Ohio University
EN-3: Student Life

EcoReps: EcoReps is a student organization focused on offering friendly, sustainable education to its peers in a multitude of ways. EcoReps participate in various ecological volunteer opportunities on campus and around the City of Athens in an effort to improve the community and collaborate with other organizations, including the Office of Sustainability, to promote environmentalism. EcoReps strives to lead by example and encourage a sustainable culture around campus and constantly educate themselves and others about what it means to live a sustainable lifestyle. SOUL: Sustainable Ohio University Leaders (SOUL) is a liaison group open to all students, faculty and staff. SOUL works to further the implementation of the Sustainability Plan and the Climate Action Plan by dividing into 4 sub-groups, which each meet at least twice a semester. Through an online communication and task management platform, SOUL members work on each benchmark of the Sustainability Plan. In FY18, the Sustainability Plan is in full revision mode, which has altered the format of SOUL to be an electronic newsletter rather than an in-person committee. It is expected that the in-person mode of SOUL will resume in Fall 2018 or when the new Sustainability Plan has been adopted (whichever comes first). The overall mission of SOUL is to fulfill the Ohio University Sustainability Plan and Climate Action plan by empowering students, faculty, and staff of different educational and experiential backgrounds to engage in open dialogue, develop strong capacities for leadership, and embed sustainability into every facet of academic, operational, and institutional practices. SIAC: The Sustainable Investing Advisory Committee (SIAC) is a student organization that maintains Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment guidelines in partnership with the Student Equity Management Group (SEMG) and the Fixed Income Management Group (FIMG). The investment guidelines, in turn, direct student investing groups in the incorporation of ESG analysis into their investment decision-making. The groups invest funds provided by, and on behalf of, Ohio University. All three student groups report to faculty and staff advisors, and conduct financial transactions through the Vice President for Finance and Administration's division. College Green Magazine: Comprised of students in all areas of study, the College Green Magazine is an independent online publication dedicated to publishing provocative and engaging environmental news. Ohio University Fair Trade: This student organization aims to educate students about fair trade as a movement and encourage involvement. This organization falls within the social justice category. Bobcats Recycle: Hosted by the Office of Recycling and Zero Waste, students can participate in Bobcats Recycle by serving as leaders during events such as Zero Waste Tailgates and Zero Waste Game Days. Student Sierra Coalition: The Student Sierra Coalition is a group of environmentally conscious student advocates that focus on environmental leadership both on and off campus. Wildlife Club: This student organization is dedicated to wildlife, conservation, and education. The meetings typically focus on planning wildlife-related events, volunteer activities, and discussions on varies topics in wildlife and conservation.

The Plant Biology Learning Gardens features student gardens, a tunnel for year-round growing, and field plots (see below for more information) The OHIO Ecohouse Garden has 10 plots for Ecohouse residents to learn how to grow, harvest, available to preserve, and winterize home organic gardens. Other students are encouraged to adopt plots. Workshops are frequently held to promote these efforts. A student garden manager maintains the community garden space in the summer and fall months.

1) The Plant Biology Learning Gardens features student gardens, a tunnel for year-round growing, and field plots. In 2014-15, the gardens donated almost 400 pounds of food to the Community Food Initiative for local food banks. In 2015-16, the students operated a vegetable sale every other Thursday, selling potatoes, onions, broccoli, peas, beans, basil, sage, etc. The Learning Garden is advertised to the public in the following manner: "Practicing Sustainability in the Learning Garden The Plant Biology Learning Garden offers students a place to practice sustainable agriculture with individual gardens as well as group projects. Students in the Food Matters club also help distribute surplus fruit and vegetables to local shelters and restaurants." 2) Located in Grover Center, the Atrium Café is an independent eatery supported by the College of Health Sciences and Professions. With an emphasis on health and sustainability, the Atrium Café is a focal point for the Division of Food and Nutrition as well as a showcase for the School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness. Meals are produced daily and feature the talents of OHIO nutrition students. The Atrium has been designated as a Certified Green Restaurant—the only one in Southeastern Ohio. Over the years since our certification in 2013, the Atrium has been awarded 176 GreenPoints. These points fall into the environmental categories of energy, food, water, waste, disposables, chemical and pollution. Our sustainability efforts in these six categories has earned us a 3-star designation through The Green Restaurant Association.

The Sustainable Investing Advisory Committee (SIAC) is a student organization that maintains Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment guidelines in partnership with the Student Equity Management Group (SEMG) and the Fixed Income Management Group (FIMG). The investment guidelines, in turn, direct student investing groups in the incorporation of ESG analysis into their investment decision-making. All three student groups report to faculty and staff advisors. The groups invest several million dollars in funds provided by the Ohio University General Fund. SIAC is supervised by faculty and sustainability advisors. Financial transactions occur through the Division of the Vice President for Finance and Administration.

