Wildlife Promise » student leadership

Students Lead for Smarter, more Sustainable Campuses

Sara Gassman — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:20:41 +0000

Van Jones gets the crowd excited about creating a green collar economy.

The University of Maryland hosted the eighth annual Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference in Bethesda, Maryland in April 2013. Top students, faculty, sustainability administrators and other organizations related to sustainability in higher education (NWF Campus Ecology, for example!) attended the conference and hosted panels and workshops, sharing best practices and troubleshooting common issues related to student involvement, institutional barriers to sustainability and seeking inspiration and ideas for new campus projects.

NWF Campus Ecology’s Julian Keniry and I hosted a workshop related to NWF Campus Ecology’s forthcoming student conservation leadership recognition program, sharing our observations and perspective on the current and future needs of students, and gaining even more insight on these and other topics from the fine folks who attended our session.

It’s interesting to me that campus sustainability leaders, in general, express similar frustrations and obstacles at initiating campus projects and pushing forward climate-smart policies. Fortunately, at our workshop and throughout the conference, we heard a ton of innovative solutions to integrate concepts of ecology and environmental responsibility into the curriculum, as well as campus-wide policy and planning decisions with great importance to reducing the college and university footprint:

At the University of Maryland, for example, faculty can attend the Chesapeake Project, a two-day workshop ”to integrate broad issues of sustainability into diverse courses.” Since 2009, over 111 courses, representing all 12 of UMD’s colleges, have been revised to include lessons or assignments about sustainability. Many of the professors help students draw the connection between local environmental issues and their studies, increasing their connection to the Chesapeake.
Eastern Connecticut State University addresses the problem of low student attendance at campus-sponsored events by awarding involved students “priority points.” The points help boost a student’s housing lottery number, offering them first dibs on the most coveted campus housing. We of course were curious about students getting the points and then leaving halfway through a guest lecture or film, but it sounds like for the most part, the opportunity for points gets students to the event, but the content is interesting enough that they stay! Our workshop team suggested this point system could undergo some “greening” by asking resident assistants to host sustainably-themed events several times year, and increasing environmental programming overall.

We were also happy to host an exhibit booth displaying our resources to help campuses become even smarter and more sustainable. It was a pleasure to talk to so many people who are so enthusiastic and working in so many ways to reduce the ecological impact of their colleges and universities and to increase environmental literacy among students, faculty, staff and administrators. If you missed us, you can download and view NWF Campus Ecology resources here. See below for other ways to keep in touch with NWF Campus Ecology through email and social media.

Keynote speakers included Van Jones and Colin Beavan (aka “No Impact Man“) who both had encouraging, inspiring messages to share. I’ve seen Van Jones a fair amount of times (and by “fair amount of times” I mean 5), and he always has something new and motivating to say–this time, he pointed out that the last really big cultural environmental revolution here in America happened in a span of ten years. Ten years! There is hope for our immediate future, folks! Having done my fair share of blogging over the past several months, I was especially enthused to hear advice on communicating about climate and the need for climate action (or really just effective communication techniques regardless of topic) from Colin Beavan–I appreciated his reminder to inspire readers or listeners to action, rather than lay down a lot of facts in an effort to persuade. At the core of his message, Colin Beavan encouraged us to tell the stories of the everyday climate heroes–people who are leading or supporting projects for a specific, personal reason, in ways that might encourage others to step up and jump in, too.

It turns out that the conference proved valuable not only as an idea share for all sorts of campus folks, but resonated with the hotel management and staff where the conference was located–at the request of the event planners, attendees of the conference enjoyed locally sourced foods and carried their own mugs. The hotel chef has begun a local foods dinner once weekly, and the event staff will request that all future conference attendees also bring their own mugs to reduce glassware use!

Many thanks to the University of Maryland and all the fine folks who organized the 8th annual Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference!

View the slide presentation from the NWF Campus Ecology workshop, “Certified National Student Conservation Leaders for Sustainable Communities: How You and Your Students Can Benefit” (under the “Monday Morning Workshops, 8:40-10 AM” heading)
Learn more about the annual Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference
Like NWF Campus Ecology on facebook, and follow @CampusEcology and @YouthforClimate on twitter
Sign up for the NWF Campus Ecology e-newsletter for news on the upcoming student leadership program and more!

Young Reporters Program Announces 2013 Winners

Kate Hofmann — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:07:54 +0000

National Wildlife Federation’s Young Reporters for the Environment USA program is pleased to announce the winners of its inaugural environmental journalism competition. The Young Reporters program invites students to investigate an environmental issue in their community and report on it in writing, photography, or videography.

