| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Debra Shepard |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wentworth Institute of Technology
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Debra
Shepard Sustainability Consultant N/A |
Does the institution have one or more active student groups focused on sustainability?:
A brief description of active student groups focused on sustainability:
The Wentworth Environmental Collaborative (formerly the "Green Team") is a student organization which promotes the fundamentals of achieving sustainability, reducing the campus carbon footprint, promoting awareness of recycling and composting as well as creating an all-inclusive and fun environment. Each year, WECo collaborates with the Wentworth Sustainability Committee to run outreach events and campaigns such as Earth Day.
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:
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:
Within its Accelerate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, students design business solutions to real-world problems, many of which have a sustainability focus, including recycling, materials re-use, renewable energy, alternative modes of transportation, and water efficiency.
Since its launch in 2012, over 6,700 students have taken part in interdisciplinary teams, generating over 930 ideas receiving funding in excess of $330,000. The students receive mentoring from alumni and professionals and make connections allowing them to grow and push their ideas forward.
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:
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:
Each year, Wentworth hosts numerous events to encourage a campus dialogue on sustainability. Recent examples include: Accelerate "Future of Our Cities" series, Trash-2-Treasure kick-off event, Colleges of the Fenway Earth Day, Muddy River Symposium, and Teach-Ins featuring leaders in sustainable design and entrepreneurship such as Ellen Watts and Luc Dan.
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 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 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:
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:
Sustainable life skills are taught through a variety of channels, including a web-based PDF guide to living with a lighter environmental footprint on campus ("The Green Leopard Guide"), annual Wentworth Orientation Week Sustainability 101 Sessions including green tips and recycling do's and don'ts, RA sustainability training, and targeted hands-on events on topics such as energy conservation and waste reduction.
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:
Each year, Wentworth offers paid part-time, semester-long internships where students work directly for the sustainability program on campus. In addition, work-study positions are available within the recycling program and for project-based initiatives. Recent examples include internships devoted to zero waste audits and campus energy trend analysis.
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:
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:
Every spring, Wentworth runs a "Trash-2-Treasure" Green Move-Out Campaign, where residential students could donate gently used clothing and household items to a local charity rather than discarding items in the trash during the end-of-term move-out.
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.