9 events and displays held by the Student Sustainability Center

Student Sustainability Center

A University-wide, student run organization dedicated to empowering students to engage in sustainability activities and innovation. The Center involves students in volunteer projects, hosts events to raise awareness about sustainability, consolidates and distributes sustainability-related information and news, and builds relationships across campus to promote environmental initiatives. The Student Sustainability Center is housed at SoGES.

4

officers 1,129 email subscribers 9

events & booths

The Student Sustainability Center worked to continue and grow its presence on campus and expand and improve partnerships with external organizations in FY 2015-16. The Center made significant improvements to existing projects to have greater impact, particularly the sustainability signage and nitrogen footprint projects. Membership increased as well as student involvement in projects and events, and the Center was able to facilitate many connections for students to obtain sustainability-related internships and volunteer opportunities.

In FY 2015-2016 the Center had:

4 paid officers: director, associate director of engagement, associate director of outreach, secretary 16 attendees on average at bi-weekly meetings 1,129 email subscribers, a 20% increase 674 Facebook Likes, a 10% increase

Projects:

Nitrogen Footprint Project: the Student Sustainability

Center completed the final nitrogen footprint calculation for the CSU campus in Jan. 2016. The Center discovered that the largest source of nitrogen output at the University in 2014 came from food procurement, followed by utilities and electricity use. The Center held meetings with CSU leadership to make recommendations on implementing nitrogen reduction efforts. This project is part of the Nitrogen Footprint Network, funded by the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sustainability Signage Project: the Center placed new signs throughout campus to remind people to limit paper towel usage, turn off lights, and bring a water bottle to campus.

Leave the Plastic, Plant a Tree: the Center continued the campaign to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags in

CSU’s Lory Student Center bookstore in association with the Associated Students of CSU Plastic Ban Resolution.

Associated Students of CSU Endorsements: the Center was a primary endorser of two resolutions passed by

ASCSU - the Fair Trade University Resolution and the

Building Efficiency Resolution.

Student Sustainability Center Nitrogen Footprint Project team members