Carnegie Mellon University
EN-3: Student Life

There are several student groups focused on sustainability at Carnegie Mellon University: Sustainable Earth, Strong Women/Strong Girls, Net Impact, Engineers Without Borders, Heinz College Smart Growth Club, Women@SCS (School of Computer Science), Solar Splash, Pugwash, the Explorers Club. Detailed descriptions of each of these groups and links to their individual websites and contact information can be found at the Environment at CMU website "Get Involved".

The Winthrop Street Community Garden in the Oakland residential area is a city lot with raised beds available for students and neighbors to plant flowers and vegetables. Our university dining service provider offers a Farmers Market throughout academic semesters. Nearby, Phipps Conservatory offers a Farmers Market during the summer and fall. See also details about student-built hoop houses for winter gardening around Pittsburgh, and on the roof of Phipps Conservatory, described in OP-8 with story link. In addition, as described in OP-8. architecture students in Professor Josh Bard's studio have been designing and building hoop houses for year-round urban farming in Pittsburgh neighborhoods for the past four years. More information at: https://gardens.everybodyshops.com/innovative-cold-frame/

"Net Impact is a network of emerging business leaders committed to using the power of business to create a better world.” The Net Impact chapter at the Tepper School of Business has a mission to promote the education and understanding of business ethics and corporate sustainability and responsibility among MBA students and other interested graduate students at Carnegie Mellon University. Net Impact views their organizational mission in terms of the triple bottom line – enhancing people, profit, and environment.

There are several microfinance opportunities for student entrepreneurs on the CMU campus that also provide mentoring in business leadership. The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship (https://www.cmu.edu/swartz-center-for-entrepreneurship/index.html) sponsors the Olympus Incubator Program, through which students can receive $5000 micro-grants through the Spark Grant Fund. The Swartz Center also sponsors the McGinnis Venture Competition (https://www.cmu.edu/swartz-center-for-entrepreneurship/events/mcginnis-venture-competition/index.html#coaching) that allows student entrepreneurs to showcase their startup companies to real-world investors to compete for seed capital. In 2017, the first-place winner, Robotany, received $25,000 to advance their urban robotic vertical farming company. Second-place winners, Teratronix, received $15K and the third-place winner, a company called 101, received $10,000 to support building active learning tools that promote student engagement in college STEM course. Undergraduate entrepreneurs can also compete in the CMU Venture Challenge. https://www.cmu.edu/tepper/news/stories/2017/march/2017-03-30-mcginnis-competition-winners.html

Sustainability Weekend is a 3-day conference that aims to showcase the larger context of sustainability, bringing people to the table who may not normally engage with one another on this topic. This year's theme 'Sustainability, Inclusivity and Equity' seeks to bring students, professionals, and community members together through informational and interactive events and spark diverse conversations about sustainability that transcend discipline, socio-economics background, race, physical ability, age and lifestyle. We will be covering a diverse range of topics including social injustice, sustainable eating, constructive climate communication, intersectional technology and innovation, and the role of arts and expression.

ArtPark Lab Carnegie Mellon students are invited to be a part of a new green space on campus: The ArtPark Lab on Forbes Avenue. The 4621-4628 block of Forbes Avenue has been transformed into a temporary ArtPark Lab, where Carnegie Mellon students can enliven the busy Oakland street with both art and environmental projects. All types of student are encouraged: visual art, performance art, installations, etc.

The Explorer's Club at Carnegie Mellon University is a student run organization dedicated to bringing together people with an interest in the outdoors since 1959. The Club organizes activities such as rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, caving, hiking, backpacking, flat and white water boating, sailing, skydiving, mountain biking, scuba diving, and more. On Explorers Club trips, members should follow the seven Leave No Trace principles.

In its Strategic Plan 2025, Carnegie Mellon includes among its goals, "Encourage individuals to pursue a high quality of life, to develop their talents and interests and to value physical, emotional and spiritual health throughout their lifetimes." Although the plan contains recommendations to go even further than we currently do to achieve this goal, we currently do a great deal. Efforts particularly related to students include the following: To promote being physically active Athletics, Aquatics, and Recreational and Fitness facilities are state of the art and available for the CMU community with a valid CMU ID. There are 70+ Group X-ercise classes offered a week at no cost to the faculty, staff, and students. A monthly BeWell@CMU newsletter offers a comprehensive resource for CMU students, faulty, and staff regarding wellness inspired events, announcement, and professional and personal development opportunities. The Mindfulness room, open 24 hours a day, is a space to rest, breathe, and relax with no agenda. A free subscription to Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app is available to faculty, students, and staff. A variety of meditation sessions are provided to the campus community. The Mindful Living course, Mental Health First Aid, Project Smile, and Thrive are programs offered. Nutrition services and education are provided through a collaboration with Dining Services and University Health Services. Dining Services makes it a priority to implement programs and practices that are healthier for the CMU community and the environment. Dining vendors on CMU’s campus purchase foods from local farms and vendors to help support the Pittsburgh community, provide fresher foods and cut down on pollution. Dining Services also provides a nutrition calculator and advice for special dining needs including vegan; vegetarian; kosher; halal and food allergies. Please see additional details of our Sustainable Dining practices in OP-8. A comprehensive approach through University Health Services includes Green Dot training, LGBTQIA+ care, Unconscious Bias training, Safe Zone, and Collegiate Recovery Community. Counseling & Psychological Services (CaPS) provides a safe, confidential environment for students, faculty, staff, and family members to talk about personal and academic concerns. Community initiatives for health educational programs are presented by the Peer Health Advocates. The Health Promotion Team supports the health and well-being of the CMU community through clinical services, health education programs and campus initiatives. Every three years University Health Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, and University Athletics partner with Institutional Research and Analysis to conduct a Community Health Assessment on the Pittsburgh campus. Our goal is for everyone to come to campus healthy and leave healthier by using the resources provided to them. There are multiple web links for these programs. See Notes section in addition to link below.

Facilities Management and Campus Services offers Green Practices Internships for students during each semester and over the summer.

University Health Services Nutrition https://www.cmu.edu/health-services/nutrition/index.html Dining Services https://www.cmu.edu/dining/our-food/index.html Dining Services Sustainability https://www.cmu.edu/dining/sustainability/index.html Nutrition Calculator https://www.cmu.edu/dining/our-food/nutrition-calculator.html Special Dining Needs https://www.cmu.edu/dining/our-food/special-dietary-needs.html Athletics http://athletics.cmu.edu/landing/index Fitness http://athletics.cmu.edu/fitness/index Group X-ercise http://athletics.cmu.edu/fitness/groupx Group X On Demand Fitness Classes http://athletics.cmu.edu/fitness/ondemand Athletics, Aquatics, Fitness, Recreation Facilities http://athletics.cmu.edu/fitness/facilities Campus Wellness Be Well https://www.cmu.edu/wellness/be-well/index.html Campus Wellness Mindfulness https://www.cmu.edu/wellness/index.html Mindfulness Initiatives https://www.cmu.edu/wellness/be-mindful/index.html Mindfulness Training https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/february/mindfulness-training-and-health.html Enhancing Campus Culture Initiatives https://www.cmu.edu/wellness/be-connected/index.html University Health Services https://www.cmu.edu/health-services/index.html University Health Services Stress Management Resources https://www.cmu.edu/health-services/stress-management/stress-management.html Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) https://www.cmu.edu/counseling/index.html Counseling and Psychological Services Resources https://www.cmu.edu/counseling/resources/index.html University Health Services Health Promotion https://www.cmu.edu/health-services/health-promotion/index.html