Seattle University
EN-3: Student Life

Sustainable Student Action is a club that strives to educate the community on environmental issues and to work on projects that lead to a more sustainable future.

Food With Spirit is a Seattle University student club that focuses on sustainable, urban agriculture and food justice. Food With Spirit (1) grows and harvests seasonal food crops on SU campus and delivers the food to local food banks; (2) hosts work parties to maintain four raised garden beds on campus; and (3) collaborates with other SU clubs to organize/promote educational events that focus on environmental justice, food justice, and sustainability.

MotMot Coffee is a student-created, student-run Fair Trade coffee enterprise. Students hired to the project gain unparalleled business experience in international business and ethical company management. MotMot takes a student's skills out of the classroom and into the real-world, all the while encouraging other Seattle University students to become ethical consumers. The product, coffee beans, is fair trade, ethically sourced, organic, and sustainable.

Events (FY15-17):

1. Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) Conference "Just Sustainability-Hope for the Commons" (Aug 2016)

CEJS welcomed 160 participants at its 2nd biennial Just Sustainability Conference at Seattle University on 8/7-8/9/2016. Just Sustainability offered an opportunity for academics and practitioners to share ideas and discuss solutions to our shared sustainability challenges. Conference attendees included faculty, staff, and students; grassroots activists and non-profit organizations; and representatives from agencies and businesses such as Skanska, EcoNorthwest, ILFI, and the E.P.A. The conference program included 7 workshops, 12 presentation sessions, and 3 sustainability tours.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/cejs/events/just-sustainability-conference/2016-just-sustainability-conference/

2. Interfaith Earth Day (April 2015)

Interfaith Earth Day was hosted by Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry who is a longtime partner and local nonprofit dedicated to eco-justice. The theme of this day was, 'Indigenous Rights, Indignant Wrongs' and addressed the devastating impacts of fossil fuel mega-projects on Native American culture and spirituality. The aim was to remind all of the shared responsibility we have to protect Mother Earth.
Link:http://earthministry.org/event/interfaith-earth-day-indigenous-rights-indignant-wrongs/

3. The Albers School of Business regularly hosts events related to sustainability, including a Nobel Peace Prize speaker, as well as a series of talks by professional business people.

On Thursday, October 12, 2017, Seattle University hosted Muhammad Yunus, the father of social business and microcredit, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in alleviating poverty. The program included a talk, Q&A, book sales and book signing. Muhammad Yunus discussed his provocative new book, “A World of Three Zeros, The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions”.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/stm/news-events/muhammad-yunus-lecture-and-book-signing.html

A few of the speakers in the Albers Executive Speaker series included:
--MOD Pizza founders Scott & Ally Svenson who believe in using pizza as a platform for social impact on October 11, 2017
--Nick Hanauer whose talk was entitled, "Political Polarization and Economic Inequality: America at a Crossroads," on November 7, 2017.
--Jerry Stritzke, President & CEO, REI: "Business as an embodiment of Northwest values," Thursday, January 19, 2017
For more info: https://www.seattleu.edu/business/news-events/speaker-series/

4. CEJS hosts quarterly Brown Bag Lunch talks focused on Sustainability. Examples of past talks:
--April 25, 2017: Dr. Quan Le about the collaboration of Seattle University and Nicaraguan smallholder cooperatives in bringing the Fair Trade and Organic Coffee Café Ambiental to campus and the broader community.
--April 25, 2017: Dr. Shiny Abraham about the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to build and deploy smart, connected sensors that provide continuous monitoring of air, water, and soil quality.
--Feb 2, 2017: Dr. Valentina Zamora presenting her research on Corporate Social Responsibly (CSR) and investor judgment.
--Feb 2, 2017: Dr. Jonathan Pierce discussing his survey of the knowledge, behavior, beliefs and attitudes in the U.S. towards climate change.
--Nov 1, 2016: Dr. Rob Efird discussing his ethnographic analysis of Environmental Learning Centers in Japan, China, and the U.S.
--Nov 1, 2016: Dr. Aditya Mishra on how renewable energy integration in electric grids can cut electricity demand.
For more information: https://www.seattleu.edu/cejs/events/past-events/

5. Catholics Called to Accompaniment: Immigration Summit Summer Gathering (Aug 5, 2017)

This gathering allowed attendees to discuss immigration, share what they've done, learned so far, plan to do, get ideas for first steps or next steps, discuss challenges, opportunities and resources,and hear what we have learned from immigrant communities through a special listening project.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/events/past-events/2016-17-events/

6. The Albers Ethics Week: The Albers School of Business and Economics "Ethics Week" brings guest speakers to undergraduate and graduate courses throughout the Albers curriculum. The goals are to increase student awareness of ethical issues in the workplace and help them think critically about ethics problems in business.
https://www.seattleu.edu/business/centers-and-programs/center-for-business-ethics/albers-ethics-week/

7. ICTC Annual Catholic Heritage series:
The annual Catholic Heritage Lectures, launched in 2010, engage the intellectual and religious communities of the Seattle area and the Seattle University community to explore aspects of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the intersection of Catholicism and culture. Theme of the AY17-18 series is: "That We May Be One: Racial Justice and the Catholic Church."
https://www.seattleu.edu/ictc/events/catholic-heritage-lectures/

Upcoming events:

1. The Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture (ICTC) will host a summit entitled "Care for the Earth, Care for the Poor: A Laudato Si’ Summit on June 2nd, 2018.

