| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.61 |
| Liaison | Alan Brew |
| Submission Date | Feb. 26, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Northland College
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
Environmental Council is a prominent subset of the Northland College Student Association (NCSA), which is the College's centralized student government organization. Founded in 1970, NCSA is the only student-run campus government in the state of Wisconsin that drafts their own budget and manages their own finances, including the REFund, which is an $80/student self-tax. REFund money funds campus-wide sustainability projects, as selected by NCSA and the Environmental Council. Environmental Council develops, implements and oversees sustainability initiatives that work collaboratively with the broader goals of the Northland College liberal arts mission as well as advocates for sustainability at the local, national, and global levels. Environmental Council seeks to affirm the need for and create sustainable change through action, advocacy and education.
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?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Northland has three organic gardens, all of which are student conceived, operated, and maintained. Produce from the gardens is sold to the campus cafeteria or to buyers on and off campus.
The Fisheries & Wildlife Ecology program also engages students in experiential learning opportunities on Lake Superior and elsewhere.
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)?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Sales from the campus garden plots (produce sold to the cafeteria or the general public), spring transplants from the greenhouse, and compost produced through the Hulings Rice Food Center, finance tools and supplies.
The Student Vending Initiative (SVI) is a small business designed and operated by students participating in the ReThink Coke campaign at Northland College. The Student Vending Initiative strives to provide healthier beverage alternatives to the Northland College community, to create an experiential opportunity for students to gain valuable business management skills, and to develop a sustainable model for vending operations on this and other college campuses.
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?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Northland's Environmental Council manages its REFund much as a green revolving fund, supporting sustainability efforts campus wide. Furthermore, the Board of Trustees has recently voted to entrust a small portion of Northland's endowment to the students so that they can research and invest the funds sustainably.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
The Van Evera endowed lecture series bring a speaker to campus every year. The lecture is open to the broader community as well, and the speaker usually provides smaller workshops in courses for students as part of their stay. Past speakers include: Michael Ableman, Bill McKibben, Karl Henrick Robert, Vandana Shiva, Robert Bullard, William Cronon, Gary Snyder, Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Paul Nabhan, Jeffrey Ball, and others.
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?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
Concerts, art shows, musical performances, Native American cultural events, invited speakers, and others enrich Northland College, most of which focus on our mission of sustainability.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
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?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
All first-year students are required to take an Outdoor Orientation trip before classes begin. In addition, Northland's Outdoor Education program sponsors events for campus and community that focus on the role outdoor education can play in social justice and environmental stewardship. Northland's Outpost provides inexpensive rentals that are used for events organized by faculty and staff. At Northland, the "leave no trace" ethic is fundamental.
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)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Since Northland has an environmental mission, sustainability is woven throughout all semesters. It is also an essential element of freshman orientation and the mandatory First-Year Experience course.
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?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Work study positions (Eco-Reps, ReUse Center, Recycling, Bike Shop, Compost, Gardening, Food Center, Center for Rural Communities, and others), Environmental Council, volunteer and internship opportunities, applied research opportunities, and others provide students abundant opportunities to learn sustainable life skills.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The work/study positions above, as well as volunteerism at community farms, food banks, nursing homes, Native American tribes, national forests, Apostle Island National Park, and others all provide valuable sustainability-focused employment opportunities. Faculty research projects, many of which focus on sustainability, also invite students to participate. These include natural resource management, forestry, fishery, meteorology, water science, social justice, Native American history, and many others.
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?:
A brief description of the graduation pledges:
The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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.