The Sustainability Studies Theme at Ohio University organizes speaker events each year. In April 2015, Austin Troy, author of The Very Hungry City: Urban Energy Efficiency and the Economic Fate of Cities, gave a public lecture. In March 2016, Frances and Anna Lappé, a mother-daughter team internationally renowned for their work on sustainable food systems, food justice and grassroots democracy gave a public lecture titled,“ The Sustainable Food Movement Rising.” Fall semester 2016, Lyle Estill, entrepreneur and President of Piedmont Biofuels, gave a public lecture on campus and at a local festival. March 2017, Paul Fenn, President of Local Power Inc. and widely recognized for his innovations in energy policy, law, and finance and co-author of the first “community choice aggregation” policies, gave a public lecture on “America’s Community Power Revolution.” Fall 2017, the Sustainability Studies Theme initiated a “Community Conversations” series: the first event titled “Ending Climate Silence”, provided a safe space for students, faculty and community members to share their personal concerns about climate change. The Ohio University Science Cafés and Café Conversations are a venue for students to informally share their interests during a conversational exchange with faculty, staff and the community in a friendly setting. All Cafés are held in a central location on campus and inspire a diversity of discussions on issues related to science. An example sustainability-related topic from Oct 5, 2016 was: Guy Riefler, Civil Engineering and John Sabraw, Art, presented "Acid Mine Drainage: From Environmental Disaster to Art". From 2012-2017, the Common Experience Project on Sustainability hosted a variety of sustainability related presentations and events on campus, including a green jobs panel, Americorps panel and presentation by Vandana Shiva. Academic Year 2016-2017 attendance at these events exceeded 550 people.

Each semester, the Common Experience Project on Sustainability sponsors a sustainability film series. Students are among the intended audience, however the entire campus and community is invited to view the films for free. The series offers a global, cultural, and environmental exploration of sustainability.

Ohio University Outdoor Pursuits runs single-day hiking and bouldering trips, weekend-long backpacking and rock climbing trips, and week-long backpacking and canoeing trips that all follow LNT principles. Our weekend trips take place in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky. Our week-long trips take place on the Long Trail in Vermont, The Boundary Waters in Minnesota, The Appalachian Trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and in the Everglades National Park in Florida The seven principles of LNT are explicitly taught on each trip, and student participants are then required to follow the principles. We often have debrief questions surrounding ways in which students can adapt the principle of LNT in their daily lives to foster environmental stewardship and responsible resource use even when not in the field.

Academic Year 2012-2017, Ohio University named “sustainability” as the theme for its innovative “Common Experience Project”; an interdisciplinary project intended to offer faculty sustainability themed resources on campus. The project was curricular and co-curricular in application. The project known as the Sustainability Film Series, hosts 6-7 films newly released per semester using environmental and sustainability themes, emphasizing challenges and solutions at the Ohio University Athena Cinema. Attendance academic year 2016-17 was 1550. Collaborations assisted the funding of these films and panel discussions which include faculty, student and community members. During this time a variety of sustainability related presentations and events were offered on campus, including a green jobs panel, Americorps panel and presentation by Vandana Shiva. Academic Year 2016-2017 attendance at these events exceeded 550 people. The project was not funded academic year 2017-2018 but the implementation of this project continues through the funding of the Environmental Studies program, Voinovich School for Leadership and Public Affairs, Alden Library, Athena Cinema, Arts and Sciences Sustainability Theme, Office of Sustainability, and many other university programming and departments as well as community resources.

The OHIO Ecohouse is a unique off-campus living and learning laboratory. Any student (undergraduate or graduate) who is eligible to live off-campus is invited to apply to live in the house to further their knowledge of and investment in sustainable living. Tours of the OHIO Ecohouse are available to all students, faculty, staff, and community members. Tours are led by Office of Sustainability student employees and staff members. The tours showcase the features of the house and aim to educate the campus and surrounding community about how living sustainably is important and can be incorporated into anyone's lifestyle. As of Fall, 2015, Ohio University offers a Sustainable Living Floor as a residence hall option. The Office of Sustainability provides sustainability focused programming on a regular basis. All events, while targeted to residents of the floor, are open to any current student interested in learning sustainable life skills.

Every year the Office of Sustainability has a number of undergraduate student employees, interns, and graduate assistants. Students from any discipline are encouraged to apply for open positions in the office; however, if the student's interests are not matched by current postings, they are welcome to apply and the Director of Sustainability will work with them to develop a position that benefits both the Office and the student. All members of the Office of Sustainability student staff are trusted with meaningful projects that advance the Office's goals and mission while contributing to student success. During their time in the Office, students are invited to dedicate approximately 15% of their time on professional development. Through the help of the Director of Sustainability, students are guided through a skills-set assessment and then develop a plan for thoughtful reflection and development of personal skills. This is done in an effort to allow students to proactively approach their plans after graduation and to learn how to best incorporate sustainability into their professions.

Outdoor Program information Judd Walker, Assistant Director of Outdoor Pursuits 2/7/18 Nancy Manring, Sustainability Studies Theme director, and Loraine McCosker, Environmental Studies Instructor, provided information on events and Sustainability Film Series, 2/10/18 and 2/13/18 Elaine Goetz, Sustainability Specialist and advisor to SIAC, provided information on investing, life skills and employment opportunties, 12/5/17 Susan Calhoun, Landscape Coordinator, and Meg Little, Graduate Assistant and Ecohouse resident, provided information on lifeskills and gardens and farms, 2/2/18 Atrium Cafe information provided by Kristen Twining, Atrium Café Business Manager, on 2/13/18