Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 56.94
Liaison Scott Morgan
Submission Date Dec. 21, 2023

STARS v2.2

Evergreen State College, The
EN-3: Student Life

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Shaina Thompson
Graduate Sustainability Fellow
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Student groups 

Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Yes

Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
The groups listed below are all student-governed.

The Campus Food Bank - TESC Satellite Food Bank, located in the Center for Community Based Learning and Action (CCBLA), was established in 2012 to increase access to food for Evergreen students and members of the community. They are a satellite location of the Thurston County Food Bank (TCFB) and receive a weekly delivery of fresh produce, as well as refrigerated and shelf stable items, from the TCFB. They are open every Tuesday from 4 pm – 6 pm in the CCBLA including week 1 of each quarter and evaluation week.

The Clean Energy Committee - The mission of the Clean Energy Committee is to support the success of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resource conservation at Evergreen. The Clean Energy Committee is a group of students collaborating with campus staff and faculty. It carries the responsibility of representing the student body while appropriating the Clean Energy Fund. This fund was established by the students of Evergreen State College to fuel the progress of renewable energy in the Northwest.

Geoduck Student Union - The Geoduck Union is the official representation of the student body at The Evergreen State College. The Union is committed to unifying students across all Evergreen campuses, serving their interests at the local, state, and national levels and empowering all students to participate in positive social and political chance while fostering a fair and diverse community. The Union works to improve student quality of life by advocating for students' rights and needs, facilitating communication among students, and ensuring a fair balance of power among faculty, staff, administration and students.

Fiber Arts Club
Everyone is welcome at fiber arts club! No matter your skill level or area of interest, there's a place for you. limited supplies for exploration are available, but a good idea to bring a project you're working on!

La Familia
Familia aims to uplift and center Latinx voices and Latinx issues through student solidarity. Our goal is to educate and welcome others to be allies; to learn about prominent issues within our community while also building community.

The Masters of Environmental Studies Association (MESA) hosts events and provides services to increase student involvement with campus and community environmental issues.

S.C.A.R.F
Students for Community Agriculture and Regenerative Farming aim to provide continuity of care to community agricultural spaces on campus, and to inform students about resources in the food and agriculture pathway

WashPIRG
We are The Evergreen State College’s premier student public interest activism group, and have been since he early 1980s. We work to protect the environment and public health, fight hunger on campus and in our community, make college more affordable, and promote civic engagement.

Yes! - Greeners Helping Greeners
We foster community connections and meaningful discussions on campus to address the well-being of students by hosting open events, sharing campus & local resources, and seeking feedback from Greeners. What do you want on campus? We want to say YES!

https://www.evergreen.edu/student-life/student-activities/student-groups

Gardens and farms 

Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
Evergreen has an organic farm and multiple community gardens on campus. Students may work on the farm while studying sustainable agriculture, join a larger teaching garden such as Demeter's garden (managed by the student group Evergreen State Permaculture), or request a small garden plot to manage by themselves, either near the farm or among the residence halls. The farm stocks a farm stand on campus, sells to our on-campus food vendors and donates to the on-campus food bank.

https://www.evergreen.edu/organic-farm

Student-run enterprises 

Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
No

A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
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Sustainable investment and finance 

Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Clean Energy Committee
The Clean Energy Fund was initiated by the students of the Evergreen State College to fuel the progress of renewable energy in the Northwest. The Clean Energy Committee is a group of students collaborating with campus staff and faculty.
The mission of the committee is to support the success of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and resource conservation at Evergreen. We carry the responsibility of representing the interest of the student body as we appropriate the Clean Energy Fund. The fund is designated to offset 100% of the electricity used by Evergreen through renewable energy credits. The committee allocates the remaining fund to students, staff and faculty with goals of reducing the campus carbon footprint through research, education, or implementation. The Clean Energy Committee supports the creation of models for climate solutions through collaborative on-campus research.
https://sites.evergreen.edu/cleanenergy/clean-energy-initiative/

Events 

Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
Evergreen has a long-standing environmentally-themed event - the Rachel Carson Forum, which is is student managed by MESA, the Masters in Environmental Studies Student Association.

https://www.evergreen.edu/academics/graduate-studies/master-environmental-studies/student-resources

Cultural arts 

Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
Yes

A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
The Longhouse "House of Welcome" Education and Cultural Center: A Gathering Place for People of all Cultures. The Longhouse hosts a variety of public programming throughout the year, including an annual community dinner, performances, lectures, films, cultural art workshops, and cultural presentations. In addition to workshops, presentations and performances hosted by the Longhouse, there are several recurring events throughout the year: the annual tribal youth art-making event, Generations Rising, the Fall Community Dinner, and December's Holiday Native Arts Fair.

https://www.evergreen.edu/longhouse

Wilderness and outdoors programs 

Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Evergreen's The Outdoor Program (TOP) provides a variety of outdoors fitness, mountain climbing, snowshoeing, paddling, sailing, surfing, rock climbing, Leave no Trace training, and other camping and hiking activities in the great Pacific Northwest outdoors. TOP serves students at Evergreen as well as students from our local community college.

https://www.evergreen.edu/student-life/recreation

This program is not student-governed.

Sustainability-focused themes 

Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
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Sustainable life skills 

Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
No

A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
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Student employment opportunities 

Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
Graduate Students interested in sustainability are encouraged to apply for Sustainability Fellowships. These project-based fellowships offer students an opportunity to engage with on-going sustainability projects while gaining real-world experience in a variety of key skills.

There are also internships available with the Center for Climate Action and the Sustainability in Prisons Project. As well as work-study positions through the Center for Community-Based Learning & Action.

https://www.evergreen.edu/offices-services/sustainability
https://www.evergreen.edu/academics/centers-institutes/climate/internships
http://blogs.evergreen.edu/sustainableprisons/
https://www.evergreen.edu/communitybasedlearning/center-community-based-learning-and-action

Graduation pledge

Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
No

A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
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Optional Fields

A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
The Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP) is a partnership founded by The Evergreen State College and Washington State Department of Corrections. Their mission is to bring science and nature into prisons. They conduct ecological research and conserve biodiversity by forging collaborations with scientists, inmates, prison staff, students, and community partners. Equally important, they help reduce the environmental, economic, and human costs of prisons by inspiring and informing sustainable practices. Students may engage with both educational and research opportunities.

SPP is co-managed by students, professional staff, and faculty.

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.