| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.18 |
| Liaison | Jesse Carswell |
| Submission Date | Jan. 6, 2025 |
Southern New Hampshire University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.20 / 4.00 |
Jesse
Carswell Sustainability Data Analyst Sustainability |
Campus Engagement
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
Public Engagement
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
In 2024, students in a Construction Management course designed and built structures for local Animal Shelters.
Air & Climate
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
The Arboretum at SNHU was developed in 2014. The 200-acre outdoor classroom has provided over 2,000 hours of STEM-centric learning experience. The Arboretum invites middle school students, state foresters, and anyone in between to visit the space. Visitors and students get a chance to see and understand various types of wetlands, forested environments, and other ecosystems.
SNHU mission is to "have the arboretum become a space that is recognized and treasured for creating innovative academic experiences, fostering community wellbeing and generating passionate and engaged leaders."
Students installed a network of climate-sensing data loggers in the Arboretum; resultant data is databased and used in climate-related research. Additionally, students annually perform monitoring in plots to calculate carbon storage potential through the Environmental Science Classes.
Additionally, air quality monitors have been placed on the roof of Paul LeBlanc Hall and the students working on the Green Roof Team are monitoring those.
Buildings
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
There is a multi-year faculty-led project underway to design and install a green roof on Paul LeBlanc Hall as part of the new, campus-wide STEM-X initiative.
Energy
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
Students in Global Climate Change focus their project work on energy-related issues at SNHU. In fall 2022, students assisted with the creation and marketing of a university temperature policy, designed to optimize energy use. In fall 2023, students led a project to explore the potential for geothermal well installation in the footprint of several decommissioned buildings.
Food & Dining
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
Grounds
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
The SNHU grounds team has a long history of collaboration with students in service of sustainability and biodiversity outcomes. Recent projects include student research in the physical science department, they have been monitoring salt levels in water and soil around campus.
Purchasing
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
Transportation
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
Waste
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
Student-run Waste Audits are conducted each semester publically on campus. These events educate participants about the importance of proper waste diversion practices and creating less waste. We evaluate the types of litter around campus to determine our biggest contributor either single-use plastic, cigarettes, or other waste.
Water
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
Hydrology classes use the Arboretum and Messer Brook for research and for data collection (Dr. Hamed Majidzadeh).
Coordination & Planning
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Students were given the opportunity to work with the community in a project to design and build sustainable outdoor classrooms, with the idea to enrich student learning and an appreciation and understanding of nature and the environment that cannot be obtained in traditional classrooms.
Diversity & Affordability
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
Investment & Finance
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
Wellbeing & Work
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.