Bentley University
EN-1: Student Educators Program

Bentley Students for Sustainable Business (SSB) was created in early 2015 by former Bentley University Eco-Reps and Green Society leaders in an effort to reorganize into one cohesive body. This group was formed to expand on the Eco-Rep and Green Society missions to appeal to a broader community of students. SSB's mission is to coordinate peer-to-peer outreach activities to educate Bentley students about sustainability. It is SSB's goal to equip their peers with the education, resources, and drive to create and maintain sustainable best practices and processes in their professional and personal lives. The following are specific peer-to-peer outreach activities run by SSB: 1. The Blackout Challenge - a campus energy competition. Students go to Residence halls ("dorm storm") to talk to peers about energy conservation. Each residence hall is challenged to reduce their consumption compared to a baseline taken at the beginning of the competition. Students promote the competition to their peers. 2. Earth Fest - an annual sustainability fair where students are exposed to ideas about climate change, campus greenhouse gas emissions, local food and clean energy. SSB students set up stations around the campus' green space to talk to their peers about each topic. They also set up "the cube" which represents 1/8th of a metric tonne of carbon dioxide. Their peers are invited to take a photo inside of the cube after learning about what it represents. 3. Water bottle taste tests - Students in SSB are concerned about bottled water consumption on campus. Each semester they set up bottled vs. tap water taste tests as a means to educate their peers about the benefits of tap water over bottled water. They also set up a large water bottle sculpture (made of hundreds of empty single-use bottles of water) which includes information about the negative environmental and health impacts of single-use bottles of water.

All students are eligible to participate in SSB.

SSB students receive formal training on climate change and sustainability issues at the beginning of the fall semester each year.

SSB is supported by our student budget organization. In advance of each semester SSB must submit a budget and be approved. Projects above and beyond are sometimes funded by the Office of Sustainability.

During the fall 2009 semester, the Student Government Association created the Sustainability Project Group as a means to ensure that students are engaged in sustainability initiatives. The Bentley Student Government Association (SGA) is a governing body that tries to better the university environment for all students. This is achieved through a collaborative effort between the students and university administration. Members of SGA seek out the interests and opinions of the student body as a whole and make recommendations to university officials based on their findings. The group has been extremely successful in bringing changes to Bentley’s campus including the creation of informational Heating and Cooling videos, which were created to educate their peers about heating and cooling systems and energy efficiency in the residence halls. The SGA also worked on a "ban styrofoam" campaign and bill resulting in peer education about the ills of styrofoam and an eventual ban from all campus retailers. The SGA sets up "The Cube" each year at an event of their choosing. The Cube is a physical representation of 1/8th of a metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. SGA representatives stations themselves next to The Cube to speak to peers about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

Students run and are elected by all students to the SGA for an academic year.

Students who are elected are expected to be educated on policy process and implementation. These students tend to be involved in other student groups (Bentley SSB) or are Earth, Environment and Global Sustainability Majors, so they are sufficiently educated on these issues.

The Student Government Association does not get any funding, as the majority of their work is coordinating within the administration to alter policy which does not require events or recruitment.

Bentley University’s undergraduate Net Impact chapter drives meaningful change on campus and in the community by running diverse sustainability programs and initiatives. They strive to amplify our impact by building connections and collaborative partnerships with like-minded organizations in the impact-driven fields. Net Impact strives to educate their peers about the benefits of incorporating sustainability principles into business. The following are specific peer-to-peer outreach activities run by Net Impact: Speakers: Net Impact has invited alumni and local sustainability professionals to speak at Bentley at evening events. Past speakers include: (1) Massachusetts Senator Ben Downing (Chairperson, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy and member of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture) and (2) Trillium Asset Management's Vice Chair, Jack Robinson (a sustainable investing professional) Resume workshops: Net Impact has coordinated resume workshops with Career Services including inviting local professionals working in sustainability to talk to Bentley students about their experiences and help with improving resumes. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) Investment Competition: This competition was designed to give students first-hand experience in researching publicly traded companies that are both profitable and environmentally and socially responsible. Teams of Bentley undergraduate students used the Bloomberg Terminals in Bentley’s Trading Room to conduct research into the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance publicly traded companies as a means to select a winning stock for a pitch to a panel of judges (serving as the asset management company) as an addition to a mock portfolio. Competition judges were Boston sustainable investment professionals who provided feedback to students on the strength of their pitches and quality of their research.

All students are eligible to participate in Net Impact.

Net Impact students receive formal training on climate change and sustainability issues at the beginning of the fall semester each year.

Net Impact is supported by our student budget organization. In advance of each semester Net Impact must submit a budget and be approved. Projects above and beyond are sometimes funded by the Office of Sustainability.