Luther College
EN-1: Student Educators Program

In 2021-2022, seven Sustainability Educators work with the Center for Sustainable Communities. This is a peer-to-peer program designed to build a culture of sustainability around campus.

Student's Duties and Responsibilities:
- Planning and executing sustainability events (sustainable gifts wrapping and crafts workshop, film screenings, plant give away, field trips, forage trips)
- Leading or coordinating regular field trips of sustainability assets on campus (wind turbine, student garden, hiking trails)
- Promoting sustainability events on campus
- Managing move-out efforts (see below)
- Managing events for students to store bicycles over the wintertime
- Develop sustainability content for bi-weekly newsletter
- Develop new initiatives for the campus (film screening, climate justice week, community building, clothing swaps)
- Collaborating with other campus groups (e.g. Environmental Concerns Organization, Intersectional Feminist Club, Black Student Union) to promote sustainability.

The entire student body, with an emphasis on underrepresented groups in Sustainability (e.g. student athletes, students of color).

In 2020-21, three students volunteered to form dormitory sustainability teams in two first-year dorms plus the Luther College apartments. The results--in terms of engagement, visibility and engagement--were promising. So in 2021-22, we intentionally hired Resident Assistants (RAs)--whom we knew would establish relationships on their floors, and would also have a requirement to provide programming--to form sustainability teams within their dormitories. The idea was to:
- recruit a team to be a visible representative of sustainability within residence halls
- provide programming on waste reduction, energy efficiency and other areas being promoted more broadly (see Sustainability Educators) by student educators
- identify sustainability concerns, and respond to identified problems
- provide training during RA orientation to all RAs about sustainability, and continue to engage residence life staff during the year to participate in sustainability events

Two students each serve the two first-year dorms, the remaining four team leaders serve in three upper class residence halls (there are two in one of the upper class dorms, but one team leaders serves two dorms with smaller populations). In total, six residence halls are served during this first year of fully implementing the program.

There is no separate position description for the dorm team leaders. They require the same skills, and do many of the same duties, as the Sustainability Educators, and both work closely together.

First year dorms have two team leaders each in light of the emphasis placed on planting the seeds of sustainable behaviors in first year students through training opportunities in the dorms. Upper class dorms have fewer leaders. There is less emphasis on teaching sustainable behavior, and more focus on providing events to get students to get outdoors, participate in other sustainability events or correct problems (e.g., poor recycling habits).

During move-out week students either volunteer on behalf of an organization or are added to our work study roster to assist with move-out. We accept between 30-40 students to be waste diverters during move-out week. Students are responsible for staffing the residence hall donation rooms, dumpsters and recycling bins during scheduled shifts throughout the week. They are responsible for assisting with waste diversion efforts and educating their peers through conversation and by providing assistance as students are moving out. Two Sustainability Educators are in charge of this program, with help from the Sustainability Coordinator on staff. The Educators appoint seven to eight other Educators to act as leads for move-out. Sustainability Educators and temporary staff put up posters, post on social media, and do face-to-face outreach during move-out to promote waste diversion. They stand next to the 11 recycling and waste facilities around campus, teaching students about recycling, waste diversion, and compost while students are moving out.

The entire student body, with an emphasis on first year students and those who had never gone through the move out process before.

The weekly and hourly averages below--though accurate--do not adequately reflect the work of the two leaders, who will spend about six weeks in planning (at 6 hours/week), and 40 hours/week during the one week of Move-Out.

Student Gardeners
Over the past 2-3 years, a lead gardener has taught new student gardeners how to plant seeds, transplant, recognize weed species, and other garden functions. Gardeners are called upon to help pass on that knowledge to both students and non-students who have a plot in Luther’s Community Garden. As needed, gardeners assist with tours of the garden.