Students share their journalism pieces in their own communities. They also submit them to the Young Reporters competition for judging by a panel of jurors with a range of related expertise. The jury carefully reviewed each entry, provided helpful feedback to students on what made their pieces effective as well as suggestions for taking their work to the next level, and named winners for each media type in two age categories.

Young Reporters for the Environment USA is part of the international YRE program, which encompasses programs in 27 countries worldwide. Here in the United States, students between the ages of 13 and 18 participate. First place winners in our competition proceeded this week to the international competition for another round of judging.

The winning entries are as follows:

AGES 13-15

Writing

1st Prize: “Emerald Ash Borer” by Eli Cason (Cuba Middle School, Cuba, MO)
Honorable Mention: “Pollution on the Meramec River” by Colten Barrett, Katie Wolfe, and Grace Steiger (Cuba Middle School, Cuba, MO)
Honorable Mention: “White Nose Syndrome” by Alyssa Hemby (Cuba Middle School, Cuba, MO)

Photo

1st Prize: “The Buzz on the Bees” by Lexi Rockwell (Kingdom Builders Co-op, Savannah, GA)

Video

1st Prize: “A Tale of Two Trails” by Zachary Korff (Irving Middle School, Springfield, VA)

AGES 16-18

Writing

1st Prize: “Saving Energy Through Lighting” by Trey Zimmerman and Zach Major (Kenton County Academies of Innovation and Technology, Edgewood, KY)
2nd Prize: “Sustainability at ABRHS” by Denali Trimble, Dikshant Pradhan, and Kendall Butler (Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA)
3rd Prize: “Green Roof on the Kenton County Academies of Innovation and Technology Edgewood Campus” Building by Zack Fries and Marquea Schwing (Kenton County Academies of Innovation and Technology, Edgewood, KY)

Photo

1st Prize: “Pollinator” by Matthew Carras (Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, VT)

SPECIAL DISTINCTION

“A Tale of Two Trails” (1st prize winner for video in the 13-15 years age category)

Young Reporters USA congratulates these students and all who submitted entries. We appreciate the time and energy they have dedicated to investigating important environmental issues and sharing the information they uncovered in writing, photo, and video. Balanced, objective, and solutions-oriented coverage of these issues is critical to protecting and restoring our communities and our planet. Young Reporters USA looks forward to expanding the program in years to come and helping more students hone their skills as environmental journalists.

For more about the Young Reporters USA program, including the criteria and schedule for the competition, see www.yre-usa.org

For links to the winning entries and comments from the jury about what makes an effective piece of environmental journalism, please visit www.yre-usa.org/winners.

NWF Fellowship Program Grows to Offer Additional Leadership Opportunities for Emerging Leaders

Courtney Cochran — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:50:33 +0000

Photo by Axel Ramirez

Since 2000, NWF’s Campus Ecology Program has awarded over 150 Fellowships to student leaders at 112 different colleges and universities in 36 states and Puerto Rico; reaching more than 2.5 million students, faculty, staff and community members at the fellowship campuses. Through the support of the Fellowship program, students have carried out a plethora of projects on their campuses and in their communities aimed at addressing climate change impacts and protecting wildlife.

We are happy to announce our 2013 call for proposals for our Campus Ecology Fellowships (open to current undergrad and graduate students) as well as our NEW Emerging Leader Fellowships (open to young professionals age 21-35). Fellows serve a 15 month term and are awarded a $2,000 stipend. To learn more and access application materials visit NWF.org/fellows. Applications are due March 31, 2013.

Student fellows have organized town hall forums to discuss the local effects of energy practices, initiated composting programs, conducted educational outreach, created campus and community bike programs and reintroduced native plant species on and around their campuses (to name a few). NWF’s Campus Ecology Fellowship program has provided students with the tools necessary to tackle conservation issues while fostering leadership development.

Reflecting on her Fellowship experience, Emma Gaalaas Mullaney, a 2005 Campus Ecology Fellow at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, had the following to say:

The NWF Campus Ecology Fellowship gave me one of my first opportunities to take a formal leadership role in political debates about environmental issues that I was studying in school. It was a formative moment in applying my passions for research and activism in service of a lifelong dedication to the health of social and ecological justice.

To build on the success and momentum of the Campus Ecology Fellowship program, this year NWF’s Emerging Leaders Initiative has teamed up with Campus Ecology to offer an extension to NWF’s Campus Ecology Fellows Program to include a young professionals track. The new Emerging Leaders Fellowship track will offer Fellowships to post-graduate, young professionals (ages 21-35) interested in career development and leadership opportunities within the conservation movement. Young professionals interested in career development and leadership building opportunities will apply to be part of this 15-month program. Throughout the fellowship term, selected applicants will be provided with leadership opportunities through NWF and our state affiliates, seed funding for their entrepreneurial efforts, additional leadership and skills training, and a diverse support network of peers and mentors.

