| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.59 |
| Liaison | Lily Strehlow |
| Submission Date | Feb. 2, 2024 |
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 2.00 |
Lily
Strehlow Sustainability Specialist Risk Management, Safety, and Sustainability |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Student National Environmental Health Association (SNEHA) The focus of the Student National Environmental Health Association is to improve the lives and well-being of the public by focusing on environmental health quality. Organizational activities include community outreach projects, environmental health presentations, highway clean-up, Recyclemania, managing the UW-Eau Claire Electronic Waste Recycling Program, Earth Month, environmental health awareness programs, and professional development.
Biology Club Our goal is to inform students about current studies and careers related to biological sciences.
Biology Club strives to get students involved in community and environmental service events as well as attending informational seminars and programs. Beyond these goals we aim to build a community of people interested in all forms of biology.
The Conservationists seek to increase awareness of the environment in the Eau Claire community and on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus. We seek to achieve our goal by implementing hands-on restoration, ecological education, and productive collaboration with other organizations, thereby returning the environment to its natural state.
Latin American Sustainability, Education & Development (La Sed)
We are an organization committed to developing, promoting, and supporting developmental, educational, and sustainable projects in Latin America.
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?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Green Fund-The Green Fund is a capped, annual $200,000 student-segregated fee allocation. It is a program that allows students to lead sustainability projects at UWEC. this fund allows students to invest in an array of projects, including community solar gardens (which requires understanding ROI and tradeoffs). The process for receiving funds is a mini grant proposal, which teaches students creating projects how to plan out and invest funding to achieve the desired result.
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?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
The Forum concludes its 2019 season with a presentation by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, an accomplished atmospheric scientist and professor at Texas Tech University.
Hayhoe, is a prolific publisher and leading communicator on the topic of human impact on the environment. Hayhoe is also an evangelical Christian, whose work aims to challenge the notion that faith and science are incompatible.
Some of Hayhoe’s many accolades include:
A 2018 Stephen Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication.
The 2018 YWCA Woman of Excellence in Science Award.
Fortune magazine’s 2017 World’s Greatest Leaders issue.
Politico.com’s list of 2015 Top 50 Tinkers, Doers and Visionaries Transforming American Politics.
TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list for 2014.
Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers of 2014.
Christianity Today’s 50 Women to Watch for 2012.
Join her for a discussion on how climate change impacts us now and in the future, including rising temperature and extreme weather patterns and predictions.
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?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Caleb Carr grew up on a southwest Wisconsin farm and, from a young age, understood the importance of natural resources and the environment in his family’s rural lifestyle.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior from Hollandale says his country upbringing helped instill in him a belief that people need to respond to the Earth’s climate crisis and make sustainability a part of their everyday lives before it’s too late.
“The future does not look bright without changes,” Carr says. “It’s easy to give up. But there is a fight to be had and changes to be made. We’ve got to be the ones to make them.”
Carr, an art major with an emphasis in illustration, isn’t afraid to jump into that fight and is conveying that sustainability message through an exhibition he proposed and curated at the Ruth Foster Art Gallery in the Haas Fine Arts Center.
“The Nature of Our Disposition,” open through Nov. 11, is the first outside exhibition — an exhibit of professional artists from outside the community — known to be curated by an individual UW-Eau Claire student in the 50-year history of the Foster Gallery, established in 1970 when the Haas Fine Arts Center opened.
This semester, the Foster Gallery is open only to UW-Eau Claire students, faculty and staff because of COVID-19.
“I feel so satisfied and so proud of the work that was done,” Carr says. “I feel particularly proud of being able to investigate and find the intersection between sustainability and art.
“I’m passionate about art but I feel sustainability is more of a social responsibility. It’s a way of being responsible and coping with the anxiety of an uncertain and unsafe future.”
Carr, who has been involved with sustainability initiatives through the UW-Eau Claire Student Office of Sustainability, worked as a Foster Gallery attendant and often wondered how gallery officials chose the artwork that is on display. Amanda Bulger, interim director of the Foster Gallery, explained to him that a committee looks at proposals and considers a variety of factors that include the exhibition’s uniqueness, impact and connection to the university and community.
