California State University, Chico
ER-3: Sustainability in New Student Orientation

Summer Orientation runs sessions from June - August each year to introduce incoming freshman and transfer students to the Chico State campus (roughly 90% of incoming students attend a Summer 'O' session). The program offers day-long sessions that include a tour of campus, an introduction to student services and opportunities on campus, and academic advising sessions. The Summer Orientation groups are led by 30-40 student leaders who are recruited each Spring and go through a training program during late Spring / early Summer. Each year during one of their training sessions the Campus Sustainability Coordinator and/or the Associated Students Sustainability Coordinator give a 1 hour presentation to all of the Summer 'O' leaders about campus sustainability efforts, goals, and acheivements - highlighting opportunities for first year students to become involved. The student leaders are each given a free Zipcar membership and asked to point out the cars and discuss alternative transportation options during their tours. They are also given a free Klean Kanteen water bottle - which most carry with them while leading tours - and asked to point out the water-bottle refilling stations in the AS facilities and speak to why this small but highly-visible action is an important part of the day-to-day sustainability lifestyle so many Chico State students embrace. These tour leaders have a lot to cover during each session, but sustainability is given a prominent position as it is a big part of the culture on campus and a key value of the institution.