Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 50.18
Liaison Josh Nease
Submission Date May 21, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Radford University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Josh Nease
Sustainability Manager
Academic Programs
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of students enrolled for credit (headcount):
10,254

Total number of students enrolled for credit that are served (i.e. directly targeted) by a student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program (avoid double-counting to the extent feasible):
10,254

Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer educator program:
100

Name of the student educators program:
Sustainability Ambassadors (formerly Eco Reps) – Serving in the Residence Hall Association Hall Councils

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (headcount):
2,948

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities:

Sustainability Ambassadors serve on their residence hall councils with the mission of communicating sustainability messages to all of the residents in their halls. They meet and collaborate with the Sustainability Manager, other residence hall Sustainability Ambassadors, Resident Assistants, and Resident Directors to host outreach and education events to deliver curriculum co-designed by the RU Sustainability Office and RU Housing & Residential Life. Examples of activities and events include hosting sustainability social events with food, displaying signage throughout the hall, and facilitating outreach around the Highlander Cup Residence Hall Sustainability Competition. The Highlander Cup incorporates sustainability curriculum focused on energy reduction, water conservation, and recycling to the campus residents leading up to and during the competition.


A brief description of how the student educators are selected:

Sustainability Ambassadors are nominated (or volunteer) to serve and are then voted into the position by hall residents. There is also a Sustainability Student Coordinator in the Residence Hall Association General Body.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach:

Sustainability Ambassadors participate in a training on sustainability and passive and active outreach strategies. We provide the them with curriculum modules that focus on energy reduction, water conservation, and recycling. Each module contains example activities and signage.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination):

This is a partnership program between the Sustainability Office, Housing & Residential Life, and the Residence Hall Association. Oversight by the Sustainability Manager, Resident Directors, Area Directors, and the Energy Management Team. The Sustainability Office serves as the liaison between the Energy Management Team and the Sustainability Ambassadors, processing energy, water, and recycling data for the competition and sharing it with HRL. The HRL team works with Eco Reps to provide education and outreach resources and prizes for the winning residence halls.


Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Sustainability Leadership Team – Internship Program

Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
10,254

A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):

Radford Sustainability Interns work as a team to communicate the message of sustainability through project implementation on campus. Sustainability interns will help improve and increase sustainable practices on campus, promote student behavior change, educate the Radford community about sustainability, and create programs and carry out sustainability projects at Radford. 
Education and Outreach are one key component of the internship program. Examples of this programming include: hosting the Student Sustainability Forum (townhall style meeting where student groups vision and launch campus sustainability projects), Bottle vs. Tap Taste Test (blind taste test of bottled water vs. filtered tap water from bottle filling stations, participants receive a stainless steel water bottle.), recycling education programs in campus common spaces, and Waste Not food waste education (with Dining Services in our main Dining Hall, interns conduct a food waste audit, weighing food waste from diners plates and rewarding clean plates.)


A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):

Students apply to the Sustainability Office by completing an application and two short essays. The Sustainability Manager reviews applications and interviews candidates. Any full-time student is eligible. Top candidates are selected.


A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (2nd program):

Interns participate in a formal program orientation and then meet weekly for education and training opportunities. Training includes: sustainability literacy, leadership skills, professional development, and project management. Students practice outreach by developing "elevator pitches" to get the important, ear-catching points of their messages across. For outreach programs, students are provided "talking points" and share messages in face to face outreach, through social media, and through flyers and campus outreach television feed.


A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (2nd program):

The Sustainability Office and the Office of Academic Programs primarily supports this program, with strong partnerships with Facilities Management and Dining Services.


Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
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Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
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A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive to prepare them to conduct peer outreach (3rd program):
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A brief description of the financial and/or administrative support the institution provides to the program (e.g. annual budget and/or faculty/staff coordination) (3rd program):
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A brief description of all other student peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs, including the number of students served and how student educators are selected, trained, and supported by the institution:
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Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually (all programs):
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Education and outreach by the Sustainability Leadership Team certainly does not reach every student, but targets, is relevant to, and available to all students, faculty, and staff.


Education and outreach by the Sustainability Leadership Team certainly does not reach every student, but targets, is relevant to, and available to all students, faculty, and staff.

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.