University of Maryland, College Park
ER-T2-1: Student Group

The University of Maryland Student Sustainability Committee (SSC) is a department of the University of Maryland’s undergraduate Student Government Association (SGA) that advises the SGA and University decision makers to ensure that the environmental sustainability priorities of the undergraduate student body are met. SSC promotes and implements campus and community environmental sustainability projects in the areas of transportation, water and energy use, food and materials consumption, development and landscape planning, environmental education, and beyond. Another notable group, Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a network of student volunteers who work with Dining Services to collect leftover food and deliver it to local soup kitchens and shelters. FRN is serving a social need to feed the hungry in surrounding communities while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from landfilled organic waste and saving Dining Service money on waste hauling. MaryPIRG is a student-directed social advocacy group that works on issues such as hunger and homelessness, clean energy and civic engagement. Campaigns are spearheaded by student leaders and supported by numerous volunteers. The group often partners with other student groups throughout the year to form coalitions and tailor campaigns to student interests.

The SSC raised concerns about the sale of bottled water on campus with the University Sustainability Council and thus initiated formation of a cross-campus bottled water work group. The work group then developed a plan to standardize and install water-bottle refilling stations around campus. FRN collected and served 35,000 meals in its first two years on campus. In addition to its local success, FRN is also working with campuses around the country to add additional chapters. The first chapter was founded at the University of Maryland in 2010, and in the 2011-2012 academic year, three new chapters were added at Brown University, the University of California-Berkeley, and Pomona College. So far during the 2012-2013 academic year, six additional chapters have been added at Providence College,University of Texas at Austin, Scripps/Harvey Mudd/Claremont McKenna, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Michigan, and Rochester Institute. The group’s founder, University of Maryland Student Ben Simon, was selected as a Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 by Univision. In spring 2012, MaryPIRG co-hosted a 400-person rally for wind energy in Annapolis, Maryland. The group organized buses to bring interested students to the rally. The rally was just one piece of a student campaign with participation from students at 11 University System of Maryland campuses comprising the Maryland Student Climate Coalition that has been advocating to pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act.