student sustainability education (“eco-reps”) programs: where do we go from here?

STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION (“ECO-REPS”)

PROGRAMS:WHERE DO WE GO FROM

HERE?

AASHE Conference|| October 11, 2010

Workshop Agenda

Welcome & Introductions Dissertation Findings Overview Guided Discussion

Bottle Tree created by Rice University EcoReps

Photo courtesy of Rice U EcoRep Program

U of Vermont Eco-Reps Program

# of EcoReps

38

Year Started

2004

Compensation

$8.25 per hour, average of 4 hours per week

Management

Graduate Fellow is Program Coordinator; Campus Divided into four sections with student Campus Coordinator

Institution Public, 10,371 undergraduates, 1,516 graduate students

Find More www.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/

Rice University EcoReps

# of EcoReps

11

Year Started

2006

Compensation

$8 per hour, average of 2-3 hours per week funded per EcoRep

Management

Director of Sustainability.  Student "lead" Eco-Rep serves as primary meeting organizer, trains new Eco-Reps, and primary liaison with Director of Sustainability

Institution Private, 3,279 undergraduates, 2,277 graduate students, each undergraduate assigned to a residential college

Barnard EcoReps

# of EcoReps

9-10

Year Started

2007

Compensation

$375/semester stipend

Management

Non-hierarchical student leadership. Supported by an official adviser in the Residential Life & Housing department, with unofficial advisers in the Environmental Science Department, The Office of Capital Management, and Wellwoman (health peer-education program) 

Institution private, 2,360 undergraduates

Find More barnardecoreps.wordpress.com/

UMass Amherst Eco-Rep Program

# of EcoReps

65

Year Started

2008

Compensation

2-4 credits, depending on position in program

Management

Student-facilitated with guidance from Sustainability Coordinator

Institution public, 20,000 undergraduates

Find More www.umass.edu/ecorep/

Brandeis University Eco-Reps

# of EcoReps

9-12

Year Started

2008

Compensation

$9 base an hour for 3 hours a week

Management

Campus Sustainability Coordinator in Facilities supervises program. Student "Captain" works 5 hours to help coach new students and provide program support

Institution private, 3,500 undergraduates

Find More www.brandeis.edu/campussustainability/getinvolved/ecoreps.html

University of Pennsylvania Eco-Reps

# of EcoReps

110

Year Started

2009

Compensation

Volunteer Leadership Program

Management

Coordinated by full-time sustainability staff and two student coordinators

Institution private, ~10,000

Find More www.upenn.edu/sustainability/eco-reps.html

Dickinson College Eco-Reps

# of EcoReps

22

Year Started

2009

Compensation

Volunteer / $20 per program funding

Management

Center for Sustainability Education oversees paid EcoReps Student Supervisor who directs program

Institution Private liberal arts college, 2,600 undergraduates

Elon University Eco-Reps

# of EcoReps

7

Year Started

2009

Compensation

$250/semester stipend

Management

Sustainability Coordinator with paid Eco-Reps Student Coordinator who leads the program

Institution Private, 5,000 undergraduates

Learn More

www.elon.edu/e-web/bft/sustainability/sp-ecoreps.xhtml

2010 Dissertation Highlights

Peer To Peer Sustainability Outreach Programs: The Interface Of Education And Behavior Change

Examination of Eco-Rep Program Characteristics Program coordinator survey Case studies of administrative structure from four

campuses University of Vermont Eco-Reps Program

Evaluation

Full document available at www.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/about/downloads/Erickson_Disseration_March2010.pdf

Waste Sort @ UVM

Program Sustainability Indicators Comparison Framework adapted from (Savaya, et al 2008)

Project Design & Implementation Program theory Demonstratable

effectiveness Program

flexibility Human

resources Financial

resources Program

evaluation

Organizational Setting Organizationa

l stability & flexibility

Program champions

Managerial support & flexibility

Integration in the organization

Factors in Broader Community

Community support

Political legitimation

Socioeconomic context

Evaluation of UVM Program

Program Characteristics and Demographics

Campus Utilities Analysis

Residential Student Survey

Stakeholder Interviews and Focus Groups

Eco-Rep Feedback

Educational Impact

Ecological and Financial Impact

Cultural Impact Areas of

Improvement

Elements of a Successful Program Program Design

Stated guiding theory Access to necessary financial & physical

resources Program Implementation

Training for students and coordinators Clearly defined expectations &

accountability Appropriate internal & external

communication channels Collaboration across the campus Methods for feedback & evaluation

Guided Discussion

1. How can we broaden our audience and collaborate across campus?

Resources: www.collegiateclimatecollab.com

2. What skills or resources do student peer educators need and how can we provide them?

3. How can we best use student facilitation within programs?

4. What tools and practices, such as social marketing and social media, do students need to know about?

Resources: http://sites.google.com/site/campussustainmedia/resources

5. How can our program goals and objectives evolve with institutional/societal needs?

6. How can cross-institutional Eco-Reps collaboration benefit and strengthen programs?

Contact Us

Sarah Brylinsky, Sustainability Education Coordinator, Dickinson College brylinss@dickinson.edu

Janna Cohen-Rosenthal, Sustainability Coordinator, Brandeis Universityjannacr@brandeis.edu

Elaine R. Durr, Sustainability Coordinator, Elon University edurr@elon.edu

Christina Erickson, Sustainability Director, Champlain College cerickson@champlain.edu

Claire Fram, Eco-Rep, Barnard College barnardecoreps@gmail.com

Julian Goresko, Sustainability Student Outreach Associate, U of Penngoresko@upenn.edu

Richard R. Johnson, Director of Sustainability, Rice University rrj@rice.edu

Josh Stoffel, Sustainability Coordinator, U of Massachusetts, Amherstjstoffel@admin.umass.edu