| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.31 |
| Liaison | Rob Andrejewski |
| Submission Date | Dec. 23, 2024 |
University of Richmond
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.68 / 4.00 |
Haley
Herrmann Sustainability Communications & Events Sustainability |
Part 1. Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer, sustainability educators program
Total number of students served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
Percentage of students served by a peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education program:
1st program
A brief description of the student educators program (1st program):
Rethink Waste Representatives (RWR) are a group of paid student employees tasked with creating educational and outreach programs that support the University of Richmond's goal of achieving 75% waste diverted from the landfill. The Rethink Waste Representatives (RWRs) began as a group of students focused on supporting post-consumer compost collection on campus. When composting was being rolled out at each dining location, the RWRs were there during peak meal times to explain the program and how to compost. As the Rethink Waste program merged into a department within Custodial Sevices, their focus went from solely compost to all waste diversion on campus.
Duties of the Rethink Waste Reps include the following:
- Spider Exchange: Manage a free thrift store on campus for faculty, staff, and students to donate lightly used items which other individuals can then "shop" for.
- Events: Organize and educate at various events, including Clothing Swap Pop-ups, crafting events, waste audits, and Rethink Waste 101.
- Rethink Waste Athletics: Education at the bin to help fans sort, sort through compost with volunteers to avoid contamination; train volunteers during annual "green games" and Campus Race to Zero Waste
- At-the-bin education: Engagements to train students how to sort recycling, landfill, and compost at the bin, especially during the beginning of each semester.
- Class presentations: Work with faculty and students to educate on Rethink Waste during in-class presentations.
- Tabling at fairs and in the Commons: Outreach and education during large-scale events, such as orientation, International Education Week Fair, Wellness Fair, student environmental group events (e.g., GreenUR's Welcome Back), and regularly in the Commons.
- Compost program outreach: Engagement with students in campus apartments to participate in voluntary composting initiative; training for those who sign up.
The Rethink Waste Reps are trained by the Rethink Waste Manager, beginning with their orientation event at the start of every year. During orientation, they go over all of the information necessary for the students to know in order to share this information with their peers. Training includes the following:
- Content: Information on current recycling procedures, how to sign up for the composting program, how the Spider Exchange works, and how people can get involved in Rethink Waste's work) and
- Education: How to table, how to engage with students at the bin, presentation training, volunteer management
- Outreach: Development of digital and print fliers, chalking, social media, web updates
- Events: Planning, how to run an event, attendee management, volunteer recruitment & training
Scope: All students engage with the Rethink Waste Reps formally at least once during their first year. Beyond that, hundreds of hours of outreach, education, and events aim to reach all students at the University.
A brief description of the student educators program’s target audience (1st program):
The Rethink Waste Representatives reach students, staff, and faculty across campus. From helping folks who are eating at dining locations sort at the bin to providing on-site education and signage. For programs like the Spider Exchange, they staff the store, organize items, keep the refillery (shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc) stocked, and provide tours. The reps work with faculty, staff, and students to talk about waste diversion through donations and reuse and provide on-site education for classes and visitors. For the residence hall composting pilot, they supply bins to students in the aparttments who sign up. Rethink Waste Reps staff outreach events, like orientation and the Wellness Fair. They also lead the effort to encourage proper waste disposal at athletic events, including the Campus Race to Zero Waste games.
https://rethinkwaste.richmond.edu/
Number of trained student educators (1st program):
Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually (1st program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator (1st program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators (1st program):
Website URL where information about the student educators program is available (1st program):
If reporting students served by additional peer-to-peer programs, provide:
2nd program
A brief description of the student educators program (2nd program):
Three members of the Sustainability Internship Program are responsible for desgining and giving tours of our natural areas. This includes the Eco-Corridor, an 18-acre restored site on campus, the microfarm, which houses greens for use in Lou's Cafe, and the campus Tree Tour, which highlights various species in the campus core. The aim of these program is to educate students and other members of the campus community on natural areas and the benefits of nature. The Eco-Corridor tours also include information on Bee Campus certifications and volunteer opportunities.
Students are trained by the Natural Areas Steward and professors in the Geography and Environmental Studies Departments. They learn about the history of the Eco-Corridor including what flora and fauna are currently growing as well as how the natural space is managed to protect it from invasive species and promote native plants. The Tree Campus Intern learns about the different tree species on campus through collaboration with the Natural Areas Steward and faculty and through their own research. For each of these roles, the interns will practice leading a tour and then present to the Natural Areas Steward. Once their tours are ready, they carry out regular tours that are open to the campus community.
A brief description of the student educators program’s target audience (2nd program):
The primary aim of the natural areas educational tours is students, but the program is open to anyone on campus. Tours comprise anywhere from 5 to 25 people and take about 45 minutes to complete. Some customization is available for those who want to add volunteer projects onto their tour, which is popular with some student groups. Faculty also schedule tours with their classes.
Number of trained student educators (2nd program):
Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually (2nd program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator (2nd program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators (2nd program):
Website URL where information about the student educators program is available (2nd program):
If reporting students served by three or more peer-to-peer programs, provide:
3rd program
A brief description of the student educators program (3rd program):
As part of UR’s wellness requirements, all incoming students at the University are required to take a semester-long Well 100: An Introduction to College Life course, designed to support students in successfully transitioning to university life. For one of the weeks of Well 100, sustainability is the topic of focus. All first-year students at the University of Richmond gain foundational competencies in sustainability literacy through this week of Well 100. Beginning in 2024, the Office for Sustainability has provided peer-to-peer education support for this module, through the undergraduate Office for Sustainability Interns leading this portion of the Well 100 class.
A brief description of the student educators program’s target audience (3rd program):
First year students enrolled in the Well 100 class.
Number of trained student educators (3rd program):
Number of weeks the student educators program is active annually (3rd program):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per trained student educator (3rd program):
Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators (3rd program):
Website URL where information about the student educators program is available (3rd program):
Additional programs
Number of trained student educators (all other programs):
Number of weeks, on average, the student educators programs are active annually (all other programs):
Average or expected number of hours worked weekly per student educator (all other programs) :
Total number of hours worked annually by trained student educators (all other programs):
Part 2. Educator hours per student served by a peer-to-peer educator program
Hours worked annually by trained student sustainability educators per student served by a peer-to-peer program:
Optional Fields
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.