Northern Arizona University
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

The role of the Eco-Rep is to provide peer to peer education on how to live more sustainably in NAU residential communities. Topics will include energy and water conservation, recycling, and other relevant environmental issues. Eco-Reps will serve as a resource that role models and promotes environmentally conscious behavior within their residential community/area. They will also assist students in becoming aware of their everyday lifestyle choices and understanding the effects an individual can have on the environment, specifically in their residence. The goal is to promote behavior changes that will continue beyond the time they live at NAU. The Eco-Rep position will be an opportunity for residential students to develop leadership skills and gain knowledge on sustainability and the environment to share with others in their residence hall and in the NAU community.

Resident Assistants (RAs) were invited to apply to be an EcoRA. The position provides RAs with an opportunity to expand their leadership role within their community and have new learning experiences to keep them challenged and engaged in their role. Interested RAs were asked to complete an application and submit it to the coordinator of the program for review and approval. Applicants were also required to have the approval of their supervisor. Program participants were selected based on the quality of their application and their indicated level of interest in being part of the program. Existing knowledge about environmental issues and sustainability was preferred, but not required.

During RA training, the EcoRAs will participate in a special track to prepare them for incorporating the role of being a peer educator for living sustainably in the residence halls into their regular RA responsibilities. The training will begin to cover the topics they will focus on throughout the year: recycling and waste; energy use and conservation; water use and conservation; consumption; food systems, and climate change. EcoRAs will be provided with a resource manual with a chapter on each topic with information that covers local, national and global aspects of the relevant issues. Training topics will also include programming brainstorms, effective communication and publicity, and peer educator skills. Training will continue throughout the year with monthly meetings. The goals of training and meetings will be to assist students in designing and implementing monthly educational campaigns that are fun, engaging, and informative.

A Graduate Assistant for the Residence Life department applied for a NAU Hooper Sustainability grant to fund the pilot of the project. She will advise the students on a voluntary basis as part of her grant program implementation, and the grant itself will provide the majority of the funding for material items needed for the the first year of the program. The Residence Life Department will also provide ongoing financial support for the program as needed. The RAs selected to be EcoRAs are already paid employees of the Residence Life Department.

In its inaugural year, Seven Community-Based Action Research Teams (ARTs) brought first year students together with graduate students, faculty, and community partners to work on issues of sustainability and democratic community organizing. These new engaged learning teams are the creation of a partnership between the Program in Community, Culture & Environment’s Sustainable Environments and Engaged Democracy (SEED) Freshman Learning Community and the Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities (SUS). The graduate students from the MA Sustainable Communities program are hired on as Graduate Assistants (G.A.s) and act as facilitators or student educators for each Action Research Team. These graduate students are selected based upon their backgrounds in subject matter and their community building and educating experience.

In its inaugural year, Seven Community-Based Action Research Teams (ARTs) brought first year students together with graduate students, faculty, and community partners to work on issues of sustainability and democratic community organizing. These new engaged learning teams are the creation of a partnership between the Program in Community, Culture & Environment’s Sustainable Environments and Engaged Democracy (SEED) Freshman Learning Community and the Master of Arts in Sustainable Communities (SUS). The graduate students from the MA Sustainable Communities program are hired on as Graduate Assistants (G.A.s) and act as facilitators or student educators for each Action Research Team. These graduate students are selected based upon their backgrounds in subject matter and their community building and educating experience.

Each Action Research Team facilitator or student educator will participate in a formal facilitator training week before the begining of fall semester. This training brings in experts in community building and organizing and intends to expose the Graduate Student facilitators to a wide array of educational and organizational strategies. This training takes place at the end of august and is a requirement for Graduate Students who wish to become Action Research Team facilitators.

After operating for 2 full years, the Action Research Team program has been proven to increase student engagement (inside and outside of the classroom), student participation, and student retention. Due to the tremendous success of the program, NAU Administration has chosen to financially support the program through Presidential innovation funding. The Action Research Teams will grow across campus in the coming year and expand throughout various colleges and departments. Each college or department will bring in additional financial support and staffing support.

As a club, EWB-NAU welcomes all majors and all skill levels. Our projects and efforts, both national and international, require a diverse range of disciplines to be successful. Our club is composed of engineers, anthropologists, biologists, public relations, and other majors. A successful implementation of an international project requires the collaboration of all these specialities. So contact an officer or come to a meeting! We would love to learn more about you and find a place in our organization that suits your skills and the clubs needs. It is never too late or too early to get involved!! EWB supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders. EWB-NAU is currently involved in three international projects, including two projects in Roatan, Honduras and one project in Yua, Ghana. The two projects in Honduras focus on the development of a wastewater system for a small community and the use of photovoltaic solar panels to improve the electric supply for a water distribution system. To learn more, contact McWane Fairley, the Roatan Student-Lead, or visit the Roatan blog and EWB webpage dedicated to the project. The Ghana project just completed the successful installation of a drip irrigation system in December 2011. Students interested in learning more about the EWB experience can view the blog or EWB webpage dedicated to the 2011 trip to Yua or contact Anna VanMeter, the Ghana Student-Lead. EWB-NAU is always looking to expand its efforts. Currently, the club is pursuing options to begin a collaborative project with the Navajo Nation.

Any University student can join this program. Student educators and program cabinet are voted in by members of the program.

Students involved in the program and specifically with project teams and international project teams undergo a variety of training to prepare them for trips and the projects themselves. This training can include medical training, report training, or project specific training to adequately prepare students members.

The University allows faculty members that are involved in projects to become advisors to EWB-NAU. The group does much of its own fundraising, but depends upon the institution for some resources and materials.