National Wildlife Federation/ San Diego County

Campus Ecology

News and Views

1. Enrollments Doubled

Over the past several years, the number of schools enrolled with Campus Ecology averaged 80 to 90 per year. Due to better marketing, publicity from the Report Card project, and other outreach efforts, enrollments are up dramatically - numbering 170 as of April 1, 2002, or around 4% of all U.S. colleges and universities. Member schools are located in 39 states, plus Washington, D.C. and one Canadian province.

Is your campus enrolled in the Campus Ecology Network? (Check the list of members.) There is strength in numbers - so we invite you to share your ideas for expanding our membership, as well as serving our current enrollments more effectively. Send a note to Jessica Stine (Stine@nwf.org). Thanks.

2. Website Overhaul

If you haven't visited the Campus Ecology website lately, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Today's Campus Ecology website has a clearer layout, better internal organization, and more information than ever. Visitors can quickly learn about campus projects across a wide range of topics in the expanded and searchable Campus Environmental Yearbook and case study sections.

For example: Thinking of proposing a water conservation project at your college but don't want to reinvent the (water) wheel? Click here and tap the link to water. There are stories from three schools where you can read about what worked, how much water was saved, and challenges to overcome. Nothing teaches better than past experience, and these stories - numbering more than 200 and all contributed by enrolled campuses and Campus Ecology Fellows over the years - are an extraordinary resource.

3. Green Campus Recognition Program

Campus Ecology is pleased to announce the new Recognition program. Its aim is to give credit where credit is due, honoring colleges and universities that have worked hard for environmental stewardship. Eligible schools are those enrolled at the Campus level.

Criteria for recognition include setting and achieving one or more project goals, engaging all levels of the campus, incorporating an educational component into the initiative, showing a commitment to institutionalize greening efforts, and reporting outcomes online and through the press.

Schools meeting the criteria will receive a Certificate of Recognition for the academic year. They will be showcased prominently in the Campus Environmental Yearbook and allowed to use the new National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Recognition icon for their website. This year's Recognition review cycle is closed, but it isn't too soon to plan for next year. For more information on how to apply your campus for Recognition, visit the website or contact Jessica Stine (Stine@nwf.org).

4. Current Projects of Campus-Level Schools

When schools enroll with Campus Ecology at the Campus level, they agree to undertake one or more school-wide greening initiatives during the school year. An important perk they receive is one-on-one technical consultation from an expert on the topic. Here are some of the projects in progress in 2001-2002.

University of Texas at Houston
UT-Houston has three projects in the works. One is to provide organic and natural foods at two locations in the campus Health Science Center. Another is to win approval for ecological building design features for the planned new School of Nursing. Finally, they are working to expand worm composting to all eleven floors of the School of Public Health.

Bethel College, McKenzie, TN
Conserving energy and expanding recycling are two projects Bethel College has chosen. One goal is to produce a measurable reduction of electricity used in academic buildings. Another is to make recycling available in all areas of the campus.

Sterling College, Craftsbury Common, VT
Conducting a campus environmental assessment is first step for Sterling College. Planned follow-up projects include adding information about green living practices to the course Sense of Place which is taken by all first-year students, and putting up signs to inform students and staff about energy conservation.

Colorado State University, Fort Collins
A trio of projects are in progress: Remodeling up to three classrooms using "green" materials, researching the cost-effectiveness of using reusable cafeteria trays, and updating campus maps to reflect environmental initiatives.

5. Campus Ecology Video Released Fall 2001

In the new video, Higher Education for a Higher Purpose, see how four schools - University of Colorado at Boulder, Oberlin College (OH), Clemson University (SC), and SUNY-Buffalo (NY) - are greening their energy use, transportation, buildings and landscapes. These campuses have dramatically reduced their impacts on the environment, enhanced the learning process, and often saved money. The 20-minute video - which features green-campus leaders David Orr, Will Toor, Walter Simpson and others - can be used to show students, faculty and administrators the kinds of successful projects that can be implemented at any school. The video, plus books, resource packets and many other printed and online resources, can be ordered from Campus Ecology on our resources page.

6. E-mail Updates - Keep In Touch!

If you or your campus are not in "The Network," you may not know about a new feature of Campus Ecology. Each month, we compile news on campus greening initiatives, new publications, fellowship deadlines, upcoming conferences, special events, and more. The Campus Ecology Network Update is sent by email to over 3,000 recipients. The list is easy to join and offers a paper-free way to keep up to date. You can sign up through our website or by sending an email directly to Jessica Stine (Stine@nwf.org), keeper of the list.

