Wentworth Institute of Technology
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Debra
Shepard Sustainability Consultant N/A |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
The Wentworth Environmental Collaborative (WECo) 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 Wentworth Institute of Technology Sustainability Society is a student organized and led club that is focused on engaging students in expanding their knowledge of sustainable practices. Activities include participating in campus events to promote sustainability and facilitating community and professional connections within the sustainability field.
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:
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:
Each year, Wentworth hosts numerous events to encourage a campus dialogue on sustainability. Recent examples include Water Use & Reclamation webinar with Allegra da Silva, guest lecture by Wen Stephenson on climate activism, Trash-2-Treasure kick-off events (which have not been held this year due to Covid-19 but will continue after students fully return to campus), Instagram Live Sustainability Q&A, Colleges of the Fenway Earth Day, Muddy River Symposia, and Teach-Ins featuring leaders in sustainable design, environmental action, and entrepreneurship. Highlights can be found on our Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/sustainableWIT/
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:
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:
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:
Sustainable life skills are taught through a variety of channels, including ongoing social media campaigns with resources for living and learning sustainability, fall and spring orientation Sustainability 101 Sessions including green tips and recycling do's and don'ts, RA sustainability training, virtual training, and targeted hands-on events on topics such as energy conservation and waste reduction. Highlights can be found on our Instagram feed: https://www.instagram.com/sustainableWIT/ and on the WIT Sustainability page: https://wit.edu/sustainability/learn-sustainability
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 semester-long internships where students work directly for the sustainability program on campus. Recent examples include internships devoted to zero waste audits, sustainability engagement campaigns, and campus energy trend analysis.
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:
In the 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. This program was on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will resume as students return to campus.
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.