2. 2018 Climate Resilience Summit: This summit, hosted at Seattle University, will allow attendees to hear from community and business leaders and government agencies on how they’re building climate resilience and how we can best support communities on the front lines of climate disruption.
Link: http://www.sustainableseattle.org/programs/pnw-resilience-challenge/

1. Artist Andrew Morrison's mural artwork can be seen in Cherry Street Market, Seattle U's cafeteria. His murals consist of Chief Sealth, Princess Angelina, Vi Hilbert, Billy Frank Jr., and contemporary Native American people and activists. Mr. Morrison was born in Seattle, WA in 1981 into a traditional Haida carving family from Hydaburg, AK, and an Apache language speaking family from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Bylas, AZ. He has studied Northwest Coastal artwork his entire life, and has studied Native American symbolism from such Native American Master artists as Terrance Guardipee and George Flett.

2. Theatre Professor Ki Gottberg wrote and directed the play "The Last Salmon" which premiered in June 2016. The musical, based on a children’s book by Seattle author Phil Davis, tells the story of a gang of salmon, Buck, Spring and pals, who travel from their home in the river to the ocean and back again. “The book and performance honor the abundance of the earth, pointedly enacting how native peoples protect and nourish this precious resource so tied to their livelihood,” Gottberg said.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/about/news/the-last-salmon-premieres-on-june-18.html

3. As part of the 2016 Just Sustainability Conference at Seattle University, the following art events were organized:
--a guided tour to the photo exhibit at SU’s Kinsey Gallery: “We Call Ourselves Yup’ikk, Real People" displayed on campus in the Admissions and Alumni building.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/arts/alumni-exhibition-tara-champion/

--Display of the mural "Our Painted Responsibilities," a participatory mobile mural created in 2014 during a totem pole journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvzsvaXHHvE

The OAR program (Outdoor and Recreation Program) was created in 2008. Presently it runs an average of 30+ trips per quarter, led by around 20 student leaders with advanced training in group facilitation, wilderness medicine, risk management and incident response, and environmental stewardship. OAR also hosts several certification courses and outdoor skill workshops throughout the year. The Outdoor Adventure Program trips focus on road and mountain biking, indoor and outdoor climbing, trail repair/ beach cleanup, hiking, backpacking, camping, skiing and snow shoeing, kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddleboarding, whitewater rafting, and coastal surfing.

In fall 2016, all freshman read Kindred by Olivia Butler. Written to underscore the courageous endurance of people perceived as chattel, Kindred examines the dynamics and dilemmas of antebellum slavery as well as its legacy in present American society. Through the two interracial couples that form the emotional core of the story, the novel also explores the intersection of power, gender, and race issues and speculates on the prospects of future egalitarianism.

In fall 2017, all freshman read Notes from No Man's Land by Eula Biss. The book deals with issues of race in America and in particular, Biss often explores what it means to be a white woman in predominantly black spaces, the issue of white privilege, and the inherited, deeply ingrained racism of American culture.

Each year for the Sullivan Scholarship, applicants read a themed book as part of the process. For Fall 2017, this book was Evicted by Matthew Desmond. It focuses on the industry of eviction and the cycle of poverty.
Link: https://www.seattleu.edu/sullivan/values/

The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) has several resources available such as a Live Sustainably Guide for students, Green Meeting and Events Guide, as well as monthly themes focused on sustainability (e.g. October: Food Month; December: Fair Trade Month; February: Recyclemania;...).

Recylemania (annual event in Feb-March) is an 8 week Institution wide competition against other Universities where students learn more about what to compost, recycle, or throw away and how to help SU reduce its waste and increase its waste diversion rate. As part of this is the Garbology event where landfill items are sorted in front of the library and students can see how much recyclable/compostable material is mistakingly placed in trash bins.

The EcoChallenge (annual event in April) is a 3 week long themed challenge where students (and staff/faculty) become aware of their habits and modify them to be more sustainable throughout the 3 week period.

Earth and Society is a Learning Community (FY17 and prior) on floors 2 and 3 in the Campion Residence Hall. Students explored possibilities for deepening their understanding and experience of how they and fellow earth-creatures can share this beautiful, diverse, complex ball of cosmic dust in ways that are healthy and sustainable. Students were part of living into new, creative ways to engage some of the most exciting, challenging and urgent issues of our lifetimes.

The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) hires 2-4 student interns per year to work on a variety of sustainability projects. Interns are involved in: data collection and analysis for the university's STARS report and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory; production of videos highlighting community organizations and sustainability initiatives; event planning and marketing; development of the CEJS website; contribution to the CEJS newsletters by writing articles on how Seattle U faculty, students and staff implement sustainability projects on campus and in other countries; research projects that support the promotion of campus sustainability efforts.

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) is a co-curricular program that encourages students to support sustainable engineering projects both locally and abroad, such as installing aquaponics systems (middle school in Seattle, Peru, Thailand). http://www.seattleu-esw.org/

The Green Team is a student group focused on peer-to-peer sustainability education by helping current and incoming students and community members navigate the process of composting and recycling, assisting in putting on Green events throughout the year, and helping to spread the word about sustainable living. https://www.facebook.com/SUgreenteam/

Environmental Awareness-themed Athletic events are organized each quarter (since AY 2017-2018) where SU's Green Team informs attendees how Athletics is working toward greening its games, eg how the concession stands at basketball games have turned to zero waste.

The Law School has a Pro Bono Pledge Program where all law students are invited to pledge to complete at least 100 hours* of legal pro bono and community volunteer work before they graduate.
More info found here: https://law.seattleu.edu/centers-and-institutes/access-to-justice-institute/pro-bono/pro-bono-pledge-program