Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 61.55
Liaison Melissa Cadwell
Submission Date Jan. 7, 2022

STARS v2.2

Syracuse University
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Melissa Cadwell
Sustainability Coordinator
Energy Systems & Sustainability Management
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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:

Students of Sustainability
Seeks to increase sustainability and environmental consciousness across campus. SOS is open to students from all SU's academic schools and colleges. They feel that this diverse representation brings lots of valuable ideas, skills, and connections to the group, which helps boost their outreach and awareness efforts.
https://www.facebook.com/StudentsofSustainability

Slow Foods
Student organization in Falk College's Food Studies program, is working to establish long-lasting food access and justice programs throughout the SU/ESF campus. The group is collaborating with Common Threads CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to have SU's first-ever CSA drop off location on campus, which started in August.
https://www.facebook.com/CUSEBrainFeeders?fref=ts

Food Recovery Network at SU and ESF
The Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a national, student-run organization that donates unused food from Syracuse University’s five dining centers, cafes, and student centers. The food collected is distributed to local social wellness agencies such as homeless shelters, transitional housing organizations, refugee programs, children’s programs, and more.
https://foodservices.syr.edu/aboutus/sustainability/#FRN

SU-ESF Habitat for Humanity
Our very own campus chapter, started in 1991, works with the local Syracuse Habitat for Humanity affiliate to help eliminate sub-standard housing here in Syracuse as well as across the country on the group's Alternative Spring Break Trips.
https://www.facebook.com/HabitatSU/?hc_ref=SEARCH

NYPIRG SU and ESF
The New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) is New York State's largest student-directed consumer, environmental and government reform organization. NYPIRG SU and ESF— are a chapter of New York State's largest and most successful student run government advocacy organization focusing on the issues of environmental concerns, governmental reform, higher education affordability, local hunger and homelessness, and consumer rights.
https://www.nypirg.org/?fbclid=IwAR2737BKy_vxTXHfSiXyJvmwqW1GK8heppn2dJvTY7JeVVqDNLVpcvuhr4Q


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:

Pete’s Giving Garden was installed on campus to ensure there were fresh vegetables and herbs in the food pantries on campus. Sustainability Management partnered with Hendriks Chapel, and Falk College of Sports & Human Dynamics and install vegetable gardens on SU's South Campus property.
The garden is open to a students, faculty, and staff who would like to learn how to garden, volunteer to help with the garden, and we host educational events in the garden.
https://sustainability.syr.edu/campus/grounds/petes-giving-garden/


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:

The Enactus United States via SU Whitman School of Management

M.S. in Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises
M.S. in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises (EEE) program provides immersion in a rigorous curriculum and relevant practical experience to give you the preparation and confidence to navigate your own path to entrepreneurial success. Our program is designed for students with a passion for entrepreneurship in any industry or type of business.
Our specialized career tracks, combined with access to resources and mentorship through our Couri Hatchery, help you develop the tools and mindset to turn your dreams into reality.
Panasci Business Plan Competition
The Panasci Business Plan Competition is a campus-wide student business plan competition, hosted by the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, and made possible by long-time Whitman supporter, the late Henry A. Panasci, founder of Fay's Drugs.
While there are many steps involved in translating great ideas into great businesses, a key step is the creation of a business plan. A business plan may address the uncertainties surrounding the many decisions you have to make about your businesses. It is a blueprint and a roadmap.
The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship is hosting the annual Panasci Business Plan Competition for students at Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF in spring 2022. Applicants in the Panasci Business Plan Competition will write and submit a business plan for the chance to advance to the semi-finals and finals, held on virtually on April 8-9, 2022. With more than $42,000 in cash prizes, this competition is a great opportunity to compete for seed funding for your business (or idea). It’s also a great way to network with competition judges including high-level entrepreneurs and alumni.


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?:
No

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

EarthFests is a celebration of our planet sponsored by Syracuse University Sustainability Management, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and Students of Sustainability (SOS). The event features prominent speakers, local musicians, community environmental groups and local sustainability vendors. This event is open to all Syracuse University faculty, students, and staff along with the local community.

A tour of the The Skä·noñh—Great Law of Peace Center was offered to the community. The The Skä·noñh tells the story of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and their founding at Onondaga Lake more than 1,000 years ago through the lens of the Onondaga Nation, the “Central Fire” of Six Nation Confederacy.

Sustainability Management and student group Students of Sustainability sponsored a free screening of the eye-opening documentary “A Plastic Ocean” in our campus theater. We also hosted a panel discussion with a professional from our water treatment plant, professional from our recycling and waste facility, and a student intern within Sustainability Management

Sustainability Management and student group Students of Sustainability are sponsoring a free screening of the eye-opening documentary “River Blue” on Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. in Watson Theater. The event is free and open to the public, with entry beginning at 6:30 p.m. “River Blue” follows international river conservationist Mark Angelo as he spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most polluting industries: fashion. Clean water supporter Jason Priestley narrates this examination of the fashion industry’s destruction of rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.

Growing the Science of Sustainability: Molecular Biologist Nina V. Fedoroff ’66
Expounds on Importance of GMOs, Science Literacy Arts and Science recently caught up with Fedoroff—a longtime member of the National Academy of Sciences and a former science and technology adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State—to discuss genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how they can help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.

