| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.17 |
| Liaison | Lisa Mitten |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2023 |
State University of New York at New Paltz
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Lisa
Mitten Campus Sustainability Coordinator Office of Campus Sustainability |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
The Environmental Alliance - The Environmental Alliance is a student-run organization that brings students together to promote environmentalism by understanding aspects of environmental justice and sustainable agriculture. Some activities that the Environmental Alliance has done are campus-wide trash clean-ups and several workshops dealing with climate action. https://www.instagram.com/ecoallies_np/
NYPIRG - NYPIRG is a non-partisan political student empowerment group that focuses on environmental issues, voter registration and mobilization, higher education accessibility, hunger and homelessness outreach, and consumer protection. https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzNypirg
Outing Club - The New Paltz Outing Club provides opportunities and resources to students that are interested in outdoor adventure sports. The club runs numerous trips near New Paltz and in the tri-state area that are accessible to anyone that attends club meetings. Past trips have included hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, camping, whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, slalom skiing (and snowboarding), backpacking, biking, and other fun and active outdoor endeavors. The Outing Club nurtures a collaborative community of students who share a respect for and connection to nature and the environment. One of the main skills taught is leave no trace principles and practices. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SUNYNewPaltzOutingClub/
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The student organization the Environmental Alliance manages an on-campus garden. They follow sustainable gardening practices including composting and lasagna gardening.
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
The Green Revolving Fund invests in projects that advance sustainability and reduce operating expenses on the SUNY New Paltz campus to create a perpetually renewable source of capital to fund new projects, create valuable educational opportunities, and achieve long-term energy efficiency. In addition, the management of the fund creates an opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to work together to create a more sustainable community. Past projects include funding the upgrade to LED lighting in van den Berg Hall.
Current students and alumni serve on the green revolving fund committee chaired and led by Business professor Michael Sheridan.
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
Fall 2021 - Green New Deal Talk with Tim Sahay of the Green New Deal Network
Office of Campus Sustainability: "Sustainability, Equity, Justice Keynote Speeches", Ibram X. Kendi, Department of Humanities, Boston University | Robin Wall Kimmerer, Center for Native Peoples & The Environment, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Director | Mateo Nube, Director, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project
School of Science and Engineering Harrington STEM Lecture: "Carbon Monoxide from Wood Pellets: Where it Comes From and How to Make it Go Away", Dr. Philip Hopke, Director, Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science (CARES)
Distinguished Speaker Series: "Confronting Climate Change: What are the Challenges?" Henry Pollack, Professor Emeritus, Department of Geophysics, University of Michigan
The Department of Sociology and Political Science, and the SUNY New Paltz chapter of Democracy Matters: "What’s at Stake for You? 10 Critical Issues in this Election and Beyond” Joan Mandle, Executive Director of Democracy Matters, Professor Emerita of Sociology at Colgate University
Department of Political Science and International Relations: "Food Production in a Climate, Changed" Sonali McDermid, Climate Scientist, Department of Environmental Studies, NYU
The Strategic Planning and Assessment Council: "Global Goals Teach-In Week" Discusses about the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. There were several events in this event. For more information, please refer to https://newpaltz.edu/sustainability/global-goals-week/
March 2020: Office of Campus Sustainability and Campus Auxiliary Services: "Beyond Plastics" Judith Enck, founder of Beyond Plastics, Bennington College
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Climate Interactive Action Simulation Workshops led by Andrea Frank and Lisa Mitten which focused largely on sustainability and climate change's impact on the world. This event was held on site in 2019 and virtually in the year 2020.
Andrea Frank has held experiential process-based think tanks focused on sustainability for/with students in Berlin in the summer of 2019.
SUNY New Paltz has held Think Tank and Engagement sessions led by Andrea Frank and Michael Asbill. It focused on sustainability and to vision transdisciplinary just transition based education in the context of a rapidly changing world. The following events have occurred in the Think Tank and Engagement sessions:
July 22 – 26, 2019, World Climate Simulation role play research with UdK students at UdK, Berlin in think tank format. We collaboratively interrogated the En-Roads simulator from a de-colonizing, animist perspective.
October 6th, 2019 Time Drawing – A System Drawing Session, part of Drawing Acts: Process and Performance / Thinking through Drawing Symposium, SUNY New Paltz. The group explored the interactions of a range of actants throughout deep time during this System Drawing session, which integrated systemic constellation strategies. (collaboration with Michael Asbill).
March 19-21, Virtual Think Tank. Originally planned as Mohonk Think Tank, this collaborative cross-disciplinary 3-day think tank involved a group of international, national, and local participants who are immersed in sustainability/ecology research. The think tank was moved online on short notice due to COVID -19. The planned immersive 4-day workshop at Mohonk was postponed. We used guided bodywork, collective synchronous drawing, and experiential exercises to guide our collective interaction. (collaboration with Michael Asbill)
Since June 2020 Virtual Tree Speed – Future Feed think tank and visioning process. Our most recent think tank was designed for SUNY New Paltz community to build a strong foundation and vocabulary, and to work on a new paradigm word/metaphor nursery with the group. The think tank was the foundation for a sustained ongoing long-term process with one or two hour-long meetings every 2 or 3 weeks, mostly in a virtual format. Throughout the think tank and following process, we worked with metaphors and concepts as they arise, which we tested and explored through different tools. We were initially surprised and heartened by how well the think tank and System Drawing formats can be transferred to a mostly virtual context. We were able to build a strong sense of connection and integrate embodied experiences toward a common vision and goal.
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The student-run Outing Club engages students in a wide variety of outdoor pursuits and promotes Leave No Trace ethics in all activities. This club advocates for connection with and respect for the environment through outdoors hobbies.
The Athletic and Wellness Center's Outdoor Pursuits Program offers a variety of outdoor trips with guides who teach Leave No Trace principles.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Many summers, Campus Sustainability Coordinator Lisa Mitten and members of the Sustainability Faculty Learning Community select one or more books to read as a campus community during the summer time. These are the books we've read as a community during recent summers:
Summer of 2018:
- Project Drawdown's Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
Summer of 2019:
- Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass
Summer of 2020:
- Naomi Klein's On Fire: The Burning Case for the Green New Deal
- Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees
- Leah Penniman's Farming While Black
- Selected Essays from Wendell Berry's The World Ending Fire
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Since the spring of 2017, SUNY New Paltz has hosted once-a-semester Repair Cafe with "repair coaches" from the campus community. At this event, students learn repair and maintenance skills from repair coaches while their beloved but broken items are being repaired. However, this program has been on haitus since the COVID-19 pandemic began. One Sustainability Ambassador intends to resume this program in the spring of 2023.
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Office of Campus Sustainability employs a group of students every academic year. SUNY New Paltz also has the Sustainability Seed Fund in which faculty members can apply for funding to hire students to conduct sustainability research.
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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.