Rice University
EN-3: Student Life

(1) Rice Environmental Club: The Rice Environmental Club seeks to establish Rice University as an environmentally positive example for the benefit of the University itself as well as the larger Texas community and the world at large. The club pursues this mission by promoting education and awareness, advocating sustainable development, connecting Rice students to the Houston environmental community, and initiating environmental programming on campus. In general, The Rice Environmental Club meets weekly to discuss and pursue a variety of sustainability projects, ranging from awareness campaigns to environmental film screenings. More specifically, the Rice Environmental Club is responsible for the following projects and initiatives: a. The Green Film Series: The Environmental Club hosts a screening of environmental documentaries once a month in collaboration with Transition Houston, Houston Tomorrow, USGBC Emerging Professionals, and Houston Green Scene. b. Annual Environmental Conference: This annual conference offers students a means by which to share their environmental research with the community, engage in debates about protecting the environment, both within the community and around the world, and socialize with citizens, business leaders, public officials and other students of all viewpoints and backgrounds. c. The Greene Prize Competition: The Green Prize Competition was created to encourage undergraduate students to submit original environmental work, whether it be research, policy, or creative writing oriented. d. Beach clean-ups: The Rice Environmental Club travels to Galveston Bay bi-yearly to pick up trash and clean up the beach. In addition, the Rice Environmental Club helps promote other sustainable campus initiatives such as Recyclemania, on-campus energy competitions, and the Green Dorm Initiative (GDI) which is described below. (2) Student Association, Environmental Committee: Rice’s Student Association (SA) is a conduit for communication between students and administration. Specifically the SA Environmental Committee serves as the liaison between students and administration for matters relating to sustainability. Some previous projects include the move to Single-Stream recycling, the Green showdown between North and South colleges known as the Energy Competition, and the implementation of the college Bike Share program, which allows students to rent bicycles on a semester basis. Current concerns of the Committee include retrofitting campus facilities, educating the student body to make sustainable choices, improving the ease of recycling, and reducing Rice’s carbon footprint. (3) Rice Student Volunteer Program, Environmental Committee: The Rice Student Volunteer Program (RSVP) is Rice’s largest community service organization, providing opportunities for students to volunteer in five areas: health, education, children, environment, and hunger & homelessness. RSVP’s Environmental Committee coordinates environmental volunteering opportunities, such as beach clean-ups and trips to permaculture farm. The Committee also sponsors the Rice Community Garden and often partners with Houston’s Hermann Park Conservancy for other volunteer outings. The Committee also hosts an Environmental Awareness Week each year, which typically includes a variety of film screenings, speakers, events, and games. (4) Rice Solar Car Team: The Rice Solar Car Team (RSC) is a student-run organization that designs and constructs solar powered vehicles and enters local, national, and international solar car competitions. (5) Engineers Without Borders: The Rice University Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a student-run organization that partners with communities in developing countries to design and implement sustainable and culturally appropriate engineering solutions to meet their basic needs. Current projects at Rice University include the constructing a 6.8km long gravity-fed water distribution system to deliver potable water from a mountain spring to four nearby communities in El Salvador, designing a water distribution system to service 1,200 people in the community of Sadrach Zeledon in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and implementing a water distribution system to eliminate the need to cross the highway to access water in the community of Wiscoyol in Nicaragua. Past Rice University projects also include the construction of health clinics, and pedestrian bridges. Throughout these projects, students form strong intercultural relationships, and become socially and environmentally conscious engineers with outstanding leadership skills and practical, hands-on experience. (6) Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy Technology (RESET): The Rice Endowment for Sustainable Energy Technology (RESET) formerly implemented a blanket tax of $9 per student (which expired in 2013) in order to create a fund for large-scale sustainable energy projects on campus. With remaining funds, RESET aims to: a. Offset energy costs at Rice and reduce long-term energy costs for students. b. Promote energy conservation and renewable energy initiatives. c. Increase Rice’s standing as a sustainable campus d. Provide Rice student with the opportunity to propose and implement projects in the new energy economy e. Increase awareness of sustainable energy issues in the Rice community. (7) Rice University Biodiesel Initiative: The primary focus of The Rice University Biodiesel Initiative (RUBI) is to convert waste cooking oil from Rice University kitchens into biodiesel using the acid-base process. With the assistance of RUBI faculty and staff, students have designed and built several reactors, a condenser, and all the various equipment necessary to have a successful biodiesel plant. Students have analyzed both the acid-base process and the two-step base process as well as learned how to create biodiesel meeting ASTM specifications through testing with a gas chromatograph. (8) Net Impact: The Net Impact (NI) Chapter at Rice is a club run through the Jones Graduate School of Business which focuses on the impact that businesses have on both the community and society at large. The club’s primary goal is to create awareness of the triple bottom line and to promote corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability, as well as to find career paths that align with this vision. (9) EcoReps: The department of Facilities Engineering and Planning, as well as Rice’s Housing and Dining services first launched the EcoRep Program in 2006. The program is comprised of approximately 11 undergraduate students, one from each of Rice's 11 residential colleges. The EcoReps are expected to work on projects and undertake efforts that reduce utility consumption, improve recycling, increase environmental awareness, and otherwise advance the environmental performance of their respective colleges. A key outreach activity each year is the Green Dorm Initiative, a campus-wide event to promote sustainable living within the residential colleges. Each EcoRep is expected to actively lead this program at his/her residential college. In addition, EcoReps are expected to apply for "green funds" from Housing and Dining for environmental-related improvements and initiatives for their colleges. Overall, each EcoRep devotes about 2-3 hours per week to the position.

