University at Albany
EN-3: Student Life

UAlbany Students for Sustainability - The purpose of this group is to serve the campus and community by initiating, coordinating and maintaining student driven sustainability projects on a campus and local level. The organization focuses on educating the community about sustainability and its meaning, it organizes student projects related to sustainability, holds fundraisers to engage specific projects, and tends to work in concert with other organizations on campus. UAlbany Graduate Students for Sustainability - The purpose of this student group is to support graduate student's research and expertise in the sustainability field. This group allows them to continue their education by bringing in outside speakers, and funding students to attend conferences. They also work very closely with the Office of Environmental Sustainability and the undergraduate student group for sustainability. Grow Green - UAlbany Grow Green is a group of dedicated students and faculty that are working hard to create and maintain a Heritage Garden on campus. The garden will serve as a living-learning lab for UAlbany students as well as the Albany community as a whole. By tying the garden to academics we can help bring students outside of the classroom to learn more about sustainable living. We hope to provide a living, beautiful example of New York heritage right on campus that will help promote a sustainable lifestyle in the UAlbany community. Net Impact - Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, and equip individuals to use the power of business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world. NIUA, having adopted the mission statement of Net Impact, is committed furthering the practices of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility through business. Student Sustainability Council - The Student Sustainability Council serves as the advisory board for the Office of Environmental Sustainability on all student initiatives. The council is comprised of student chairs (ranging from 12-16 in number, Res Life representatives, and delegates from the Student Association, the Graduate Student Association, and environmental student groups.

Heritage Garden - The garden demonstrates the ecological, social, and economic benefits of increasing biodiversity and incorporating native species in urban landscapes, promotes local and organic food production by producing food in a sustainable manner, without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms provides the campus community with an engaged learning community to apply classroom knowledge within a living laboratory, promotes discussions on access to local and healthy food choices within the region, the presence of food deserts in our community, and the health impacts of food choices and encourages civic involvement and social interaction as means of establishing strong, resilient communities. Urban Agriculture - Each year, students attend workshops on campus and at the Radix Ecological Center in downtown Albany, which promotes sustainable agriculture in an urban environment. Students learn the essential tools to start a garden either on their window sill or in a larger, urban environment. The Radix Urban Ecological Center also offers internship and community service opportunities to learn these skills.

The Office of Environmental Sustainability and the UAlbany Graduate Students for Sustainability sponsored a Sustainability Roundtable monthly. Speakers included faculty members and outside professionals. Students, faculty and staff were invited to these presentations and discussions. There isn't a website for this series but rather individual fliers. A link to the Spring 2013 schedule is provided as an example. The 2015 version of the roundtable is a film series and was mostly posted/promoted via Facebook, not a web site.

UAlbany Outdoors - We are a student-run group that strongly encourages getting off campus and out of Albany and into the outdoors. Activities include hiking, backpacking, camping, snowshoeing, sledding/tubing. This group allows students to understand the importance of outdoors , and that they can enjoy the aesthetic and recreational benefits of the wilderness, as long as they do not leave a trace.

First Year Experience - The World of Environmental Health and Sustainability Living and Learning Community is a chance for incoming freshmen to live in a residential building with other students interested in the environment and sustainability, to take specific courses as an academic introduction to sustainability, and work closely with environmental organizations and student groups on campus. A total of three classes are taken together as a group supplemented by weekly luncheons with faculty mentors and weekly meetings with the community graduate assistant. Themed Semesters - Fall: In the fall semester, we promote the Energy Campaign, which is a campus-wide competition to reduce energy usage. Throughout the semester, we host programs and educate students, faculty and staff how to save energy in a campus, dorm and apartment setting. Spring: In the spring semester, we promote RecycleMania and Trashion Fashion. Throughout the semester, we host various programs and educate students, faculty and staff how to recycle and reduce waste, and the benefits of recycling, reusing and reducing. http://www.albany.edu/gogreen/11.recycling_on_campus.shtml

Each fall, the apartments host a "Green Your Dorm" program. Appliances in the kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom are tagged with a sustainable tip that explains or suggests ways to make your living space greener. Students are also taught how to make effective green cleaning supplies. There is also a " Model Green Dorm Room" that incoming freshmen and transfer students are shown on their orientation and tours of the campus. The fully furnished dorm room is tagged with sustainable tips and suggestions for students to make their dorm room greener.

The Office of Environmental Sustainability offers numerous employment opportunities for students. There is at least one Student Assistant position open per semester. The job responsibilities include maintaining the bike share program and data, energy audits for apartments on campus, recycling and waste data for recycling campaign, and maintain the composting office program. The Office of Environmental Sustainability also has the Sustainability Council, student advisory committee. Students hold chair positions and assume a leadership role in a specific aspect of sustainability on campus, such as alternative transportation, energy, recycling, etc. Students apply for these positions at the end of the spring semester and are appointed for the following year. Internships and community service positions are also available in the Office of Environmental Sustainability. Although the students may not be paid, they are able to earn Community and Public Service credits and gain valuable experience in the sustainability field.

The Office of Sustainability partnered with the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) experiential learning initiative in which selected EOP students participated in sessions related to environmental sustainability during the summer orientation experience. The group completed three rotations including one at our heritage garden, one about alternative transportation and bike maintenance and a final one at our LEED Gold Res hall and adjoining campus pond. These helped to introduce the students to the campus, its sustainability programs and groups they could become involved with after they arrive on campus.