| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.42 |
| Liaison | Mary-Lee Townsend |
| Submission Date | Oct. 6, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Western University
EN-1: Student Educators Program
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Stefanie
De Adder Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Management |
Does the institution coordinate one or more ongoing student, peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education programs that meet the criteria for this credit?:
Number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
Name of the student educators program (1st program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (1st program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (1st program):
Volunteers provide one-hour tours to other students of all academic levels that will make stops at three of Western's top performing buildings. Each guided walk-through specifically focuses on green features implemented in these projects, such as, water and energy efficiency measures, environmentally preferable building materials and construction methods, and measures to maximize indoor air quality performance. These tours are offered on an on-ongoing basis throughout the academic year as-requested at sustainability.uwo.ca.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
To select the tour guides, members of EnviroWestern and the Master's of Environment and Sustainability (MES) Students are invited to attend a 1-2 hour training/information session. However, anyone in the academic community who is interested is also welcome to attend. The tour guides are selected based on their level of interest and their ability to present to a small group of people. Note that in the 2013-2014 academic year, only students from the MES program were asked to volunteer.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
First, students are given an overview of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and then of the LEED-certified buildings on-campus. The expectations from the program and the tour guides are also discussed. Next, students are taken to the buildings that they will be giving tours to: the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion (CMLP), Stevenson-Lawson Building, and McIntosh Gallery.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
This program is offered by Facilities Management to give students valuable experience on Green Buildings. Aside from providing the training, Facilities Management also provides administrative and communications support.
Name of the student educators program (2nd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (2nd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (2nd program):
Each residence on campus has a Residents' Council made up of volunteer upper-year students, and every council can have a Residence Environmental Commissioner (REC). Therefore, each REC has a target audience of their corresponding residence.
The role of the REC includes: facilitating projects of environmental significance including, but not limited to recyclables collection and an environmental awareness campaign; utilizing the environmental committee to achieve a number of goals outlined (i.e. minimizing ecological imprint, reducing use of natural resources, reducing energy usage, and abiding by sustainability principles); submitting a preliminary budget to the Vice-President Finance for approval no later than the last day of August; and reporting to the Vice-President on a regular basis on their activities.
The REC can also choose to assemble a committee to take on tasks throughout the year as needed.
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Request for applications for the role of Residence Environmental Commissioner are sent out to Rez Sophs every year around May. Rez Sophs are upper year students who assist first years with their transition to university and provide support and mentorship through friendship, floor socials and campus activities. If no Soph is interested in taking on the REC position, the role is then open to anyone residing in the residence. The application process is based on a written and interview component.
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
The Environmental Commissioners do not receive any specific training pertaining to their specific position. Every member of a Residence Council are trained together on how to run events, how to work with the council to best utilize resources, and how to receive support in their role. One aspect that is considered when RECs are selected, is past experience. Therefore many of the Environmental Commissioners have had previous experience with sustainability initiatives and environmental work, however this is not necessarily a requirement.
In 2012, Western's Sustainability team trained the incoming academic year's Environmental Commissioners on general sustainability tips, tricks and facts.
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
The REC is supported financially by the Residents' Council, which is in turn supported by the Housing Office at Western.
The Environmental Commissioners create their own budgets, with allotted funding from the Residence Councils. The Councils in turn receive money both from the Housing Office, and from the first year students of the residence. Most of the programs that are budgeted for involve awareness campaigns and promoting more sustainable lifestyles within residence. Thus, the money can be used for promotional material, food to support events and encourage attendance, and other projects. As well, funding can be used for more active campaigns for environmental sustainability. For example, a residence in the 2013-2014 academic year used a portion of the budget to purchase reusable water bottles with the building logo to sell to the first year students.
Name of the student educators program (3rd program):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by the program (3rd program):
A brief description of the program, including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (3rd program):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Name(s) of the student educator program(s) (all other programs):
Number of students served (i.e. directly targeted) by all other student educator programs:
A brief description of the program(s), including examples of peer-to-peer outreach activities (all other programs):
A brief description of how the student educators are selected (all other programs):
A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (all other programs):
A brief description of the financial or other support the institution provides to the program (all other programs):
Total number of hours student educators are engaged in peer-to-peer sustainability outreach and education activities annually:
The website URL for the peer-to-peer student outreach and education program(s):
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.