Bulger worked with Carr on his proposal to combine sustainability and art to ensure it illustrated his goals and direction for the exhibition.
“The Foster Gallery committee was excited about his proposal and endorsed it but was concerned the workload could be overwhelming for a student,” Bulger says.
At Bulger’s suggestion, Carr sought out mentors Ned Gannon, professor of art & design, and Dr. David Tschida, associate professor of communication and journalism, for guidance on the project. The mentors advised Carr on startup aspects of the exhibition such as theme, title, promotion, budgeting and other tasks.
Carr took care of most of the exhibition tasks, including contacting the artists and finding creative ways to make the exhibit more sustainable. For example, Carr created handmade seed paper from recycled gallery materials to create signs to introduce the exhibit and its artists on the east end of the gallery. Rather than mounting some photos on aluminum sheets, he used a technique to hang them with screws and magnets that could be reused in future exhibits.
“Caleb excelled throughout the entire process,” Bulger says. “He was professional, excited and creative in all aspects of planning, communicating, designing and installing the exhibition.”
COVID-19 presented many challenges to the exhibition planning, but Carr worked through the in-person limitations to bring the exhibition to fruition.
“Personally, I never questioned that the exhibition could happen in one form or another, but I did not expect Caleb to so gracefully and creatively roll with punch after punch,” says Gannon, calling Carr an “eternal optimist.”
Carr considers himself an optimist out of necessity.
“I have to be optimistic or it’s so easy to slip into anxiety and dread,” Carr says matter-of-factly. “The climate crisis is basically about the world ending and humanity ending. It’s so easy to shut down out of self-preservation. It’s important to be optimistic and to be positive to deal with such a serious and heavy issue.”
Carr researched other exhibitions, looking at the approaches of other galleries and which artists were highlighted.
The exhibit has a variety of mediums — photography, sculpture, prints and video projections — and Carr found it challenging to select the right artists for the exhibition because “sustainability intersects with everything.”
Artists in the exhibition are from Wisconsin, Minnesota and the United Kingdom so there is a blend of regional, national and international works.
Carr found that curating an exhibit was a different perspective for an artist like himself who hadn’t ever thought about that aspect of the profession before.
“I really enjoyed doing the curatorial side of things,” Carr says. “Art can sometimes be kind of a lonely endeavor. You’re sitting at the canvas painting for hours and hours before you get to interact with anybody. I love being able to work with artists and the community and to connect artists with the community.”
Eventually he’d like to be an art educator, but sustainability remains at the forefront of his mind.
“Career goals seem so unimportant in this conversation of the future of the planet and the future of humanity,” Carr says. “There are solutions; we just have to be brave and address them head-on.”
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The campus Environmental Adventure Center hosts adventure trips providing the opportunity to introduce students and faculty/staff to the outdoors. During the trips, guides practice and educate about the importance of Leave No Trace principles.
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
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?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
At UWEC, the library provides the makerspace, a place where people come together to create. They provide tools, expertise, community, and resources to help you explore your imagination. Whether you want to build your own remote control car, construct a papier mache sculpture, or create a unique Halloween costume, the McIntyre Library Makerspace is here to help you. The Makerspace is available to the entire campus community: students, faculty, and staff.
The makerspace works with the student office of sustainability annually to fund sustainability-oriented makerspace events where students can learn life skills like how to sew clothes, ways to re-use materials, and more.
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Student Office of Sustainability-
SOS Student Senate Co-Director
SOS Student Co-Director
Education Coordinator
Events & activism Coordinator
Operations Coordinator
Graphic design Coordinator
Communications & media Coordinator
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
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:
UWEC Tree Campus USA service learning- This group provides service learning where students use the latest technology to document and monitor species, size, location, and maintenance activities, and continue to keep the tree inventory current. This project provides professional protection and care for existing trees and shrubs. Planting and removing trees and shrubs as required to maintain a safe and diverse urban forest that promotes learning and contributes to campus sustainability.
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.