University of Wisconsin-River Falls
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

SASA 113 Collaborative Problem Solving for Stage and Screen: a significant project in the course is a collaboratively creating a mini-documentary focused on sustainability. Students attend a waste audit and information session to learn about waste disposal on campus. Then, they use the knowledge and video footage from the audit to create informational videos to educate and engage the campus community.

SASA 375 Theatre Practicum: Production: In the fall of 2021, students created a production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," employing sustainable practices in creating the set, costumes, and lighting design. We worked with Facilities Management to collect materials, and they helped us responsibly dispose of all materials at the end of the process. We continue to use waste-reducing methods in our productions.

Students in SUSJ 197 worked with our campus grounds department and the River Falls School District to facilitate some service projects. Specifically, the students from UWRF helped students from the River Falls School District expand a rain garden on campus and plant a new rain garden outside City Hall. The projects helped educate those involved in stormwater management and pollinator friendly practices. The projects involved ongoing monitoring to see what was working well and what may need to be improved in the future.

Students in CSD 579 help operate a speech-language clinic open to the public, and CSD 971/772 students help operate a hearing clinic. The speech-language clinic serves 80-90 clients each week, and the hearing clinic completes about 50 screenings per semester with supervised students providing services. The work done through the clinics supports good health and well-being and reduces inequalities. In partnership with the City of River Falls, the hearing clinic provides services to River Falls municipal workers as well as the River Falls Police and Fire in accordance with OSHA requirements for workplace health and safety.

ESM 107 and 220 students use campus buildings to explore sustainable design principles. ESM 107 focuses on how design influences social sustainability, the landscape and natural features of the campus, and how design can encourage sustainable transportation options. ESM 220 students tour the University Center, built to LEED silver specifications, and the campus heating plant related to the role of energy on-campus—students complete projects in both classes to propose changes to campus buildings to improve sustainability.

As noted under the buildings section, students in ESM 220 tour the campus heating plant to learn more about the role of energy on our campus, challenges in alternative and more sustainable options, etc.

Students in GENG 225 also focus on energy. They review sources of campus energy, energy usage on campus, and renewable energy options. They study campus data and the broader City of River Falls data to identify best practices, barriers, and improvement opportunities.

Students in COMS 308 researched food waste on campus. They worked with the Sustainability Office and Chartwells to conduct food waste audits to collect data on how much food waste was generated in set time frames. Once they had data, they looked for solutions for reducing food waste. The outcome of their project was a 16-page paper proposing the implementation of an Earth Flow vessel composting system. The university is now looking into the feasibility of progressing with this proposal.

Multiple classes use the grounds as a living laboratory. Classes such as HORT 268 and HORT 352 for identification practice use the trees, shrubs, and flowers on campus. They learn about the more and less sustainable varieties, including different species, native versus non-native species, adaptiveness, and the value they provide to the campus based on their health, condition, and placement.

HORT 169 students use designated areas on campus to learn about pruning practices and sustainable landscape design, such as the rain garden behind the greenhouse.

HORT 255 students visit the campus athletic fields, including turf, and discuss practices with the grounds staff who maintain the areas.

GEOL 327 uses natural environments on campus to study the evolution of landscapes and the role of humans in shaping Earth's surface.

ESM 413 uses different landscapes and natural resources on campus as sites for student learning. Students collect samples, measure environmental quality, and assess the health or status of natural resources.

Students in SUSJ 197 helped expand a rain garden and conducted water quality testing of the river that runs through campus. A prairie restoration course has students write proposals for restoring a prairie on campus to a native prairie, with students in the subsequent class doing some hands-on work for invasive species removal, seed collection, and planting activities.

Accounting 379 students worked with the purchasing department to review purchasing processes, policies, efficiencies, and barriers. At least one student completed an internship with the Purchasing and Accounting departments during the last three years with a formal and documented learning component. Students also worked with Purchasing Services to create a proposal that followed campus and state purchasing guidelines regarding composting.

AGEN 365 Waste Management students do lab activities at our Mann Valley farm to learn how agricultural waste is managed and handled sustainably.

SASA 113 Collaborative Problem Solving for Stage and Screen: a significant project in the course is a collaboratively created mini-documentary focused on sustainability. Students attend a waste audit and information session to learn about waste disposal on campus. Then, they use the knowledge and video footage from the audit to create informational videos to educate and engage the campus community.

SASA 375 Theatre Practicum: Production: In the fall of 2021, students began the production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," employing sustainable practices in creating the set, costumes, and lighting design. We worked with Facilities Management to collect materials, and they helped us responsibly dispose of all materials at the end of the process. We continue to use waste-reducing methods in our productions.

Students in COMS 308 researched food waste on campus. They worked with the Sustainability Office and Chartwells to conduct food waste audits to collect data on how much food waste was generated in set time frames. Once they had data, they looked for solutions for reducing food waste. The outcome of their project was a 16-page paper proposing the implementation of an Earth Flow vessel composting system. The university is now looking into the feasibility of progressing with this proposal.

Students in ESM 200 research the water supplies where they live or in River Falls and write papers sharing what they learned, issues, quality, concerns, opportunities, etc. Students in multiple environmental sciences and biology courses use the river that runs through campus for water quality testing.

Students in POLS/INTS 362 receive a campus sustainability tour, research sustainable aspects of campus, and review the existing sustainability plans and efforts. They then write proposals for how UWRF can add to its sustainability plans.

Students in HEAL 350 study all aspects of Community Health and must complete a Health Promotion Project in which they study UWRF student data and, using the General Model of Program Planning, give a presentation on a wellness initiative to the UWRF Student Health Services personnel.

Students in ENGL 100 are assigned a local problem-solving paper for River Falls. Some of these were sustainability-oriented, such as proposals for bike paths on campus and more fresh and sustainable food choices in the cafeteria. There was also an excellent proposal on well-being for more AEDs and NARCAN for timely, life-saving, easy access and training in their use for RAs and other staff on campus. This proposal was written and submitted to the Chancellor. The proposal's author even found nonprofit sources and funding options as part of her paper, and models from the UW Eau Claire campus showed we were behind the curve on this safety issue. The Chancellor wrote back the same day she received the paper to thank the student and said she immediately passed it on to the campus safety group.