University of Tennessee at Knoxville
EN-1: Student Educators Program

The Office of Sustainability Internship Program provides students the opportunity to create and execute a sustainability-related project, many of which include peer-to-peer outreach components. Some examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities: Two student interns are working on a pilot in-room composting program in their residence hall. They are educating residence hall occupants on what is and is not compostable, as well as the environmental benefits of composting. One student intern is developing a sustainability engagement program for sorority house residents, teaching them how to recycle and compost and why it's important. One student intern hosts workshops at the Grow Lab, UT's on-campus community garden, teaching students about gardening and the benefits of organic crop production. Two student interns perform peer-to-peer outreach regarding food waste education in a campus dining hall each week. They collect post-consumer food waste from dining hall users, explain the impact that wasted food has on the environment, and weigh and advertise the amount of food that is wasted each day to convey the direct contributions of students on campus.

Students submit applications to the Internship Adviser, an Office of Sustainability staff member, at the start of each semester. The internship adviser selects students based on their past experiences and enthusiasm for learning more about sustainability. There are 21 interns in the program.

The Internship Adviser mentors each student throughout their internship and provides guidance on project execution.

The program is run through the Office of Sustainability, who provides staff support throughout the duration of the program, as well as financial support as needed. Additional staff support is provided on a project-specific basis, including support from Vol Dining, University Housing, Students have the opportunity to apply for additional funding through the Student Green Fee.

For 25 years, SPEAK has played, and will continue to play, a role in environmental education for the campus community. The group has hosted speakers from across the U.S. and Canada who have made presentations on a wide variety of environmental issues. The group works to increase awareness of and seek creative solutions to local, regional, and national environmental issues. In the spirit of thinking globally and acting locally, this organization aims to build a community of leaders who act on stewardship and sustainability through taking action right here at home - between sponsoring a local waterway (Third Creek), hosting cleanups of campus and local communities, and promoting sustainable policy. https://www.facebook.com/SPEAKUT/

SPEAK accepts students from all disciplines of study. Many of the students are or once were part of a class taught by Dr. McKinney on campus. Almost all who take the class are also Sustainability majors. There are 76 members in the group. https://utk.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/speak

The students receive basic knowledge on sustainability in the community and internationally on campus. Office of Sustainability staff periodically attend meetings to give updates on initiatives on campus.

Staff members from the Office of Sustainability typically speak at SPEAK meetings multiple times a semester and collaborate with them on recurring events each year. The Office of Sustainability and Green Fee provide financial support when appropriate.

Hydrolunteers is a water and environment focused organization on UT’s campus merging the student chapters of American Water Resources Association (AWRA) and the American Water Works Association/Water Environment Association (AWWA/WEA). The goal of this group is to create a platform for community involvement, networking, and learning for students across any department at UTK interested in all things water and environment! they have 56 regular members who lead river cleanups, host panel discussions, and participate in campus-wide sustainability campaigns - all of whom are registered members of the AWRA and/or the AWWA/WEA.

Any student may join the Hydrolunteers if they are registered members of the AWRA and/or the AWWA/WEA.

Students receive adviser guidance and peer mentorship at club meetings. Many students are also enrolled in courses focusing on watershed science, which prepares them in educating others on topics regarding water and the environment.

This organization has faculty advisers Kim Carter, John Hathaway, and Andrea Ludwig who provide administrative support to the group.

The Food Recovery Network: The Food Recovery Network is a national organization that unites students at colleges and universities to fight food waste and hunger by recovering surplus perishable food from their campuses and surrounding communities that would otherwise go to waste and donating it to people in need. The chapter here at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, works with Aramark (our dining service provider) to recover food from sporting events, dining halls, campus convenience stores, etc. All of the recovered food goes to Second Harvest Food bank of East Tennessee, which helps to feed 18 surrounding counties. They do this with a mere 10 regular members, but they rely heavily on volunteer gathering. Roughly 56 students participated in service efforts during last fiscal year.

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