Rice Community Garden: The Rice Community Garden is a volunteering and learning space for all members of the Rice community. There are currently 4 community garden sites spread throughout campus, and in total comprise six raised beds for vegetables, herbs, flowers, and a lime tree. The garden is maintained using an organic approach by a group of volunteers from the Rice community, as well as by students enrolled in BIOS 204, a community gardening class. The harvest from the garden is then donated to the Rice serveries for use in student meals.

(1) Rice Bike Share Program: The Rice Bike Share Program allows students to rent a bicycle on a semester basis. The bikes come equipped with a front basket, a U-bolt lock, and a set of front and rear lights. Bikes can also be rented with a friend to lower the upfront costs. The semester rate for an individual rental is $50 with a $100 refundable deposit, and the rate for a partner rental is $35 per person with a $100 per person refundable deposit. (2) Rice Coffee House The Rice Coffee House is a student-run coffee house on-campus that serves certified fair trade and organic coffee. Discounts are available for students who bring reusable mugs, and sustainable practices are incorporated into the culture of the enterprise.

(1) Annual Environmental Conference: The Rice University Environmental Club organizes the Annual Environmental Conference which offers students a means by which to share their environmental research with the community, engage in debates about protecting the environment, both within the community and around the world, and socialize with citizens, business leaders, public officials and other students of all viewpoints and backgrounds. Past highlights of the conference have included panels on Greenspace and Green Building, discussions regarding the future of Houston transportation, expositions of hybrid cars, and keynote addresses from distinguished guests in the field. (2) The Center for the Study of Environment and Society (CSES) The CSES actively works to engage the Rice community with the Houston community in terms of the environment. CSES coordinates lectures, public seminars, film series, and a number of other events related to sustainability. The event topics range from climate change and global warming to alternative transportation and sustainable foods. The CSES also holds a weekly reading group, open to the public, to discuss environmental articles. Other campus organizations such as the Shell Center for Sustainability, the Energy and Environmental Systems Institute, and the Baker Institute for Public Policy also regularly host speakers and conferences related to sustainability.

Baltra: Baltra is a nonprofit thrift store established by the Rice Art Lab. It is a student-run business where students can donate their clothes and jewelry in order to receive store credit to buy other items. This year they hosted an Eco Fashion Show, “Who Made Your Clothes?” on Fashion Revolution Day to commemorate the 1,133 people who lost their lives when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka Bangladesh. Recognizing that incidents such as this continue today Baltra’s fashion show aimed to inform students of the catastrophic social and environmental conditions that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the fashion industry today.

The Rice Outdoor Programs and Education: The Rice Outdoor Programs and Education (ROPE) organizes several weekend excursions throughout the semester which include activities such as backpacking, rock climbing, biking, kayaking, and sailing. These opportunities are open to the entire Rice community. ROPE also provides low-cost equipment rentals and resources to support personal outdoor pursuits. The mission of ROPE is to provide physical, mental, education, and social growth to the Rice University community by using outdoor education techniques in a natural, safe, and enjoyable environment. Leave No Trace environmental ethics are taught and practiced on all ROPE excursions.

For the 2007-2008 academic year, all incoming undergraduate students were provided with a copy of Elizabeth Kolbert's "Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change." 2007-2008 was designated the “Humans, Nature, and Climate Change” year at Rice. The year's common reading set the stage for several climate change discussions, campus sustainability talks, and several guest lectures. This was supplemented with an ongoing film series, with screenings of films such as 'Kilowatt Ours', 'Dimming the Sun', and 'Green: The New Red, White & Blue'. Other events included a month-long, campus-wide energy competition and a CO2 Forum and Sustainability Fair. Rice has not had a sustainability-themed semester or year since the 2007-2008 academic year.

Real Food Revolution: (1) The Real Food Revolution was initially formed in 2012 to engage the Rice community in progress towards a sustainable food policy and to foster an appreciation for local, sustainably produced, delicious foods. The Real Food Revolution aims to strengthen the Rice and Houston community by fostering a commitment to the shared ecological place and collective well being of its residents, as well as an appreciation for the far-reaching impact of food quality on the health of the community. Past events hosted by The Real Food Revolution have included a once-a-semester farm-to-fork dinner (attendance usually 60-80, mostly students along with farmers), midday organic produce tastings in the academic quad, and visits to area farms. (2) The Rice Chapter of Teens Turning Green is devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally sustainable and socially responsible choices for individuals and communities. Rice regularly hosts Teens Turning Green events to spread the word about conscious living and actionable sustainability projects. The visits include interactive conscious information stations that focus on seven key lifestyle categories with information boards, product samples, demos, activities and in-depth conversations all aimed at engaging the Rice community in healthy, green living.

Students interested in the environment at Rice can apply to work as EcoReps, a program overseen by Rice's sustainability officer. The program is comprised of approximately 11 undergraduate students, one from each of Rice's 11 residential colleges. The EcoReps are expected to work on projects and undertake efforts that reduce utility consumption, improve recycling, increase environmental awareness, and otherwise advance the environmental performance of their respective colleges. A key outreach activity each year is the Green Dorm Initiative, a campus-wide event to promote sustainable living within the residential colleges. Each EcoRep is expected to actively lead this program at his/her residential college. In addition, EcoReps are expected to apply for "green funds" from Housing and Dining for environmental-related improvements and initiatives for their colleges. Overall, each EcoRep devotes about 2-3 hours per week to the position. On occasion, the sustainability officer also offers summer sustainability internships. Two summer sustainability interns were hired for the summer of 2014 to assist with the preparation of AASHE STARS 2.0 and other data/reporting initiatives. The communications manager for Facilities Engineering and Planning and for Housing and Dining also employs student communications interns who assist in managing sustainability-related social media and web sites.