Photo by Ian Johnson

Interested applicants are invited to submit project ideas that coincide with one of four KWA campaigns: Stopping Expansion of Dirty Energy, Safeguarding Wildlife and Habitat in the Appalachian Forests, Protecting Wildlife in Urban and Suburban Habitats, or Clean Energy Solutions. Fellows will have direct access to campaign staff to assist with implementing project ideas.

To apply for either of these programs, visit NWF.org/fellows>>

My First Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference

Eriqah Foreman-Williams — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:04:32 +0000

Every year, students from across the Southeast wait with bated breath to find out the details of one of the most anticipated conferences in the region. The Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference (SSREC) is an event organized by the Southern Energy Network (SEN) , an organization geared toward building grassroots campaigns to engage southeastern young people committed to renewable energy. Each year youth come and participate in trainings on valuable organizing skills, hear presentations on examples and best practices from their peers and call on their government, both local and national, to make clean energy a priority. And this year was just as powerful.

Students in Lee Hall at FAMU awaiting the beginning of the opening plenary

My name is Eriqah Foreman-Williams and I am the new Campus Field Coordinator for NWF’s Campus Ecology program. This is my first time attending SSREC, despite my past experience as a student organizer, and I must say it was an extremely rewarding experience. Reagan Richmond, the Executive Director of SEN, invited me and offered me multiple avenues to connect with students in the Southeast. I hosted a workshop on “Fostering Campus and Community Partnerships.” In my presentation, I aimed to inspire environmental campus leaders to reach beyond the gates of their campuses and reach out to community and engage them in sustainability projects and brainstorm strategies to implement projects in the community. I highlighted examples from my experience working in the conservation field for the last four years.

I also tabled at the conference sharing Campus Ecology materials on how students can get plugged into the program. Additionally, I had some students commit to asking their school newspaper’s to write an article about NWF’s new report A Student’s Guide to How Corporate Oil, Gas and Coal Money Influences U.S. Energy Policy. The students were excited to connect this information to the actions they are taking on their campuses and to shed light on this important issue.

For me, the highlight of the weekend was my invitation to give a keynote speech during the Saturday Night Plenary, my first time ever doing something like that. I was asked to speak about my journey and the importance of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students in the environmental movement—especially because environmental justice is a growing hot topic.

I see my work in the environmental movement as the homage I pay to Dorothy Height and Fannie Lou Hammer and Ella Baker. Especially when I see figures and statistics about the environmental injustices my communities back home face and the black communities in Georgia. It is, as Senator John Lewis said, the new civil rights movement.

Twenty four schools and eight states were represented at this year’s SSREC, which was held at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical

participants making signs for Sunday’s protest

University (FAMU), an HBCU—it was a beautiful experience. The more than 300 attendees finished the conference on Sunday with a march to the Supreme Court of Florida, where a nuclear energy tax law is up for deliberation. The conference participants then marched on to the Florida State Capitol building and filmed a video posing a question to our presidential candidates: “What is the future for clean energy in this country?” This video will be submitted to CNN with the hope that the question will be asked during the next presidential debate. Overall, the weekend was inspirational and reminded me why I do what I do. I am excited about organizing in this region with these amazing student activists. Their enthusiasm is what will change this region and this country.

Students protest the Nuclear tax, currently up for deliberation in Florida’s Supreme Court

A Student Voice on Young Reporters for the Environment

Guest Author — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:11:46 +0000

This month, National Wildlife Federation launched the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) program in the United States. YRE is an international program active in more than 25 countries around the world and coordinated by the Foundation for Environmental Education. Like Eco-Schools USA, YRE USA connects students in this country to a global network of youth working on behalf of the environment. Through YRE USA, middle and high school students investigate environmental issues in their communities and report on them in writing, photo, or video. Kent Keller, a high school student in Chicago and YRE participant, shares his perspectives on the program here.

Kent Keller with his “Birds-in-a-Box” kit

Millions of school children living in cities are surrounded by buildings, cars, buses and concrete. These children have almost no interaction with nature or wildlife in their daily lives. As a result, most never develop an appreciation for conservation or protection of the natural environment. I attend high school in downtown Chicago and observe this almost every day.

