UWW SUSTAINABILITY AND USING THE CAMPUS

AS A LIVING LABORATORY Wesley EnterlineJosh Mabie

SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM/STARS BACKGROUND

Started with becoming a signatory of ACUPCC – 2007

Sustainability Coordinator hired July 2007 Sustainability Fellow started 2009, Josh Mabie since 2013

Initiatives have focused on Co-Curricular (Engagement) and Operations

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Education – Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (AASHE STARS) assessment completed April 22, 2015

Visit http://www.uww.edu/sustainability for details on program and link to STARS report

SCORING AND DATA COLLECTION

Data collection for each area Academics categories primarily relied on

faculty input from surveys to measure curriculum and research

Engagement categories primarily relied on program descriptions

Operations categories primarily relied on facilities data and policies

Planning and Administration was mostly data collection from other campus departments

Room for improvement relative to other UW System Schools

Data collection procedures also need improvement and consistency (more than every three years)

LEAP INTEGRATION – CAMPUS AS A LIVING LABORATORY

Sustainability overlaps well with ELOs Knowledge of Human Cultures and

Physical/Natural World – Sustainability studies society/nature relationship

Intellectual and Practical Skills – Complex solutions to relevant 21st century challenges

Personal and Social Responsibility – Sustainable choices minimize negative impact on resources and disadvantaged

Integrative and Applied Learning – Focus on campus data and projects for direct experiences and impacts

Sustainability is an avenue to implement High-Impact Practices on campus Students can design audits, data

collection/analysis, and reporting Research projects on campus operations and

service projects can increase involvement Presentations and tours with research

guidance could lead to actual projects implemented on campus

Potential for more LEAP projects (Bike Share)

PAST PARTNERSHIPS AND SUCCESS STORIES

Faculty Partners Marketing 400 – Students all do research projects

focused on sustainable products or technologies Tours and Presentations for Geography/Geology,

English, Marketing, Env. Health & Safety, Biology, Sociology, L.C.s and more

A wide variety of student research project consultations

Community Partners Service Learning – Class was started to engage

students in campus garden; focus on Growing Power Campus garden also partners with Whitewater Food

Pantry, Whitewater City Market, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), LINCS School Garden, and many more

Volunteer Programs Students are engaged in Upham greenhouse, campus

garden, Nature Preserve seed collection and cleanup, Whitewater Creek monitoring and cleanup

Exploring new partnerships with other organizations too

AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY FROM STARS

Academics Improve reporting process to create a better inventory: Faculty curriculum and

research; student projects that use campus as a living laboratory Designated open access repository for faculty/staff research Encourage new sustainability integrations in learning outcomes (how it overlaps

with LEAP) Graduate program dedicated to sustainability Sustainability literacy assessment given to freshman and seniors Incentives for faculty to develop courses (Savanna Project) Increased student support for research (Sustainability Fund)

Engagement More integration with student orientation – train the Hawk Squad, more

prominent in programming More direct outreach to employees; increase professional development – Green

Office Certification, recycling training, peer to peer sustainability educators among staff

More meaningful ongoing relationship with Continuing Education – started sustainability tour series

Increased community service opportunities and better reporting

AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY FROM STARS

Operations Increasing size and population hurts in Air & Climate, Energy, Waste, and Water Building operations and maintenance policies could improve Dining suffered from lack of data Habitat assessments could help Grounds Purchasing policy and practice improvements in all areas Transportation survey to assess commuter habits

Planning and Administration Coordination, Planning, & Governance – Sustainability Plan Health, Well-Being, & Work – hurt most by Act 10 changes Investment – lack of data