| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45.35 |
| Liaison | Wesley Enterline |
| Submission Date | April 22, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Wesley
Enterline Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Planning and Management |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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Does the institution have one or more co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that fall into the following categories?:
| Yes or No | |
| Active student groups focused on sustainability | Yes |
| Gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, or urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems | Yes |
| Student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes | Yes |
| Sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills | No |
| Conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience | Yes |
| Wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles | Yes |
| Sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences | No |
| Programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills | Yes |
| Sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution | Yes |
| Graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions | No |
| Other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives | Yes |
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The name and a brief description of each student group focused on sustainability:
Students Allied for a Green Earth (S.A.G.E.): SAGE is the student organization at UW-Whitewater focused on sustainability issues of all types. SAGE gets involved in a number of hands-on projects around campus and local communities and strives to hold events that aim to educate and inform their members and the campus community about sustainability issues and environmental problems our society faces.
UW-Whitewater Water Council: The UW-Whitewater Water Council is a student organization launched in 2010. We work to create awareness of the importance of freshwater to our lives and economies and assist our parent organization, the Water Council, to advance southeastern Wisconsin's position as a world hub for water research, education, and economic development. The Whitewater Water Council welcomes members of every major and interest throughout the University. We explore regional and national water issues and promote the vast opportunities in water business. Activities include bi-weekly meetings with industry experts, networking events, community service, and social outings.
Peace, Education, and Activism through Creative Engagement (PEACE): It is the mission of P.E.A.C.E. to uphold and progress ideals which promote social, political, and environmental justice at the local, state, national, and international levels in addition to facilitating personal growth and inner balance within the members of P.E.A.C.E. and our surrounding community.
UW-Whitewater Ecology Club: The UW-Whitewater Ecology Club is a student organization of Biology and Ecology majors who focus on field trips and volunteer service related to their field of study.
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The website URL where information about student groups is available:
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A brief description of gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and urban agriculture projects where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems:
UW-Whitewater has a campus garden that allows students to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems. This garden is available for all students to volunteer in, and regular hours for volunteering in the Fall, Spring, and Summer occur. All produce generated in the campus garden is donated to the Whitewater Food Pantry.
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The website URL where information about the organic agriculture and/or sustainable food systems projects and initiatives is available:
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A brief description of student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes:
UW-Whitewater also has a student-run enterprise in the residence halls called Jitters, a student-run coffee and ice cream shop. Jitters does have a mission statement with a point on sustainability included.
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The website URL where information about the student-run enterprise(s) is available:
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A brief description of the sustainable investment or finance initiatives:
The Student Sustainability Fund provides money to students to fund projects that help make UW-Whitewater a more sustainable campus. This money is offered to promote sustainability on campus and involve the student body in these initiatives. The goal is that the level of awareness of these is issues are heightened and our campus continually adopts sustainability initiatives to continue to reduce our campus' global footprint. This is not a student-governed fund program, but has involvement with students on the decision-making side and can only be applied to by students.
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The website URL where information about the sustainable investment or finance initiatives is available:
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A brief description of conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
Ongoing lectures and events: UW-Whitewater has several speakers, symposia, and other events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience, including a sustainability speaker series that occurs in the Spring, Earth Week speakers that are invited every year, and sustainability issues discussed in a Contemporary Lecture Series.
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The website URL where information about the event(s) is available:
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A brief description of cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience:
UW-Whitewater has a student organization called Alloy that always puts on a metals exhibit in our art gallery (Roberta’s Gallery) in our University Center. This metals show is meant to offer an expressive outlet for students while showing the beauty of art that can be created from recyclable materials.
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The website URL where information about the cultural arts event(s) is available:
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A brief description of wilderness or outdoors programs for students that follow Leave No Trace principles:
UW-Whitewater also has a Cycling Club that has schooled rides and information sessions based on Leave No Trace and anti-littering principles.
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The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors program(s) is available:
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A brief description of sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
N/A
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The website URL where information about the theme is available:
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A brief description of program(s) through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
UW-Whitewater has a model room that all tour groups proceed through during campus tours that shows a regular residence hall room with several sustainable features, including CFL lights, Energy Star appliances, and brochures that explain how students can improve the sustainable rating of their residence hall rooms.
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The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills program(s) is available:
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A brief description of sustainability-focused student employment opportunities:
UW-Whitewater has four paid sustainability-focused employment positions for students that allow them to work with sustainability as part of their job. These positions include:
- Student Sustainability Coordinator for Residence Life
- Sustainability Director for the Whitewater Student Government
- Sustainability Planning Intern for the Sustainability Office
- Campus Garden Student Manager for the Sustainability Office
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The website URL where information about the student employment opportuntities is available:
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A brief description of graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions:
N/A
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The website URL where information about the graduation pledge program is available:
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A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
UW-Whitewater does monthly stream monitoring in local waterways to test the health of our watershed through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources statewide Water Action Volunteers (WAV) network. Student volunteers receive training on measuring several Level 1 water quality variables, such as turbidity, stream profile and flow rate, dissolved oxygen, temperature, macroinvertebrate biotic index, and basic habitat observations. An application to add phosphorus testing to the mix in 2015 has been submitted and is under review at the time of this submission. There are currently two monitoring sites, but a third site is being considered for 2015. The sites are managed by faculty and staff, but the long-term hope is to have various student organizations “adopt a site” and take responsibility for providing students to regularly monitor.
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The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.