Western University
EN-2: Student Orientation

"During Orientation Week there are various ways students can engage with sustainability including: Orientation Serves, where students learn about the Office of Sustainability and ways to get involved both on- and off-campus throughout the year; campus 'green' tours with the EnviroWestern student group; and through Residence Life initiatives such as waste sorting challenges, introduction to sustainability programming in residence, and an introduction to Western's Sustainable Living Guide.

In terms of promoting sustainability to all incoming graduate students, the Office of Sustainability staffs an information booth at the main “Graduate Student Orientation” to raise awareness about sustainability initiatives across campus, and how students' contributions are crucial to Western’s community. "
In terms of promoting sustainability to all incoming graduate students, the Sustainability team within Facilities Management set up an information booth at the main “Graduate Student Orientation”. This allowed students to learn about sustainability initiatives across campus, and how their contributions are crucial to Western’s community.

Sustainability is also integrated into new-student orientation (O-Week) through three groups on campus: EnviroWestern, Residence Life, and Facilities Management. EnviroWestern is a club/service at Western that encourages students from any faculty or academic year (undergraduate and graduate) to become involved in “green” events and address sustainability issues around campus. Residence Life provides an array of activities to all students living on campus including, orientation week programming, service learning opportunities, mental health services, and sustainability opportunities and initiatives. Residence Life works closely with Facilities Management’s Sustainability Coordinator to integrate sustainability opportunities into residences on campus. Examples of resources created by the Housing Programming Office for this year’s O-Week events include a Program Guide for ‘Zero Waste’, a Sustainable Living Guide, and a sustainability presentation while students are settling into residences. Facilities Management’s sustainability team provides sustainability opportunities to all students, staff and faculty on campus. This year, one of the sustainability team’s initiatives was to educate Orientation week leaders on sustainability issues and opportunities on campus and prepare them to be role models for incoming students. Additionally, these three groups are working together to provide more sustainability sourced materials in the orientation week kit, and reduce paper products from posters and flyers, by instead offering online resources and magnets. During O-Week, sustainability is promoted through presentations, tours, recycling awareness campaigns, and “green stations” encouraging people to properly sort their waste.

Given all of the above resources and initiatives, it is estimated that about 6000 incoming students (all first year undergraduate, graduate, and transfer students) are provided with activities and programs that prominently include sustainability.