To combat this, I created an educational tool kit designed to inform elementary students in urban Chicago about birds and their relationship with urban ecosystems. My idea was to get them to first understand the wildlife in their own backyard, which might lead to a broader concern for conservation around the planet. With grant funding, I created my educational tool kits, which I dubbed “Birds-In-A-Box.” The kits contain materials such as books, examples of bird food, and objects that demonstrate the uses of bird beaks. The kits also contain stuffed bird toys that emit songs when pressed (complete with information sheets about each bird) and a binder full of educational material. Finally, there is a packet with student worksheets about birds.

After developing the “Birds-In-A-Box” kits, I presented and donated the kits to Chicago elementary schools. The material was well received by both students and teachers. In addition, the school administrations were happy to have me present, and expressed interest in having me return to present my kit and other environmental topics to more students. To my delight, the Field Museum in Chicago (where I was an intern for the summer) plans to incorporate “Birds-In-A-Box” elements into their urban educational program. I also wrote an article about my project and entered it into the international environmental journalism contest run by Young Reporters for the Environment and received an award for third place.

The world is facing many grave environmental problems, which plague almost every corner of the planet. I believe that the Young Reporters program provides youth with an excellent opportunity to voice their concerns and educate others about these environmental challenges. In addition, the Young Reporters program prompts youth to take real, concrete action on environmental issues, in addition to simply writing about them.

The Young Reporters program has a simple goal that I share—to spur students to build awareness and take conscious action in their community. It is a call to “get involved,” whether to encourage a change in habits or address a glaring issue in the local environment. I want to encourage students across the United States in every grade to find their voice and become a Young Reporter for the Environment!

The YRE USA team applauds Kent Keller for both his winning entry in the YRE competition and his great work connecting elementary students with nature through his innovative bird kits. Kent is a student at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, Illinois and invites you to find out more about “Birds-in-a-Box” at ConservationStarters.com. He has a passion for wildlife conservation and, as the first participant in the new YRE USA program, is leading the charge for a new wave of youth to take on the challenges and rewards of environmental journalism.

NWF Calls for Campus Case Studies on Sustainability Efforts

Kristy Jones — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:48:05 +0000

National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program is calling for case studies on campus sustainability efforts and green jobs training programs from the 2011-2012 academic year; case studies are due on August 3, 2012. NWF’s Campus Ecology program has published case studies each year since 1989, making this our 23rd annual call.

Georgia Institute of Technology - 2011 Case Study on Game Day Recycling

Benefits to campuses include:

Sharing campus efforts with colleges and universities nationwide;
Published case studies will be shared with NWF’s campus contact list of more than 25,000 students, faculty and staff, plus our social media networks;
Our database is a great resource to help campuses document their efforts; the database is searchable by topic, state, year and school and has more than 650 case studies!
National press release promoting the 2012 case studies.

Each year NWF’s Campus Ecology program publishes case studies contributed by its members and partners showcasing their campus sustainability practices and global warming solutions for the past school year (2011-2012). NWF will release these illustrated reports in Fall 2012 in our online, searchable case study database, one of our most popular resources. Colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have made great strides toward addressing global warming and protecting wildlife and habitat. We invite you to share your success stories and let other campuses learn from you!

Click here to review the case study guidelines and use our template to get started.

Schools are welcome to submit more than one case study on multiple projects in different areas of sustainability and green workforce development. Case studies can focus on completed projects/programs or projects still in development.

Contact Campus Ecology with any questions:
campus@nwf.org
703-438-6000
www.CampusEcology.org

Germanna Community College’s New LEED Silver Science & Engineering Building

Kristy Jones — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:12:48 +0000

Germanna Community College in Virginia opened their new green, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver building in early May. The new science & enginneering building, located at Germanna’s Fredericksburg campus, features:

Germanna Community College's Science & Engineering Building Grand Opening

~ Low maintenance landscaping;
~ Vegetative roof;
~ A rain water harvesting system, with the pump and cistern located underground, allowing the capture of rain water for use to flush the toilets;
~Integrated shading and daylight sensors which automatically adjust the need for artificial lighting by turning off unnecessary lights and adjusting window shades to utilize the right amount of natural light;
~ A wind turbine capable of providing enough energy to power 15 laptops and charge 100 cell phones;
~ Laboratory exhausts using an energy recovery system harnessing heated or cooled exhaust air to supplement the main HVAC air supply thus saving 50% on heating and cooling costs; and
~ Low-flow fixtures controlled by sensor-operated valves that will reduce water consumption.