Architecture, Maxwell to Host City Scripts ‘Stretchy Cities’ Symposium
The symposium, “Stretchy Cities,” focuses on urban government and a “stretched” urban landscape. The symposium will examine the public conversation in the Syracuse area on developing and managing the diffuse built environment.
Experts, local officials and the audience will consider the most pressing governance issues involved in an increasingly complex and varied urban landscape, the government’s impact on the built environment and whether to preserve the classic urban core and local authority or accommodate a new regional urban reality.

Symposium participants include David Owen, staff writer at The New Yorker and author of “Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability;” Roger Keil, professor of environmental studies and research chair in global sub/urban studies at York University and author of “Suburban Planet: Making the World Urban from Outside In;” Khalid Bey, City of Syracuse councilor at-large and president pro tempore; and Edward M. Michalenko, Town of DeWitt supervisor and president of the Onondaga Environmental Institute. Mary Anne Ocampo, principal at Sasaki Associates and lecturer of urban design in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology will moderate the discussion.
https://news.syr.edu/blog/2019/09/18/architecture-maxwell-to-host-city-scripts-stretchy-cities-symposium-on-sept-26/

Syracuse Symposium to Present Conservation Ecologist Eric Sanderson
Syracuse Symposium continues its yearlong look at “Place” with a visit by an expert in ecosystem and landscape ecology.
Syracuse Symposium continues its yearlong look at “Place” with a visit by an expert in ecosystem and landscape ecology.

Eric Sanderson, senior conservation ecologist of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), will present “The Welikia Project: Discovering a Natural Sense of Place in New York City,” on Thursday, March 30, from 4-5:30 p.m. in Room 100 in the Falk College complex. The following day, he will lead a workshop titled “Onondaga Lake: Visualizing the Natural/Historical Continuum” https://news.syr.edu/blog/2017/03/23/syracuse-symposium-to-present-conservation-ecologist-eric-sanderson-march-30-31/

Lecture: “The Welikia Project: Discovering a Natural Sense of Place in New York City”

Eric Sanderson, a senior conversation ecologist of the Wildlife Conservation Society, provides an overview of The Welikia Project, which documents the historical ecology of New York City and compares it to the city’s present biodiversity. Emphasis is on how teachers, government officials and everyday citizens use such information to transform their experience of “place.”

Workshop: “Onondaga Lake: Visualizing the Natural/Historical Continuum”
Sanderson explores digital methods and tools to visualize the continuum of the indigenous, industrial and post-industrial history of Onondaga Lake. The program includes a visit to the lake and to The Ska-Nohn—Great Law of Peace Center. Participants may attend all or part of the workshop

‘Silence’ is 2019-20 Theme of Humanities Center’s Syracuse Symposium
Each year, the Humanities Center hosts the Syracuse Symposium, a year-long series of public events focused around a theme. Previous themes (all chosen by the center’s advisory board) include “Stories,” “Belonging,” “Identity” and “Justice.”
film (Human Rights Film Festival
Participants Discuss SU Human Rights Film Festival, Syracuse Symposium
One of this year’s events, also part of the 16th annual Syracuse University Human Rights Film Festival (SUHRFF), is a visit by filmmaker Rudy Valdez. The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) recently caught up with Roger Hallas (RH) and Tula Goenka (TG), SUHRFF’s co-directors, to discuss the film festival and how this year’s Syracuse Symposium theme is a perfect match.
https://news.syr.edu/blog/2018/09/21/qa-with-syracuse-symposium-participants-tere-paniagua-roger-hallas-tula-goenka/


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:

Syracuse University Sustainability Management, the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), and Students of Sustainability (SOS) sponsor Earthfest, a free community wide, sustainability-themed music and arts festival celebrating Earth Day. The day features local environmental speakers, musicians, local artists, and community and student organizations, prominent local vendors who sell sustainable products and food trucks that have vegan/vegetarian options with all service ware compostable.


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:

Since 1935, the Syracuse University Outing Club has been getting Syracuse students out into Syracuse he wilderness to explore the great outdoors. From rock climbing to caving to backpacking to biking to paddling and more, SUOC provides one of the most active and comprehensive outdoor programs of any University-run outing club. All outings are organized and conducted with the expectation that participants will “Leave No Trace.” https://suoc.syr.edu/


Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Sustainability Management offers Cooking for the Planet, virtual cooking classes for all students. The students are taught basic cooking skills by a certified chef, why eating sustainable is best for the planet, and sustainability general discussion.


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

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

Sustainability Management offers paid internship programs. Job description: -Assist with composting program, vegetable and pollinator gardens, research various topics and provide quality feedback, liaising with SU environmental student groups, including attending meetings, provide additional support to Sustainability Management projects as needed, campus outreach in various locations, sustainability related presentations to various campus populations, assisting in developing sustainability campaigns, promote a non-discriminatory and educational workplace.

Sustainability Managements offers Internships for class credit, including experiential learning and for required internships to graduate. The credit hours range from 2 credits to 9 credit hours. Each internship in this program is developed with the student to ensure they leave with the skills in their field and learn about sustainability through their educational lens.


Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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