Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	52.66
Liaison	Grace Afflerbach
Submission Date	March 8, 2024

STARS v2.2

Purchase College - State University of New York
EN-3: Student Life

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Grace Afflerbach Sustainability Coordinator Facilities

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:

Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:

The Green Fee Council is the student run entity that guides the sustainability efforts of the Purchase Student Government Association (PSGA). The Green Fee Council is chaired by the Student Sustainability Coordinator. The PSGA also has a Green Cabinet that is composed of 3 student positions: Student Sustainability Coordinator, Compost Master, and FreeStore/FreeNew Director.

Gardens and farms

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

There is a Native Plant Garden on campus that was started by the PSGA. It is now predominantly taken care of by the Environmental Studies department to ensure maintenance throughout the entire year. Student volunteers are still heavily relied upon in the upkeep of the garden. The garden is used in research for multiple different academic departments and serves as a focal point during days of community service and Earth Day events that are focused on the education and value of native plant species.

Student-run enterprises

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:

Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

FreeStore and FreeNew are 2 student-run enterprises on campus.
FreeStore is our on-campus thrift store for clothes and other small household items. Everything is free.
FreeNew is similar to FreeStore, but it is used for larger dormitory pieces like couches, TVs, fans, etc. At the end of each academic year, students drop off their unwanted items at 1 of 4 FreeNew sheds. At the start of the next school year, students can choose what items they would like to take from the sheds. The goal of both initiatives is to decrease waste and contribute to a circular economy.

Sustainable investment and finance

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

The Green Fee is a student supported fund that was created to specifically support green initiatives. Students, faculty, and staff can submit Green Fee funding proposals for projects, events, and programs, that are then voted on by the Green Fee Council. The money for the Green Fee is taken out of the mandatory activity fee that every student pays.

Events

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:

During the Fall 2021, 2022, and 2023 first year orientations, the Sustainability Coordinator and other professional staff members on campus held an SDG-focused event that resembled the Brookings Institute's 17 Rooms challenge. The incoming students chose the SDG they wanted to learn more about and professional staff and faculty from various departments acted as the facilitators and discussion leaders for each SDG.

Cultural arts

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:

The course Theatre and the Climate Crisis was offered in Spring 2022. Students learned the science, politics, and history around climate change and studied theatre companies and artists who used theatre to incite societal change. The students then created theatrical actions and interventions designed to push public dialogue and action around the climate crisis.

Wilderness and outdoors programs

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:

Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

There is a course called Outdoor Skills that allows students to choose two overnight weekends in outdoor activity areas like downhill skiing, canoeing, camping, caving, rock climbing, and backpacking. Includes instruction in the various skill areas, plus wilderness first aid, camping equipment and camp setup, and survival skills. Outdoor Skills follows leave no trace policies.

Sustainability-focused themes

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:

---

Sustainable life skills

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:

---

Student employment opportunities

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:

Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

Through PSGA, our student government association, several paid employment opportunities are available to run our green services. These include coordinators for FreeNew, FreeStore, the Rocket composter, and a position for the Student Sustainability Coordinator.

Graduation pledge

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):

---

Optional Fields

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.