| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.98 |
| Liaison | Peter Barker |
| Submission Date | March 14, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
St. John's University, New York
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.76 / 4.00 |
Joanna
Shields STARS Research Analyst Facilities |
Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
Name of the student educators program (1st program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
Students are trained in recycling practices of the university, as well as energy conservation, and composing. These special students coordinate and execute events to encourage campus involvement on the University campus. They are also in charge of social media outlets (Twitter and Facebook) to engage the student community on another interactive level.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
The application process is made available via email to all students who have previously participated in Earth Club or Office of Sustainability events or who have expressed interest in the field through learning communities, academic programs etc.
Applications are reviewed based on the students residential placement (1 student/ team for each of the 8 residential buildings), interest and level of committment.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
Residence ambassadors participate in a formal training session (half-day) at the beginning of the semester. Sessions are held on 1) Overview of initiatives across the university and how interested students may become involved, including competitions, clubs, poster-campaigns, one-time events etc. 2) Recycling policies and procedures in the residence village,and 3) Energy and water conservation policies in the residence village.
Ambassadors meet regularly to track their progress and are in constant communication with their coordinator in the Office of Sustainability.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
The Office of Sustainability will provide all material resources needed to create a model green dorm room, including CFLs, recycling bins and stations per floor, water bottle stations on main floors, reusable water bottles, water efficient laundry rooms, and informational posters on how to live sustainable.
Though the program is in its beginning stages, there is discussion of providing an education stipend at the end of a successful year of service as a Residential Sustainability Ambassador.
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
ReycleMania is an 8 week national competition that ranks participating schools weekly based on their recycling rate, amount of recyclables per capita, total amount of recyclables, and the least amount of waste produced per capita. In addition to St. John’s, more than 600 schools representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces will compete in nine categories to see who recycles the most on a per capita basis, who produces the least amount of waste and who recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste stream. The University's goal is to achieve an annual landfill diversion rate of 50%.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Due to the extensive training of the Residential Sustainability Ambassadors, they are chosen to lead the RecycleMania event.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
Residential Sustainability Ambassadors are trained on the single-stream system used on the St. John's Campus and how to engage students to promote school spirit.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
Facilities supports the RecycleMania initiative in any way required such as providing recycle bins, bags, and signage.
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
Compete to Reduce involves using Lucid Design's Building Dashboard. St. John's University has 9 residence hall buildings electrical services directly connected to Building Dashboard via internet. Setting up building to building competitions is one of the main features of Building Dashboard. During a competition buildings compete to reduce energy from their respective baseline. Data is current every 3 minutes and buildings are ranked by largest percentage to smallest percentage reduced.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Compete to Reduce competitions are coordinated by the offices of Sustainability and the Office of Residence Life through Resident Directors for each building who in turn engage Resident Advisors for each building's floors.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
RD and RAs are shown how to use the Building Dashboard and specifically how to view competitions.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Dollars from energy savings during Compete to Reduce help sponsor the event battle of the Buildings a competition for student resident buildings with the most spirit.
Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
Residential Sustainability Ambassadors reach out to students on campus to interact and help plant in the Student Community Garden. Students are solely responsible for maintaining the garden's health. The produce harvested from the garden is donated to a local soup kitchen for the needy.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
These student educators are those who have been trained in organic gardening and composting.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
Residential Sustainability Ambassadors are trained on composting practices, food waste pulping, gardening techniques, plant care and maintenance, and compost tea techniques to support sustainable healthy plant growth.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
The Sustainability Department provides training to Residential Sustainability Ambassadors and Sustainability Coordinators, gardening tools, seed, garden land plot, composting materials and machinery, and donation contacts.
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The time student educators spend in sustainability outreach vary each year, but usually total over 50 hours annuallly.
The time student educators spend in sustainability outreach vary each year, but usually total over 50 hours annuallly.
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.