The University of Texas at Dallas
EN-3: Student Life

UT Dallas Student Government formed the Sustainability Committee and the Green Initiatives Committee to support campus green initiatives. The Sustainability Club is a student organization that has prioritized educating the student populous on being green and to support other student initiatives. The Chemistry Students Association hosted “Green Chemistry” seminars, participated in sustainability tours, and is working to implement green chemistry projects. The Engineering World Health Organization Student Chapter participates in building and designing sustainable medical equipment to third world countries

UT Dallas has a community garden complete with 19 plus plots. This garden is maintained by students, staff, faculty, and members of the community. This is a great opportunity for students to grow their own food and learn about new gardening techniques. UT Dallas also has a certified Monarch Waystation where students have the opportunity to explore and volunteer at the location and witness nature evolve.

Blackstone Launchpad The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars entrepreneurship program was developed as part of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, modeled after a successful program at the University of Miami, and is powered by Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Open to all students and alumni in all majors, the campus-based Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars entrepreneurship program enables participants to access mentoring, grow their network, and access the resources to accelerate the success of their business. Visit our multi-purpose collaborative co-working space where we inspire, accelerate, and support student entrepreneurship. The UT Dallas Seed Fund, a program of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, invests exclusively in technology startups founded by UTD students, faculty, staff, alumni and other program affiliates. The UT Dallas Seed Fund seeks to invest in early-stage businesses with inventions, discoveries, products or services that have achieved proof of concept (or a prototype) and are ready for commercial product development.

Enactus Enactus is an international non-profit organization that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. Since Fall 2006, Enactus UTD has focused on giving back to the local community by educating individuals and doing various projects (e.g., financial literacy and success skills training, business development and entrepreneurship, business ethics, women empowerment and environmental sustainability). Enactus UTD also takes part in regional and national competitions as part of the global Enactus organization

Earth Week: April 16-20 2018 Each year, the UT Dallas community comes together to celebrate sustainability and environmental practices through interactive and educational events and programs during Earth Week. With the assistance of valued partners, Earth Week is brought to UT Dallas by the Office of Student Volunteerism and the Office of Sustainability. Earth Week is organized by the Office of Student Volunteerism and the Office of Sustainability in partnership with nearly 40 campus and community groups. The week’s activities included: Free Gardening Workshops Film: Cinematheque: An Inconvenient Sequel Operation Upcycle Service Project Faculty Research Panel Pop-Up Farmers Market Earth Fair The Crystal Reef: A Virtual Reality Experience Butterfly Flutterby Trade-In, Trade-Up, Recycle: Recycle e-waste at the UTD Tech Store for credit toward new devices The Pledge Tree Climate Reality Project Speaker

ODDITIES MFA 2018 A sustainability art project was presented during the Oddities Exhibit at the SPN Art Gallery.

UREC Outdoors Provides experiences on campus and throughout North Texas beyond UT-Dallas. Camping, kayaking, ziplining, and hiking excursions are led by UREC staff members. The goals of UREC Outdoors is to learn new skills and care for the earth, by following the principles of Leave No Trace.

Sustainable Semesters: The Green Initiative developed and launched the sustainable semesters initiative in AY 2019 in order to provide education to students regarding sustainable issues. The water crisis was chosen for the inaugural year and student participants participated in common readings, presentations from faculty and experts, and workshops. 20 students participated in the program and their time was recognized through the Office of Sustainability's Sustainable Service Honors Program.

Eath Week Earth Week features over 15 events annually and culminates with a large Earth Fair event on the Campus Mall. Vendors and exhibitors are invited to showcase sustainability resources, technologies, and education during the event. Other events regularly integrate applicable sustainability practices that students can implement in their daily life. UT Dallas Summer Field Geology Program, Geosciences 3300 and 4300 Field geological experiences remain vitally important facets of the geoscience education of undergraduate and graduate students, across the planet. The Summer Field Geology program at the University of Texas at Dallas emphasizes a rigorous, hands-on experiential approach to examining, understanding and recording, through maps, cross-sections, and reports, relationships among rocks in the earth’s crust. The program consists of two, three-credit courses, Introductory Field Geology (GEOS 3300) and Advanced Field Geology (GEOS 4300). These courses are taught concurrently, beginning in mid-May, immediately after Spring Commencement. Alternative Spring Break (ASB) An immersive week of hands-on service, leadership-building and relationship-building that is supplemented with education and reflection. Each ASB experience specializes on a particular social issue such as environmental conservation, disaster relief, affordable housing, education, etc. Volunteer teams are matched up with a non-profit agency that provides housing, orientation, training, and then engages the participants in around 40 hours of volunteer service over the course of a week. Prior to departure, ASB participants take part in team activities and meetings to get to know each other and learn about the community partners they will be working with. Participation culminates in a reflection reception in April where teams reunite and share ASB experiences, as well as share ways for continued civic engagement and community outreach. The goal of ASB is to cultivate a sense of social responsibility in student participants, assist them to develop leadership skills, and inspire them to take action to influence positive change in their communities and throughout the world. The experiences are designed to challenge students to think critically about the issues facing the communities they are serving and learning alongside. Being immersed in diverse environments enables them to experience, discuss, and understand social issues in a more personal way than simply hearing about them in the news and discussing them in class. Services include: 1) Affordable Housing – Shreveport, LA: Building Homes 2) Animal Services – San Angelo, Texas: Donkey Rescue 3) Disaster Relief – Beaumont, TX 4) Environmental Conservation – Galveston, Texas: coastal ecosystems and watersheds 5) Global Poverty – Elm Mott, Texas: World Hunger Relief, Inc. works with UT Dallas students to alleviate global hunger. 6) Healthcare – Garden Valley, TX: Mercy Ships operates a fleet of hospital ships that provide state-of-the-art care to those in developing countries. 7) LGBT+ & Ally Services – Charlotte, North Carolina: support and give “voice and action” in building future LGBTQ and ally student leaders. 8) Park Preservation – Liberty, TX: Trinity River National Wildlife refuge 9) Social Services – San Antonio, Texas: Work with San Antonio Food Bank to learn and serve.

Eco Reps Ecology Representatives, or Eco-Reps, are student leaders implementing sustainability programs at UT Dallas. The Eco-Reps want to make life at UT Dallas more beautiful by helping students make simple, daily decisions to be eco-friendlier, one choice at a time. The program launched in 2017.

Global Citizen Sustainability Serve Honors The Global Citizen Sustainability Service Honors recognize student volunteer service that makes UT Dallas, Richardson, greater Dallas communities, and the world more sustainable. The Graduation Pledge is signed during the Application Process.

The Sustainable Labs program is a pilot program targeting teaching labs in order to help reduce the environmental impact of laboratories at UT Dallas.Our goal is to support and empower students and student-led organizations to help lead our campus to green, sustainable ideas and practices in laboratories. Students from all schools and disciplines who champion these efforts are invited.

Student-Run Enterprises https://innovation.utdallas.edu/seed-fund/