organic Garden is also currently working with Ithaca College’s permaculture garden and rooftop garden on Terrace 2.


The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

South Hill Forest Products is a student-run business dedicated to providing high quality, all natural non-timber forest products (NTFP) grown and/or harvested on campus-owned property. Each spring semester, Professor Jason Hamilton, associate professor of Environmental Studies, leads an NTFP class that is comprised of students eager to learn. The class is based around an experiential type of education, that allows the students to interact with the subjects they learn. Once the students leave the class, they are well equipped to:
- Integrate: connect academic knowledge, theory, and skills to the experiential learning context
- Problem Solve: identify challenges and opportunities that arise in the experiential learning environment, and respond constructively to them
- Communicate: develop written, verbal, and non‐verbal competencies to effectively communicate with diverse audiences
- Practice Professionalism: understand their roles and responsibilities within the experiential learning context, and act appropriately

Throughout the semester, students learn how to keep bees, farm mushrooms, and make maple syrup. While Jason and his TAs provide a knowledge base, the majority of the work is done by the students. Students in the South Hill Forest Products group pick and pack mushrooms, harvest and process honey, and tap maple trees and boil sap to produce maple syrup. We sell our products and organize an open house at the sugar bush. South Hill Forest Products brand maple syrup is also available for sale at the Campus Store.


The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
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The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
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Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:

The School of Business has a yearly Sustainability Forum Series that brings in experts in various fields of sustainability, as well as being an expo for sustainability related student work. There was also a campus-wide forum led by Dr. Sandra Steingraber and other professors that discussed climate change and the COP21 in Paris.


The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
No

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
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The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

There is a program in one of the residence halls called the Outdoor Adventure Learning Community. This community organizes trips such as hiking, backpacking or kayaking. There are also several hundred acres of natural lands on campus that have posted Leave No Trace policies, which are used as outdoor classrooms.


The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:

The institution began offering a sustainability themed first year experience. Before the start of the school year, incoming freshman are invited to participate in a Jumpstart Program. One of the programs is the Green Tour that takes students on a bio-regional bus tour around Cayuga Lake with a sustainability guide. The students also partake in activities that foster a better sense of the regional community and environment, like visiting the S.H.A.R.E. farm, run by the Haudenosaunee native tribe and the Ithaca Farmers Market.

In addition, in Fall 2013, Ithaca instituted the First Year Residential Experience linked to the Integrative Core Curriculum with residents selecting academic themes, one of which is "A Quest for a Sustainable Future." This theme includes courses that ask:
What does it mean to live sustainably? Is sustainability an attainable and meaningful goal?
How do we tell stories—in literature, in film, in media new and old—about consumerism, economic inequality and affluence, environmental change and degradation, and more?
In what ways will the quest for sustainability define the coming century?
How have values systems in different times and places shaped our economic, social, and ecological behavior?
What are some meaningful metrics for assessing sustainability?
To what extent is sustainability a scientific problem versus a social issue?


The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Student group Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP) held Student Leadership Institute (SLI) workshops on how to choose an apartment based on energy efficiency and best practices to reduce energy consumption.


The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
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Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

Resource and Environmental Management Program (REMP) works to create a more sustainable living and learning experience on campus. The group to promote awareness of environmental concerns, educate the College community about how we can safeguard the earth's life-support system, implements new programs that encourage resource management, recycling, and conservation, manages the College's waste stream in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. The program employs 9 students each semester, as well as offer one or two paid or for credit internships.


The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledges:
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
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Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
No

A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
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Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.