Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 74.80
Liaison Gioia Thompson
Submission Date March 2, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Vermont
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Daphne Wells
Director of Student Life and the Davis Center
Dept. of Student Life
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:

Alternative Energy Racing Organization (AERO)
Club that works for the advocacy, research and development of alternative energy drive systems. They are committed to finding technological solutions to address our society’s dependency on non-renewable energy sources and to apply their education to this purpose.
http://www.uvmaero.org/

Enactus
Enactus is a community of student leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. They do this through community service projects throughout Burlington and surrounding areas. https://thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/uvmenactus

OXFAM America Club at UVM
Oxfam America is a non-profit organization working to create sustainable solutions to global hunger, poverty and social injustice.  https://thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/oxfamuvm

Society of American Foresters
They aim to further their members development into capable and qualified Forestry Professionals while serving and educating the public with and on sustainable forestry practices. UVM Forestry Program, under the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, earned the Society of American Foresters National Accreditation in 2018.
https://thelynx.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/society-of-american-foresters

UVM Bikes!
UVM Bikes strives to increase bike accessibility, knowledge, and infrastructure for the shared benefit of our physical and environmental health. Check out their free bikeshare program + bicycle education center in the basement of Hills. https://thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/bug

Vermont Student Environmental Program (VSTEP)
Club of concerned individuals dedicated to coordinating environmental activities on the UVM campus. VSTEP's goals are to increase student awareness of prevalent environmental issues, and to promote and help institute sustainable university policies in order to maintain a socially- and environmentally-responsible institution. https://www.uvm.edu/~vstep/

Food Recovery Network (formerly The Campus Kitchen)
The Food Recovery Network at UVM is a student club that works with the Intervale and local farms to salvage unused food, turn it into nutritious meals, and serve those meals to members of the Burlington community. Meals are cooked and served every Sunday morning at the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf from 8:00-11:30am. Volunteer opportunities are numerous - students with all levels of experience and knowledge are welcome to join CK UVM!
https://thelynx.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/campus-kitchens

Slow Food UVM
Slow Food UVM is a local chapter of an international organization emphasizing the importance of Good, Clean, and Fair food. Slow Food stands against the modern industrialized food system and works to educate people about alternative food systems. https://thelynx.collegiatelink.net/organization/slow-food-uvm


Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:

Horticulture Club
This organization was founded in 1997 to bring together students interested in horticulture so that they may increase knowledge for themselves and others in the community. Activities include trips to local gardens, numerous hands-on workshops, etc.
http://www.uvm.edu/~hortclub/


Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
Yes

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:

Feel Good--
The country's first ever, student-run, non-profit deli is proud to be up and running at UVM. Offering gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches made with local Vermont products, the UVM chapter of FeelGood is a great place to grab lunch and, while you're at it, help end world hunger.

FeelGood's ingredients are donated by local businesses such as Klinger's Bread Company, Shelburne Farms, and Red Hen Bakery. Because of these sponsors, all of the money that is collected goes directly to The Hunger Project. THP is an international organization that is passionate about finding a sustainable end to world hunger. They follow a grassroots, bottom-up empowerment model and are currently operational in 23 countries worldwide.
https://thelynx.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/uvm-feelgood


Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:

Clean Energy Fund (CEF)
Sustained by a self-imposed student fee of $10 per student per semester, UVM’s Clean Energy Fund is designed to advance renewable energy research, education, and infrastructure on campus.
https://www.uvm.edu/cleanenergyfund

Socially Responsible Investing Advisory Committee (SRIAC)
Undergraduate and graduate students sit on this committee, which is responsible for recommending which CEF proposals to fund.
https://www.uvm.edu/sriac


Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:

Energy Action Seminar Series
A weekly seminar series exploring energy transitions in Vermont, the US and the World. Featuring world-class speakers on policy options, political controversy, costs and benefits, activism, and jobs. Free and open to the public.
https://www.uvm.edu/cas/vermontresearch/energy-action-seminar


Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:

Eco-Reps Art Displays
Eco-Reps program often creates art as a way to communicate sustainability. In FY18 they offered collaborative artmaking as one of the components of their EcoWare Everywhere campaign. They invited participants to use reclaimed spray paint to create a stenciled Eco-Ware tag that now hangs in the student center. In FY19 Eco-Reps partnered with the Davis Center (student center) Art Curators to host an upcycled art show during Earth Week, which had over 25 student submissions.


Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:

TREK Programs
Wilderness TREK provides students the opportunity to build lasting friendships, initiate self-discovery, and explore the people and landscapes that are Vermont. For more than 30 years Wilderness TREK has been creating adventurous beginnings for student development at UVM.
https://www.uvm.edu/orientation/wilderness_trek

Service TREK
Working in small groups of 8 TREKKIES and 2 TREK Interns (experienced students), Service TREK participants engage in direct service while learning about the value of community involvement, leadership skills, developing great friendships, and living and working as a team.
https://www.uvm.edu/orientation/service_trek

Outing Club
The UVM Outing Club provides affordable wilderness trips, instruction, leadership training and certification opportunities for students. We also provide a comprehensive array of affordable rental equipment to the UVM community. It is our further goal to promote enjoyment, safe use and responsible stewardship of the environments we travel in through practice of Leave No Trace principles. We openly invite all UVM students to come to the OC house, sign up for a trip, eat some food and stay for a meeting! http://www.uvm.edu/~outside/

ALANA GEAR
Seeks to provide ALANA students and those with little to no experience or accessibility to outdoor activities with the skills they need to get involved in the outdoors.
http://www.uvm.edu/~alanager/


Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
---

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:

Sustainability Learning Community -
Sustainability Learning Community provides opportunities to explore and build the skills and qualities needed to create a regenerative present and future for life at all scales: personal, social, and ecological. It's a place where residents explore self, communities, and larger human and natural systems. SLC honors relationships with our local communities and natural environment by getting out and exploring the woods, Lake Champlain, local food systems, campus organizations, fall foliage, and discovering peaceful places to slow down. SLC seeks to deepen and celebrate the sense of place, fostering an atmosphere where everyone find points of connection to their community—the built environments that we inhabit, and the natural landscape that frames our lives.
Through explorations of and focus on community-building, SLC seeks to challenge and expand commonly held understandings of sustainability while embracing both the complexity of the concept as well as its inherent simplicity. In our classes and activities, SLC provides space where students can grow their understanding of sustainability while intentionally deciding how they want to live, learn, and work in the world.
https://www.uvm.edu/reslife/sustainability


Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:

Office of Sustainability Internship Program
The Office of Sustainability offers a few paid and work study internships during the academic year and summer. Interns get involved in projects that relate to programs the Office of Sustainability coordinates both on and off campus. Our interns get to work in a professional environment and gain experience through projects generated by our Office and by the interns themselves.
The goal of our internship program is to provide real world experiences and professional development opportunities while meeting our Office’s mission: to foster sustainable development and promote environmental responsibility at the University of Vermont by strategically bridging the academic activities of teaching, research, and outreach with the operations of the University.

Eco-Reps Program
The eco-rep program engages undergraduate university students in sustainability through peer-to-peer education that not only spreads awareness, but inspires behavioral change. Through this primary task and the research required to carry-out these tasks sufficiently, students gain professional and personal development skills (e.g. communication, leadership, organization, knowledge about sustainability topics) and facilitate progress toward university-wide sustainability goals.
http://www.uvm.edu/ecoreps


Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
---

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:

The UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center (HREC), also known as the “Hort Farm,” is the primary field laboratory site for applied teaching, research, and outreach activities on agronomic and horticultural crops. Education and research are conducted by CALS and Extension faculty and staff. Purchased in 1952, the 97-acre Hort Farm is the home of Catamount Educational Farm (a fruit and vegetable production farm), as well as being used for agricultural research and instruction of UVM classes. The farm is also used by professional plant organizations and gardening groups. For over 50 years, University horticulturists have been testing new and unusual plants for their adaptation to the Vermont environment, especially to our cold winters. In addition, the HREC hosts collections of ornamental plants of significance to the green industry, including legacy plantings of crabapples, rhododendrons and azaleas, flowering shrubs, shade trees, lilacs, and ferns.


Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The performance year for this credit was FY 2016


The performance year for this credit was FY 2016

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