University of Arizona
EN-3: Student Life

Students for Sustainability (SFS) is an Office of Sustainability program that empowers students, builds leaders, and pursues institutionalized sustainability at the University of Arizona and within the surrounding community. SFS works to engage the student body to cultivate environmental literacy from many perspectives. SFS focusing on empowering student leaders, advancing social justice and equity, and in pursuing institutionalized sustainability at the University of Arizona and within the Tucson community. https://asuatoday.arizona.edu/what-we-do/students-sustainability. 

The University of Arizona Community Garden serves as a living laboratory and collaborative space for intersectional green learning, hands-on experience in sustainable practices, and community engagement. The Garden provides a unique meeting space on campus that fosters relationship building and closer connections with nature. https://sustainability.arizona.edu/projects/university-arizona-community-garden. 

UArizona Divest is is a student-led organization committed to collaborating with the UArizona community to align the university’s endowment with mission-driven investments to combat the climate crisis. UArizona Divest is requesting the University to complete a phased divestment from fossil fuels by 2029, commit to no further investments in the fossil fuel industry, define and implement ESG (environmental, social, and governance), and include student representation, with voting power, on the Board of Trustees and the Investments Committee. https://uazdivest.org/. 

Students for Sustainability (SFS) hosted a Sustainability Summit during Earth Week in 2023. This Summit featured political, environmental, and social leaders who came to talk to students and provide insight on current events and initiatives. Speakers discussed topics such as environmental justice, climate action strategies, the future of water, and more. In addition to the Summit, SFS also hosted Earth Week yearly events during the month of April, targeting students as the primary audience. These events included sustainable cooking, hiking, yoga, and other engagement activities to bring awareness about socio-environmental issues and best sustainably practices.

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Arizona Arts hosted The Art of Food showcase. This event explored food beyond nutrition (body fuel), diving into the cultural and social interactions of feeding a growing global population and the effects of climate change on food production. https://arts.arizona.edu/events/the-art-of-food/. 

Outdoor Recreation provides students with the opportunity to experience the wonder and glory of the Arizona landscape and beyond. Program activities include various types of climbing, hiking, canyoneering, canoeing, surfing, backpacking as well as trainings for Wilderness First Aid or to be a Wilderness First Responder. Before all trips, participants attend a mandatory meeting discussing the Leave No Trace principles and specific information related to the area the group will visit. One example of a program is the LNT Trainer Class. The Leave No Trace Principles encourage everyone to enjoy outdoor recreation responsibly- while increasing safety and decreasing environmental impact. This is a front country classroom course; at the end of this course, participants will be certified LNT Trainers. A second example is the LNT Backcountry Course. This Leave No Trace trainer course is an environmental ethics course where participants will be taught to teach all 7 LNT principles focused on minimizing human impact in natural spaces. This course is a combination of classroom and outdoor instruction time, featuring a one-night camping trip overnight on Mount Lemmon. This course will specifically focus on LNT Principles and how they relate to the Southwest environment and ecosystems. It includes all LNT instruction and materials, as well as all gear, transportation, and food associated with the overnight camping outdoor portion of the course. Other programs that include LNT principles can be found here: https://arizona.box.com/s/fzwtoe44qnncvsrw53ch4jumjt1ibjr5

In the Blue Chip Leadership Experience, the program emphasizes the Three Pillars of Sustainability as the overarching theme of the second year's signature event. Over the course on the semester, students focus on the interaction of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, with special emphasis paid to how local non-profit organizations balance the Three Pillars in their work. Students also learn how to lead and participate in sustainability work. The program concludes in April with a service project with a local Tucson non-profit, providing tangible participation in work that reflects what has been studied during the semester.

Our residential curriculum, including events like our Battle of the Utilities (now Less Is More) reduction competition and Recyclemania (now Bin It To Win It) competition, prepares on-campus residents with skills to be more sustainable in their every day lives. Students learn strategies to conserve energy and water with various tips on postcards spread throughout the dorms. Students are encouraged to sign an online pledge to reduce and practice those behaviors. Students also learn how to recycle properly and get experience practicing that life skill during Recycle Mania. Housing & Residential Life at the University distributes sustainability education bulletin boards and host sustainability-related educational events. Dorms compete in a head-to-head competition to recycle more and recycle right. Students also create videos to promote dorm recycling, facilitating social media campaigns.

The University of Arizona offers several opportunities to employ students in sustainability-focused jobs. Examples include the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, the Arizona Institutes for Resilience, and the Office of Sustainability, among many others. The Office of Sustainability, for instance, currently employs 35 student employees and all of these student positions focus on promoting a culture of sustainability on campus and across the Tucson community. https://coopercenter.arizona.edu/ https://air.arizona.edu/about https://sustainability.arizona.edu/. 

Radicchio is an all you care to eat dining option that offers exclusively vegetarian and vegan dishes. The mission of Radicchio is to promote plant forward eating which is often more sustainable than other diets. Additionally, this restaurant only uses reusable plates/cutlery and has a compost bin next to the trash in an effort to reduce food waste. Radicchio is staffed by student employees who are able to learn about and help maintain the sustainable efforts being made in the restaurant. 

Data was sourced from the following: Students for Sustainability - https://sfsdirector.wixsite.com/sfswebsite.  Office of Sustainability - https://sustainability.arizona.edu/.  Outdoor Recreation - https://rec.arizona.edu/hours-locations/locations/outdoor-rec.  University of Arizona Arts - https://arts.arizona.edu/.  Blue Chip Leadership - https://career.arizona.edu/blue-chip-leadership-experience/.  Housing and Residential Life - https://housing.arizona.edu.  Cooper Center - https://coopercenter.arizona.edu/.  UArizona Divest - https://uazdivest.wixsite.com/fossilfree.