Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.37
Liaison Alan Brew
Submission Date Feb. 26, 2021

STARS v2.2

Northland College
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the 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.

Gardens and farms 

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?:
Yes

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.

Student-run enterprises 

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
Yes

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.

Sustainable investment and finance 

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?:
Yes

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.

Events 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on 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.

Cultural arts 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on 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.

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

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.

Sustainability-focused themes 

Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused 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.

Sustainable life skills 

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

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.

Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

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.

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.