Ohio University
EN-3: Student Life

Climate & Sustainability Ambassadors Program: trains student leaders to advance the reach, mission, and objectives of the Office of Sustainability, while involving additional faculty and staff who teach sustainability-related courses, conduct sustainability research, or who have a passion for advancing sustainability across campus and more broadly across southeastern Ohio. https://www.ohio.edu/sustainability/administration-hub/climateambassadors

Sustainable Action League: The purpose of this club shall be:
To provide a direct partnership between the Ohio University’s Office of Sustainability and students looking to decrease their carbon footprints and waste generation.
To provide opportunities for experiential learning through engineering, marketing, journalism, translation, advocacy, and community service projects.
To directly contribute to the sustainability of Ohio University and the Athens community.
To advocate for sustainable lifestyles.

American Association for Environmental Engineers and Scientists: AAEES is a group of science, technology, engineering and math majors that are interested in working in the environmental field toward a sustainable future.

The OHIO Student Farm features student gardens, a high tunnel for year-round growing, and field plots. https://www.ohio.edu/cas/plant-biology/research/facilities-laboratories/ohio-student-farm
The OHIO Student Farm is advertised to the public in the following manner:
"Practicing Sustainability at the Student Farm -
The OHIO Student Farm offers students a place to practice sustainable agriculture with individual gardens as well as group projects. Students in the Food Studies theme also help distribute fruit and vegetables to campus and local pantries."

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. https://ohio.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_37Cf3Mjg5LHh0Gh

The Center for Entrepreneurship has been involved since 2017 in the following ways:
We have provided teams of students to conduct consulting projects for the Student Farm (as the client). This type of work can continue as long as there is a Student Farm to act as a client and is willing to provide projects for business students to work on.
During Spring 2020 semester, the Center mentored an Entrepreneurship student who created a business plan and financial model to expand the nature of a student-run business at the Student Farm. In other words, we envisioned a sustainable operation that would have an organizational structure of students from throughout the University acting in general management positions, marketing positions, financial / accounting positions, as well as farm operations. The executive summary of the plan highlighted the benefits to the University, the students, and the local community by supporting this effort – including financial support from the University and external sources.
The continued operation of the Student Farm, and its ability to evolve into a truly student-run business, is entirely dependent on whether the University and the private sector will support this effort over 4 – 5 years until the Farm can support itself. A brief description of the student-run enterprises. The OHIO Student Farm features student gardens, a high tunnel for year-round growing, and field plots. The Student Farm donates produce for the Cats' Cupboard, an initiative to provide hungry students access to fresh food options. Additionally, students operated a weekly produce sale on campus and at the Farm. The Student Farm is also a site for student-run community sustainable agriculture and wellness workshops. The OHIO Student Farm is advertised to the public in the following manner: "Practicing Sustainability at the Student Farm -
The OHIO Student Farm offers students a place to practice sustainable agriculture with individual gardens as well as group projects. Students in the Food Studies theme also help distribute fruit and vegetables to campus and local pantries." 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 menu features scratch made food utilizing local ingredients whenever possible with all lab students participating in the menu planning process. 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 Student Equity Management Group (SEMG) and the Fixed Income Management Group (FIMG) are student organizations that utilize Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment guidelines in their investment decision-making. Both student groups report to faculty and staff advisors. The groups invest several million dollars in funds provided by the Ohio University General Fund. Financial transactions occur through the Division of the Vice President for Finance and Administration. https://business.ohio.edu/academics/selective-programs/student-equity-management/ and https://business.ohio.edu/academics/selective-programs/fixed-income-management/

The Sustainability Hub Seminar Series at Ohio University organizes six seminars each year, covering themes from the University's Sustainability & Climate Action Plan. See website for seminar topics: https://www.ohio.edu/sustainability/sustainability-hub-seminar-series

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. Examples of recent sustainability-related topics: on September 18, 2019 Guy Riefler, Civil Engineering, presented "Cleaning up Pollution by Turning it into Paint;" on January 22, 2020 Daniel Karney, Economics, presented "The Future of US Climate Policy;" and on February 19, 2020 Rebecca Snell, Environmental and Plant Biology, presented "How Will Forests Respond to Climate Change?"

IAPE series (https://www.ohio.edu/applied-ethics/iape-speakers) and the Student Senate's Environmental Justice Summit are two other examples of conferences or speaker series focused on sustainability.

Each semester, the University Libraries, Athena Cinema, Office of Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program 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. http://athenacinema.com/sustainabilityseries/

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. https://www.ohio.edu/recreation/outdoor

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 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. Beginning in the Fall of 2015, Ohio University has offered 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. https://www.ohio.edu/ecohouse

Every year the Office of Sustainability has a number of undergraduate student employees and interns, as well as 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 or alter a position that benefits both the Office and the student. https://www.ohio.edu/sustainability/about/staff

Student-run enterprise information provided by Paul Mass, Director of the Center of Entrepreneurship, on 3/26/2020, Theresa Moran on 5/24/2020, and Dana Salabak, Lecturer of Food and Nutrition Sciences, on 6/19/2020.
Garden & Farms information provided by Theresa Moran on 5/24/2020.
Outdoor Program information Judd Walker, Assistant Director of Outdoor Pursuits confirmed that response is the same for this submission, 2/14/20.
Student groups, Events, Sustainable Life Skills, Student Employment Opportunities, and Graduation Pledge provided by Sam Crowl on 5/15/2020.

Entered by Sydney Hutchinson on 3/27/2020.