| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.69 |
| Liaison | Alan Turnquist |
| Submission Date | July 24, 2023 |
Michigan Technological University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Alan
Turnquist Director of Sustainability and Resilience Office of the President |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Engineers without Borders (EWB)
Association of Students for People, Environment, and Nature (ASPEN)
Plant and Gardening Club
Habitat for Humanity
Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action (KYCA)
Forest Guild FG)
Ducks Unlimited at Michigan Tech(DU)
Society of Environmental Engineers (SEEN)
Students for Sustainabilty
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Housing and Residential Life, the Plant and Gardening student club, Facilities Management, Dining Services and Student Affairs collaborated to create a garden outside Wadsworth Hall. Food produced in the gardens is used in the residence halls and in the Husky-Fan Food Pantry.
Ornamental gardens are also being revamped to include edible plants such as blueberries and apple trees.
https://www.mtu.edu/news/2013/07/sustainable-vegetable-garden-takes-root-tech.html
https://www.mtu.edu/facilities/operations/grounds/gardens/
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
-Sustainability Demonstration House: https://www.mtu.edu/housing/options/graduate/university-owned/sustain-house/
- Green Campus Enterprise- Green Campus Enterprise is an organization of students working to make the Michigan Tech campus more sustainable through both low and high profile projects. We are collaborating with University personnel on many of our projects and gaining professional experience and leadership skills. https://greencampus.enterprise.mtu.edu/
- Alternative Energy Enterprise- The Alternative Energy Enterprise is a multidisciplinary, student-run company out of the Chemical Engineering department at Michigan Tech. Our goal is to create or improve technologies to create a sustainable future where our energy needs are met via carbon-neutral sources, lowering our carbon footprint and allowing for energy independence in local communities. https://aee.enterprise.mtu.edu/
- Efficiency Through Engineering and Construction- ETEC’s mission is to work with communities to implement energy-efficient designs into new and existing construction projects.
- Hybrid Electric Vehicle- The goal of this Enterprise is to promote and learn about advanced hybrid vehicles in order to reduce fuel consumption and be more environmentally friendly.
-Hot Forest - this enterprise researches and promotes the circular bioeconomy
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
- Sustainability Demonstration House Open House:
The students who live at SDH give interactive demos of the home's sustainable systems and tours of the house once a semester. There is games and refreshments and students and the public learn about sustainable living and housing design.
- D80 Conference as part of a larger D80 program at MTU- annual conference
https://www.mtu.edu/honors/d80/conference/
-Indigenous Knowledges Symposium (October 24-25, 2022): https://www.mtu.edu/greatlakes/research-highlights/university-indigenous-community-partnerships/
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Sustainability Film Series- The film series is co-sponsored by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Michigan Tech Great Lakes Research Center, Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Keweenaw Land Trust, Michigan Tech Department of Social Sciences, and the Michigan Tech Sustainable Futures Institute.
Films are shown from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, in G002, Hesterberg Hall, Michigan Tech Forestry Building, January through May. Enjoy coffee, refreshments and facilitated discussion.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
-Leave No Trace Training: Michigan Tech Recreation offers Leave No Trace trainings that provide folks with the skills and knowledge necessary to have a safe and fun experience in the outdoors. Michigan Tech Recreation's Leave No Trace events promote a positive wilderness ethic.
- Outdoor Venture Crew- The OVC provides student members with the funding, gear, and know-how for almost any outdoor adventure. Any MTU student can join and go on weekly trips to wherever the group decides to go that week. Anything from short day hikes, to multi-day camping trips
- Outdoor Adventure Program- The Outdoor Adventure Program is part of Michigan Tech located in Houghton, MI. Michigan Tech is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula, a prime location for outdoor adventure, and the Outdoor Adventure Program wants to get you outside and active! https://www.michigantechrecreation.com/oap/index
- Fishing Club- The Fishing Club of Michigan Tech fishes year round in the Keweenaw Region and also participates in community service with campus activities and local conservation. The Club has individuals that compete in the FLW collegiate series. We encourage our members to better themselves in aspects such as, but not limited to, conservation, competitiveness, and involvement.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Sustainability Demonstration House - The 5,000 sq ft residence is located at 21680 Woodland Road, within walking distance to campus and comfortably sleeps 5 students in 5 separate bedrooms. The Sustainability Demonstration House provides students with the opportunity to become involved in a demonstration of sustainable living within the community of Houghton. Residents of the house are encouraged to recycle and compost, while exercising good habits of sustainability by being mindful of power and water consumption. Residents will work side by side with the Alternative Energy Enterprise to showcase that sustainability can be extraordinarily successful, even in Houghton’s harsh climate.
Sustainability Stewards Program - The Sustainability Stewards Program (Stewards) works with student representatives from all 58 houses in McNair, Wadsworth, and Douglass Houghton Halls to build sustainability competencies and to have a positive impact on the sustainability performance of the residence halls and campus.
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Office of Sustainability and Resilience hires students to assist in projects.
https://www.mtu.edu/sustainability/campus/staff/
The Sustainability and Resilience Tech Forward Initiative funded by the President in 2019 has offered summer internships to work on sustainability related topics of interest that otherwise would not be addressed.
Tasks:
MTU survey to assess current opportunities for graduate sustainability education within departments: develop a survey to distribute to departments to gather information about sustainability education opportunities. (Point of contact: Rob Handler) sabhyank@mtu.edu (emailed)
Benchmarking other universities to see how our peer institutions are organizing sustainability education opportunities at a number of levels (freshmen, undergrad, grad, coursework vs. other opportunities) (Point of contact: Rob Handler) rkodaval@mtu.edu (emailed)
Reviewing and identifying sustainability related MEEM courses, faculty, faculty research centers, etc. (Point of contact: Chelsea Schelly) aayushs@mtu.edu (emailed)
Look over the listening session summary for research-related ideas and catalog them for the subgroups benefit. (Point of contact: Chelsea Schelly) vsohoni@mtu.edu (emailed)
Organizational structure benchmarking: looking at how sustainability & resilience is organized at other universities (Point of contact: Chelsea Schelly) shemmati@mtu.edu (emailed)
FUNDING RESOURCE SEARCH: Task is to look at businesses in Michigan/midwest with Corporate social responsibility plans, sustainability plans, or other indications that they may be interested in supporting sustainability at Tech psreedh1@mtu.edu (emailed)
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
Engineers in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering can join the Order of the Engineer in a ceremony that requires them to be a social and environmentally conscious engineer in their future career.
Engineers' Creed (2021)
As a Professional Engineer, I dedicate my professional knowledge to the advancement and betterment of public health, safety, and welfare.
I pledge:
To give the utmost of performance;
To participate in none but honest enterprise;
To live and work according to the highest standards of professional conduct;
To place service before profit, the honor and standing of my profession before personal advantage, and the public welfare above all other considerations.
In humility, I make this pledge.
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.