Saint Louis University
EN-3: Student Life

Just Earth: An organization for students of Saint Louis University who are dedicated to increasing awareness of important issues related to the sustainability and health of our planet. (http://groups.sluconnection.com/organization/justearth) SLU Habitat for Humanity: A chartered student organization and offical Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity International that actively engages in social events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and education & advocacy campaigns in order to futher the mission of Habitat - ending standardized housing worldwide. (http://sites.slu.edu/habitat/home) Engineers without Borders-SLU: This organization uses engineering as a way to help improve people's lives around the world by helping them meet their basic needs through implementation trips locally, regionally, and globally. (https://groups.sluconnection.com/organization/EWB) SLU Global Brigades: This organization aims to empower volunteers to facilitate sustainable solutions in under resourced communities while fostering local culture. (https://groups.sluconnection.com/organization/SLUGB) The Environmental Law Society (ELS) is dedicated to addressing regional, national and international issues related to environmental law. ELS periodically sponsors speakers on a wide range of topics pertaining to environmental law, natural resources law, environmental science and the environmental movement. (http://www.slu.edu/colleges/law/slulaw/org/ELSSALDF)"

Fresh Gatherings Cafe in the Doisy College of Health Sciences is operated by the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. The goal is to run the cafe in an eco-friendly way, support local farmers, and provide the patrons with menu items using local products. As part of their commitment to sustainability, they operate an organic farm and orchard on campus with a comprehensive composting program. By integrating the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics undergraduate and graduate student practicum experiences and dietetic internship rotations in the café with chefs committed to sustainable food systems, they create an environment that fosters unique experiences for student development and professional growth. Along with being used as a teaching garden, the campus organic farm also provides a limited number of garden plots to the campus community to use to grow their own produce. Fresh Gatherings also runs a CSA program, Fresh Gatherings Harvest, that partners with local farmers to supply quality, local produce to customers. In addition, the Cafe holds a Harvest Market that features local produce, milk, eggs, and bread harvested weekly by farmers within a 150 mile radius of campus and is grown in an environmentally friendly manner.

Campus Kitchens (first pilot campus at Saint Louis University in 2001) Student volunteers develop partnerships, plan menus, run cooking shifts, organize drivers, garden, glean, and teach nutrition education to children and families. They keep track of all of the paperwork (so we know everything’s being done safely), organize fundraisers, develop curriculum, and recruit new students to get involved. They accomplish an incredible amount of work every day."

Saint Louis University is currently in the process of developing a proposal to institute a Green Revolving Fund that would assist with financing energy and utility conservation projects on campus. Once the proposal is complete, it will be sent to the Sustainability Advisory Council for approval and implementation.

The Center for Sustainability develops and executes community engagement initiatives that steward the Earth’s resources and build external partnerships across businesses, governmental agencies, communities, and academic institutions. The Center establishes ongoing methods of communication that mobilize individuals and groups to take action that positively impact sustainability issues. Some of the many events sponsored, coordinated, and/ or executed by the Center for Sustainability include the St. Louis Green Confluence, Sustainability Matters Speaker Series, the first St. Patrick’s Day Recycle Drive, and Unite for Sight, Can-Can Educational Movie Series, the Sustainable Disaster Recovery Conference, and more. The Center for Sustainability also partners with other departments on campus to bring speakers to Saint Louis University. for example, in November of 2014 the Center collaborated with the department of Biology to bring Wes Jackson, President of the Land Institute, to campus to deliver a presentation on sustainable agriculture and to meet with faculty, students, and staff to discuss his work. The Center for Sustainability posts current events on its homepage and maintains an archive of past events, which is also accessible through the website. The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics hosts the annual ""Gardens to Tables Food Day"" to promote sustainable, healty, and just agricultural practices, as well as to promote a healthier St. Louis community. The John Cook School of Business hosts an annual Ameren Sustainable Business Speaker Series that aims to educate the community about the importance and future of sustainability in business. The Conservation of Climate Change Speaker Series explores creative viewpoints and dimensions on climate change from academic disciplines varying from biology to theolgy to literature. SLUstainability Week, sponsored by the Sustainability Advisory Council, is designed to raise awareness about sustainability and showcase all that the University is and could be doing to be stewards of the environment, advocates of social justice, and promoters of economic viability. Events during the week are designed to help the campus community learn about sustainability at SLU and how to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily campus life.

In 2014 Saint Louis University's Center for Global Citizenship organized a partnership with the St. Louis International Film Festival to host a series of film screening on sustainability-related topics. The screenings are heavily oriented toward issues of social equity and diversity and coincide with International Education Week.

Wilderness Adventure Club (WAC) The Wilderness Adventure Club (WAC) organizes hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and other outings. On their trips, the WAC emphasizes the “Leave No Trace” principle. In other words, every effort should be made to leave little to no mark on the natural environment. The WAC realizes that even a biodegradable or “natural” item left behind in the wilderness could pose a threat to the native ecosystem. On backpacking trips the WAC carries all of trash for the duration of the outing. The only thing left behind is human waste (i.e., feces) for which the WAC uses a trowel to dig a minimum six-inch hole. Toilet paper is discarded and transported in the trash bags that WAC carries with them throughout the duration of the journey. Basically, WAC aims to leave visited areas as pristine (if not better) than the way they found it. SLU also offers a student-led Kayak Club, which is a non-competitive club dedicated to the promotion of whitewater recreation.. In short, the club's goal is to share Missouri's sublime Saint Francis River with a wide range of students in collaboration with the Missouri Whitewater Association. Club members travel around the country to paddle some of the best whitewater rivers in America.

The University has sustainability-focused Graduate Assistant positions available in the Center for Sustainability and in the Department of Facilities Services. Graduate assistants serve as research assistants in the Center for Sustainability. In Facilities Services, graduate assistants engage in activities designed to promote and increase sustainability in campus operations (grounds, water, buildings, energy use, etc.). Graduate assistants receive a monthly stipend as well as tuition remission. Links to the graduate assistantship details are available in the public notes section of this report. Through a partnership between the University's waste hauler, Waste Management, and Facilities Services, an internship opportunity was developed to help reach sustainability goals, particularly in the area of waste reduction and diversion. The paid internship, offered during the spring semester, provides experience in the growing field of sustainability by learning and applying principles of the field and participating in both in-depth analysis of current situations and developing sustainable solutions for campus operations. At the start of the 2014-15 academic year, SLU's new food service vendor, Aramark, created a position focused on sustainable dining service. This position gives hiring preference to a master degree level student in sustainability.

"Events archive: http://www.slu.edu/sustainability/events/events-archive Graduate Assistantships in Sustainability: http://www.slu.edu/sustainability/graduate-programs/ms-in-sustainability/graduate-assistantships Graduate Assistantships in Urban Planning: http://www.slu.edu/sustainability/graduate-programs/ma-in-urban-planning-and-development/graduate-assistantships Graduate Assistantships with Facilities Services: http://www.slu.edu/Documents/facilities/Sustainability/JD-Grad%20Assts.%20-%20Sustainability%20Coordinators.pdf"