7. The Power of Purchasing: "Driving Sustainable Markets" Campaign

Throughout the school year, Campus Ecology has been working on a green purchasing campaign, Driving Sustainable Markets. As microcosms of society - with roads, buildings, fleets of vehicles, labs, offices, residences, stadiums and hospitals - colleges and universities expend an estimated $257 billion, or 2.8 percent of U.S. gross domestic product annually. This scale of purchasing power, coupled with the knowledge and innovation found at higher education institutions, uniquely positions campuses to advance product markets in an environmentally and economically sound manner. Through our online "Teach-In," and also through Fellowships and publications, we hope to advance higher education's role as a leader in leveraging sustainability through informed purchasing.

In partnership with the National Association of Educational Buyers (NAEB), Campus Ecology is hosting a Green Purchasing "Teach-In" focused on several products, including sustainably harvested wood, recycled paper, shade-grown coffee and green energy. The program consists of a one-hour web-based course available on demand (i.e. at any hour of the day, on any day over a period of several months), plus a series of six online chats with purchasing experts, held in April and September/October. The course instructor is Kevin Lyons, director of procurement at Rutgers University and author of the book "Buying for the Future: Contract Management and the Environmental Challenge." The six web chats - in which only course registrants are eligible to participate - are being led by Lyons and representatives from Starbucks Coffee Company, New Leaf Paper, University of Colorado-Boulder Environmental Center, Consumer's Choice Council and the Forest Stewardship Council.

Support from the Town Creek Foundation and Nathan Cummings Foundation enables us to offer the "Teach-In" to NAEB and NWF Campus Ecology members at a discounted rate of $25. The rate for non-members is $40.

It's not too late to register! Your participation is welcome for the fall web chats. Register online, or by mail or fax, and learn more about the course and chats - including biographies for the online experts. Visit this site for information on other aspects of the Driving Sustainable Markets campaign such as Fellowship proects, online and print publications and enrollment projects. Or contact: Kathy Cacciola, Coordinator,at cacciola@nwf.org.

Attention All Enrolled Campuses! The Campus Ecology Yearbook is one-of-a-kind resource that showcases environmental projects from schools nationwide. Each enrolled member can enter case stories telling about its project successes and challenges. Don't miss this chance to be published online. Please contact Jessica Stine (Stine@nwf.org) for Yearbook entry guidelines.

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Become a Member

The Campus Ecology program invites you to join the thousands of campus conservationists striving to make their college or university more environmentally sustainable. By enrolling with Campus Ecology, you join a blossoming network of faculty, staff, students and administrators all committed to fostering positive, practical conservation initiatives on campuses across the country.

Campus Ecology offers:
Case studies and valuable information to help you avoid "reinventing the wheel."
Networking with other campus greening practitioners.
Guidance and assistance on project design.
Training on campus sustainability issues.
Documentation and recognition of the work you have done on your campus.
Information on conservation issues ranging from purchasing to climate change.
How to Enroll

You can enroll as an individual, or as a campus. With your enrollment, you will receive a Welcome Packet full of useful information on campus greening, habitat restoration and other campus sustainability issues.

Campus Ecology Recognition - At the end of each academic year, Campus Ecology will distinguish those campuses that have accomplished specific goals with a Certificate of Recognition.

About Campus Ecology

Since its founding in 1989, Campus Ecology has become a leading conservation program in higher education. The program is helping to:

1) transform the nation's college campuses into living models of an ecologically sustainable society,

2)train a new generation of environmental leaders,

3)ensure a strong future for America's environmental movement,

4)support and promote positive and practical conservation projects on campus and beyond.


Each year more than 100 campuses enroll with us to take advantage of our resources and technical assistance. You can find out if your college or university is enrolled by checking our list of members. If it's not, you can enroll your campus today and join leaders across the country working on conservation projects.

You can also read about the history of the Campus Ecology program, and meet the staff.

Each year more than 100 campuses enroll with us to take advantage of our resources and technical assistance. You can find out if your college or university is enrolled by checking our list of members. If it's not, you can enroll your campus today and join leaders across the country working on conservation projects.

You can also read about the history of the Campus Ecology program, and meet the staff.

http://www.nwf.org/campusEcology/index.cfm

NWF Campus Ecology main page
NWF Campus Ecology Conservation Projects