| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.38 |
| Liaison | Olivia Shehan |
| Submission Date | Nov. 13, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wellesley College
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Dorothea
Von Herder Sustainability Coordinator Facilites |
Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
El Table: El Table is a student-run co-operative cafe that purchases sustainable food items such as fair trade coffee, local and organic produce, and more. They also compost their food scraps.
Regeneration: Wellesley student farm at a local community garden. Students grow vegetables and herbs.
EnAct: EnAct's mission is to engage students and the broader Wellesley community in direct action to combat climate change and other local and global environmental issues. They commit to using a broad range of skills and approaches - including volunteering, raising awareness, engaging in conversations, protesting, working at intersections of environmentalism with other social justice movements, and on-campus and off-campus partnerships - to make the most of the power we have as individuals and as a community.
SCoop: Sustainable Co-Op on campus is a sustainable housing community on campus. Their sustainable living includes preparing their own meals from local and organic foods, composting their food waste, and living low impact by using less electricity and water.
Outing Club: Revived in 2007, Wellesley College Outing Club offers students an opportunity to go on great adventures, engage in fun and stress-relieving outdoor activities and, with collaboration with PERA, outdoor equipment rentals. Regular outings include hiking, biking, and rock-climbing, additional trips emerge out of the interest of the members. Meetings are biweekly.
The website URL where information about the student groups is available (optional):
Does the institution have gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects 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:
Regeneration is a student-run farm near campus at the College’s community gardens that grows all organic produce. Their crops range from kale, tomatoes, and eggplants to basil and more. They seasonally sell their produce on a pay-what-you-can basis to the campus community.
The website URL where information about the gardens, farms or agriculture projects is available (optional):
Does the institution have student-run enterprises that include sustainability as part of their mission statements or stated purposes (e.g. cafés through which students gain sustainable business skills)?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
El Table: El Table is a student-run co-operative cafe that purchases sustainable food items such as fair trade coffee, local and organic produce, and more. They also compost their food scraps. https://www.facebook.com/ElTable?fref=ts
Punch's Alley: A student run, cooperative business that provides community space and beverages for campus. Recycling is a key part of their model.
The website URL where information about the student-run enterprises is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives 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:
Class of 57 Green Fund: The Class of 1957 Fund was established by the Class of 1957 to provide funding for initiatives designed to enhance sustainable practices at Wellesley, to reduce Wellesley's environmental impact, and to raise awareness about environmental issues on campus. Anyone can apply for a grant if they have an idea for a sustainable initiative. This is run as a sub-committee of the Sustainability Committee with staff, faculty, and student representation.
The website URL where information about the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives is available (optional):
Does the institution have conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability:
As part of "Sustainability Year" in 2018, the College hosted a litany of sustainability events. These included lectures, documentary screenings, and community forums. The culminating event was a visit and talk from Al Gore.
The website URL where information about the conferences, speaker series, symposia or similar events related to sustainability is available (optional):
Does the institution have cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability that have students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations or performances related to sustainability:
The Paulson Initiative funds installations related to sustainability and that celebrate the campus. For example, a "Spatial Investigations" art class received funding to use the wood from trees fallen on campus to create an art installation consisting of 4 benches, placed such that they enhance viewing of the landscape.
The website URL where information about the cultural arts events, installations or performances is available (optional):
Does the institution have wilderness or outdoors programs (e.g. that organize hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or other outings for students) that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
The Outing club aims to provide a venue for Wellesley community members to participate in outdoor activities. These include hiking, biking, climbing, trail running, camping, skiing, and other activities based on the interests of current club members. The goal is to have fun while fostering a community with a love and respect for the great outdoors.
Additionally, Club Rocks, the geology club, takes trips to geologically interesting sites and hikes while following Leave No Trace principles.
The website URL where information about the wilderness or outdoors programs is available (optional):
Does the institution have sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences (e.g. choosing a sustainability-related book for common reading)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-related themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
2018 was designated "Sustainability Year" at Wellesley. The listed goals for the year were as follows:
to increase awareness of sustainability at Wellesley
to nurture a college-wide discussion of sustainability and what it means for Wellesley
to engage in thoughtful discourse about sustainability through student competitions and classroom discussions
to run a behavioral change campaign to promote sustainable behaviors that reduce waste, increase recycling, and conserve energy in residential halls, dining services and beyond
to certify at least 100 more offices through the sustainability certificate program
The website URL where information about the sustainability-related themes is available (optional):
Does the institution have programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Workshop Series offered by Office of Sustainability Office and Wellness Committee: This partnership puts on a series of workshops education students on bike repair and other important skills to have for life after Wellesley.
Eco-Reps: Eco-Reps living in the dorms educate their fellow students on how to utilize recycling bins and compost bins, as well as other sustainable life skills.
The website URL where information about the sustainable life skills programs is available (optional):
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
The Office of Sustainability offers internships each school year as well as a few over the summer: internships include working on the bike share program or developing sustainability campaigns and programming around campus.
The Environmental Studies Program offers 2 internships annually to assist in the newsletter, programming, and the general functioning of the department.
The Wellesley Botanical Gardens offers year round internships to attend to the gardens and farms on campus while learning about horticulture and botany.
The Paulson Initiative, an initiative with an emphasis on treating the campus as a living laboratory, has internships for helping with programming or conducting research projects.
The website URL where information about the student employment opportunities is available:
Does the institution have graduation pledges through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledges:
N/A
The website URL where information about the graduation pledges is available (optional):
Does the institution have other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives?:
A brief description of the other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives:
Sustainable Move Out Collection and Move-In Sale:
The Office of Sustainability has developed a program in which students moving out of their dorms who no longer want their good quality/reusable dorm items donate them to the sustainable move-out program. Items collected during move-out are sold back at a significantly cheaper price to students moving in during the following semester. Funds collected during this program go towards sustainability projects on campus.
The website URL where information about other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives is available (optional):
Estimated percentage of students (full-time and part-time) that participate annually in sustainability-focused co-curricular education and outreach programs (0-100):
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.