Vegetative roof on new green science & engineering building

One additional feature of Germanna’s new building is their student tour guides. Students will be available to give tours to fellow students, faculty, staff and community members sharing the green features of the building. This educational awareness effort is in part funded by the Greenforce Initiative, a partnership of Jobs for the Future and the National Wildlife Federation. Germanna Community College is a partner in the Greenforce Initiative, an effort to strengthen the capacity of community colleges to green the skills of our modern workforce.

The three story, 52,000 square foot green building will provide laboratories, instructional resources, student services and more to the Germanna community and the broader Fredericksburg community.

David A. Sam, Germanna’s President, Rob Wittman, U.S. Congressman, Ann Heidig, Chair of the

Germanna's LEED Silver Building, Fredericksburg campus

Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, and Glenn DuBois, Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System attended the opening ceremony along with more than 150 students, faculty, staff, and community residents.

Read Germanna Community College’s News Blog, New Germanna building teaches, too.

Learn more about the Greenforce Initiative in Virginia.

Note: Established by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

National Wildlife Federation keynotes at Gyeonggi Green Campus Global Forum in Korea

Kristy Jones — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:09:26 +0000

Julian Keniry, National Wildlife Federation’s Senior Director of Campus & Community Leadership, traveled to Seoul, Korea this week to keynote and host a workshop at the 3rd annual Gyeonggi Green Campus Global Forum. The Green Campus Global Forum, first held in 2010, is an opportunity for college and university leaders from around the world to share best practices, network with peers, and discuss challenges facing the international green campus movement. On May 24-25, 2012, representatives from the United States, South Korea, Germany, United Kingdom, and other countries are coming together with the collective goal of sharing best practices in campus sustainability, developing strategies to network with campuses internationally, finding solutions to connect with private organizations and companies interested in the green campus movement, and identifying roles for local government to help grow the movement.

Julian Keniry is giving a keynote on the role of colleges and universities in the conservation and sustainability movement and how each stakeholder on campus – students, faculty, staff and administrators – are key to the success of the institution becoming more sustainable and reducing their global warming pollution. Julian is also hosting a workshop focused on student leadership, highlighting student roles in greening the campus curriculum and operations, while also educating the campus community and the broader community on their efforts.

Learn more about how NWF’s Campus Ecology program advances sustainability on campus.

Check out NWF Campus Ecology’s online guides focused on student leadership, Student Sustainability Educators – A Guide to Creating and Maintaining an Eco-Rep Program on Your Campus, and Generation E – Students Leading for a Sustainable, Clean Energy Future.

New Student Guide Offers Steps for Peer-to-Peer Campus Sustainability Training

Kristy Jones — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:09:14 +0000

NWF, AASHE student guide builds on decade-old Eco-Reps program active across US and Canada

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Campus Ecology program recently released a new, step-by-step guide to creating student peer-to-peer sustainability education programs—often known as “Eco-Rep” programs—on college campuses. Authored by Champlain College Sustainability Director Christina Erickson, “Student Sustainability Educators: A Guide to Creating and Maintaining an Eco-Rep Program on Your Campus” takes readers through the design, implementation and evaluation stages of an Eco-Rep program. Visit www.nwf.org/EcoReps for more information or to read the guide.

Readers of the guide will find:
• Step-by-step action items and tips for creating, maintaining and evaluating a campus Eco-Rep program
• Brief descriptions of actual programs and their best practices
• Case studies of successes and roadblocks
• Activity, event, marketing and outreach examples
• Eco-Rep recruiting tools, sample job descriptions, and other resources

“By creating Eco-Rep positions, Dr. Erickson shows how students and staff can effectively engage their peers in practices that reduce waste, improve public health, and make higher education more affordable,” said Julian Keniry, co-founder of NWF’s Campus Ecology Program. “This guide documents a powerful way in which students are taking ownership of their own communities and futures.”

“Christina’s work will be invaluable to students who are seeking ways to become more involved in campus sustainability,” said AASHE Executive Director Paul Rowland. “AASHE is pleased to partner with NWF to help get this information into the hands of students who can help lead the sustainability transformation on their campuses.”

With more than 60 active student sustainability education and outreach programs on campuses across the U.S. and Canada, and many others planned or underway, NWF and AASHE are addressing a demonstrated need for campus guidance in both creating and maintaining Eco-Rep programs. Often the main motivation for starting such programs is a desire to extend outreach efforts on issues such as waste reduction and energy conservation to a broader student audience, beyond those who are already “eco-minded.”

A joint webinar will be presented on April 18 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern to celebrate the launch of this new guide. Erickson will be joined by Eco-Rep staff at Babson College (Massachusetts), Lehigh University (Pennsylvania) and the University of Pennsylvania.