Green campus alliance
Supporting university students to build sustainable campuses and develop leadership skills
PROGRAM SUMMARY
The Green Campus Alliance - Fall 2021 Program - is open to all U.S.-based college and university students. The program will run from Monday September 27th until Friday December 17th. The program will require 1-2 hours of online work per week and include several optional guest-speaker and group mentoring live sessions via Zoom.
The program application is open until Monday September 20th.
Overview
The Green Campus Alliance is a structured online program to support student leaders to accelerate their actions to address sustainability issues on their campus and develop critical leadership and professional skills.
We work primarily with student sustainability clubs to provide a framework for action that is guided by connecting their campus experience to our most pressing environmental issues.
Each semester, a curated group of student club leaders join a cohort of peers from other campuses. They complete our 15 module Green Leaders Academy which is focused on environmental literacy, leadership development, and civic engagement. While learning with peers, they develop an understanding of key issues to be addressed on their campus.
Highlights
- Structured and highly-relevant environmental leadership curriculum
- Connections to student leaders from other campuses
- Access to mentorship opportunities from environmental and social change leaders
- Real-world case studies and impact models to bring back to campus
- Support to develop campus-specific action plans
- Career & potential internship advice
Participants who joined the program will work towards the following outcomes:
- Gain an understanding of the most pressing environmental issues impacting their communities and the planet.
- Develop personal and civic efficacy, as well as key social connections to support environmental actions.
The following environmental literacy, leadership, and civic engagement topics will be addressed:
- Local & Regional Environmental Overview
- Circular Economy
- Conservation
- Climate Change, Climate Adaptation, and Climate Mitigation
- Plastic & Air Pollution
- Leadership
- Social Innovation & Transformative Action
- Civic Engagement
- Environmental Movement Building
- Stakeholders and Systems
At the end of the program, each campus group is supported to develop a campus action plan for the next semester. Alumni of the program are able to access resources, mentorship, and training as they implement their campus plans and work to train other students in their networks.
In Support of the Sustainable Development Goals
Driving Collective Impact
Our ultimate goal is to advance environmental quality. As part of our values to support individual agency and allow participants to lead in their local context, we support impact towards environmental outcomes that align with any of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (Life on Land).Flexible Online Learning
Supporting Leaders During Challenging Times
Online programs are available via learning management system (LMS) called Crew. Participants will login to access readings, course lectures, and submit reflections and short assignments. Participants can complete their work at any time that works for their schedule. This asynchronous learning methodology will allow flexibility for participants who may have unstable internet access or busy schedules. However, we ask that participants be able to complete the program within the timeline of their specific program.
- Structured and highly-relevant environmental leadership curriculum
#Cutoutcutlery and #skipthestuff
Two Collective Action Campaigns to Reduce Food Service-related Plastic Waste
According to Upstream, "In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste. Americans use more than 36 billion utensils and as much as 142 billion straws each year. Most restaurants provide these accessories for take-out meals even if the customer doesn’t want or need them.
Reducing Unnecessary and Unwanted Takeout Waste
Designed and Led By Habits of Waste
We're partnering with Habits of Waste to support their #CutOutCutlery campaign. This initiative has convinced the four biggest app-based food delivery platforms in the U.S. to change their user interface so that disposable items, such as cutlery, are op-in, rather than provided by default.
We're supporting this campaign by expanding it to college campuses in the U.S. You can also check out their website to make a poster for your favorite restaurant or take-out location and ask them to opt-in.Driving Policy Change
Designed and Led by Upstream
We're proud to partner with Upstream's #SkipTheStuff national policy campaign organized through their National Reuse Network.
The goal is to enact policies in local and state government that require restaurants to “ask first” before adding all the unnecessary stuff to your order. Together we can get city, county and state legislatures to take action and enact a policy that:Requires every restaurant to ask the customer first before providing accessories
Requires meal delivery and online apps (like Uber Eats, GrubHub, Door Dash and Yelp) to post a menu of accessories (e.g. cutlery, napkins, straws, condiments, etc.) whereby a customer has to “opt-in” or select each item and quantity they want.
