Lehigh University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

The Lehigh Eco-Reps program is a peer-to-peer education program focused on training student leaders to embody and promote sustainable living in residential halls and Greek houses. Eco-Reps foster sustainable behavior among their peers through fun and educational programs such as: energy conservation competition, RecycleMania tournament, Earth Week, organic taste tests, make and take events, One Hour No Power, Trashion Show, Game Day Challenge, up-cycling crafts, southside cleanups, and green trivia. Eco-Reps also host building/hall events twice a semester to promote sustainable behaviors as well as take on monthly personal challenges.

Any Lehigh undergraduate or graduate student may submit an application (a google form with questions that determine level of interest and passion for sustainability and being a champion of behavior change) to be an Eco-Rep. A member of the Office of Sustainability reviews the applications and determines which students would be the best fit. The students that stand out typically have a strong passion for sustainability, and experience or a strong desire to promote sustainable behavior changes among their peers. The selected students then begin to attend the 1-hour/week Eco-Reps meeting. Each student represents their residence hall or Greek house and must commit to various training opportunities and a semester of activities, including both campus events, building/hall events, and personal challenges. They must also attend a few mandatory events each semester as well as attend a mandatory leadership training retreat. Student Coordinators apply for their leadership positions, are interviewed, and are compensated for their efforts. Starting in the Spring of 2016, each Coordinator began having a specific title and position description, both on the Greek side and residential side. Each Coordinator works between 4-10 hours per week.

All Eco-Reps receive weekly training in event planning, environmental topics, outreach strategies, and effective peer-to-peer communications techniques. There is also an orientation to the program each fall and spring semester as well as a fall leadership training retreat. Student Coordinators take part in training prior to the start of each academic year. This orientation includes information about Lehigh's sustainability goals, effective leadership strategies, how to organize students, and how to plan effective events. Additionally, if several Eco-Rep Coordinators are graduating, during the Spring semester the Office of Sustainability hires new Coordinators that go through a period where they are an Eco-Rep Coordinator-in-Training. During this time, they are assigned a current Coordinator as a mentor and learn all the roles and responsibilities of being a Coordinator. Through this, they are well prepared to take over all responsibilities.

The Lehigh Eco-Reps program is funded by Lehigh's Residential Services Office. During the 2017-2018 academic year, Residential Services provided $17,800 for the Eco-Reps Program. The program is further supported by the Office of Sustainability and Residential Life.

The Sustainable Living Program is a voluntary, self-guided program coordinated by the Eco-Rep Leadership Program. It was re-launched during the 2017-2018 academic year. It is designed for students in residence halls and Greek houses to take the lead in making their living spaces and daily routines more sustainable. The certification process includes specific questions that address day-to-day living habits in various categories including energy, water, purchasing, recycling, food/dining, involvement, and innovations. By taking action in a variety of topic areas, students can reduce their environmental impact, be responsible stewards of the university’s resources, and contribute to Lehigh’s sustainability goals and commitments.

The Sustainable Living Program Student Coordinator is interviewed and selected by the Sustainability Program Manager. This is a paid Coordinator position. The person in this position then selects general Eco-Reps who are passionate about sustainable behavior changes and trains them to do room certifications for the program.

The Sustainable Living Program is led by a Sustainable Living Program Student Coordinator. That person facilitates the room certification process for students across campus. The Coordinator also trains additional Eco-Reps to assist with room certifications. The Eco-Reps meet with the Sustainable Living Program Student Coordinator to go over the room certification process and to conduct an example room certification. They have the opportunity to ask questions and to get a good understanding of how the certification should be run. Once they have gone through this training, they are considered ready to award room certifications and are assigned students to reach out to.

The Sustainable Living Program has a budget of $1,000. This is a line item within the overall Eco-Reps budget.

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The number of students served by Lehigh Eco-Reps Program refers just to the total number of students served by the program in residential halls and Greek houses on campus, not including the number of people who attended Eco-Rep events or who live off campus. Additionally, the 6,045 hours student educators were engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities was calculated based on the hours that Eco-Rep Coordinators and Coordinators-in-Training worked and the average amount of time a general Eco-Rep committed to the program during the 2017-2018 academic year.