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 EcoReps38 Year Started2004 Compensation$8.25 per hour, average of 4 hours per week ManagementGraduate Fellow is Program Coordinator; Campus Divided into four sections with student Campus Coordinator InstitutionPublic, 10,371 undergraduates, 1,516 graduate students Find Morewww.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/

Rice University EcoReps # of EcoReps11 Year Started2006 Compensation$8 per hour, average of 2-3 hours per week funded per EcoRep ManagementDirector of Sustainability. Student "lead" Eco-Rep serves as primary meeting organizer, trains new Eco- Reps, and primary liaison with Director of Sustainability InstitutionPrivate, 3,279 undergraduates, 2,277 graduate students, each undergraduate assigned to a residential college

Barnard EcoReps # of EcoReps9-10 Year Started2007 Compensation$375/semester stipend ManagementNon-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) Institutionprivate, 2,360 undergraduates Find Morebarnardecoreps.wordpress.com/

UMass Amherst Eco-Rep Program # of EcoReps65 Year Started2008 Compensation2-4 credits, depending on position in program ManagementStudent-facilitated with guidance from Sustainability Coordinator Institutionpublic, 20,000 undergraduates Find Morewww.umass.edu/ecorep/

Brandeis University Eco-Reps # of EcoReps9-12 Year Started2008 Compensation$9 base an hour for 3 hours a week ManagementCampus Sustainability Coordinator in Facilities supervises program. Student "Captain" works 5 hours to help coach new students and provide program support Institutionprivate, 3,500 undergraduates Find Morewww.brandeis.edu/campussustainability/getinvolved /ecoreps.html

University of Pennsylvania Eco-Reps # of EcoReps110 Year Started2009 CompensationVolunteer Leadership Program ManagementCoordinated by full-time sustainability staff and two student coordinators Institutionprivate, ~10,000 Find Morewww.upenn.edu/sustainability/eco-reps.html

Dickinson College Eco-Reps # of EcoReps22 Year Started2009 CompensationVolunteer / $20 per program funding ManagementCenter for Sustainability Education oversees paid EcoReps Student Supervisor who directs program InstitutionPrivate liberal arts college, 2,600 undergraduates

Elon University Eco-Reps # of EcoReps7 Year Started2009 Compensation$250/semester stipend ManagementSustainability Coordinator with paid Eco-Reps Student Coordinator who leads the program Institution Private, 5,000 undergraduates Learn More 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 Waste 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  Organizational 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:

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:

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  Janna Cohen-Rosenthal, Sustainability Coordinator, Brandeis University  Elaine R. Durr, Sustainability Coordinator, Elon University  Christina Erickson, Sustainability Director, Champlain College  Claire Fram, Eco-Rep, Barnard College  Julian Goresko, Sustainability Student Outreach Associate, U of Penn  Richard R. Johnson, Director of Sustainability, Rice University  Josh Stoffel, Sustainability Coordinator, U of Massachusetts, Amherst