Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 79.72
Liaison Emma Blandford
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2012
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Georgia Institute of Technology
ER-1: Student Sustainability Educators Program

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.00 / 5.00 Marcia Kinstler
Sustainability Director
Office of Environmental Stewardship
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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Total number of degree-seeking students enrolled at the institution:
20,941

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Program name (1st program):
Earth Day and Think Green Week

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Number of students served by the program (1st program):
20,941

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (1st program):
Student volunteers spend an hour a week for approximately 6 months planning the Earth Day event on campus, along with Think Green (a week of events preceding Earth Day). Education and awareness are featured and cover a broad range of topics from social entrepreneurship to eco-art to bike repair to movies and concerts. Planning Committee has 12-20 members. Earth Day volunteers number 100-200. Advertisements appear multiple times in the student newspaper and Earth Day/ Think Green Week events are promoted on screens and bulletin boards across campus.

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (1st program):
Students learn the processes associated with budgets, marketing, leadership. Students also learn about environmental impact of thousands of visitors in a day from waste generated via boxes, food, handouts, Tshirts, etc to researching environmentally manufactured and printed Tshirts to Office Surplus recycling programs to clothing recycling.

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A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (1st program):
University’s Recycling Department commits 2 people while other campus departments such as Facilities, Communications & Marketing, and Event Management contribute participants to this weekly meetings for 6 months plus giving them additional time for the programs just before their event days, the day of the events, and for follow-up after the events. Program has a budget of approximately $20K. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to volunteer and participate in Think Green Week and Earth Day programs.

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The website URL for 1st Program:
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Program name (2nd program):
Earth Hour

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Number of students served by the program (2nd program):
20,941

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (2nd program):
Earth Hour celebrations were driven by staff for 2 years, then the program transitioned to students to lead. The Student Government Association used its budget and student volunteers to mold the Earth Hour celebration to more of a student focus and greater student engagement. All students are welcome to volunteer and participate. Estimates are that 1000 students particpate in the campus Earth Hour event.

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (2nd program):
Student Government Officers educate student volunteers involved in this program. Education is tailored to the specific program each volunteer student is working on.

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A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (2nd program):
Student Government Officers oversee the planning, budget, and marketing of this program.

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The website URL for 2nd program:
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Program name (3rd program):
Game Day Recycling

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Number of students served by the program (3rd program):
20,941

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (3rd program):
Student volunteers are recruited from campus, usually through outreach to existing student organizations. Estimated student participation is a total of at least 5000 students attending each game and recycling while there. Plus the 300 student volunteers over the season, but visible to all campus visitors (up to 50,000) each Game Day. Game Day Recycling occurs in the tailgating areas throughout campus and inside the stadium.

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (3rd program):
Students are trained on what items can be recycled, why Georgia Tech encourages everyone to recycle, what other green programs Georgia Tech has. Student engagement is a critical success factor for this program, since Tailgaters want to hear from the students and see their enthusiasm for the program. Started as a pilot, midseason in 2007, it has been operationalized (now via Recycling Department) and grown to include inside the stadium as well as tailgating.

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A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (3rd program):
Recycling, Landscaping, and Athletics partner with students for this program. The cost of the program is covered by the participating departments.

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The website URL for 3rd program:
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Program name (All other programs):
Tech Beautification Day (TBD)

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Number of students served by the program (All other programs):
20,941

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A brief description of how the student educators are selected (All other programs):
Open to all students, faculty, and staff. The 2011 program had 1000-1500 attending. Georgia Tech students, staff and faculty worked to spruce up campus, along with several neighboring communities. More than 50 projects—involving spreading ground cover, planting, painting and trash clean-up—were carried out by student volunteers participating in the annual Tech Beautification Day. Some trees also were planted, in keeping with the Institute’s Tree Campus USA status. http://www.gttbd.org/

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A brief description of the formal training that the student educators receive (All other programs):
This whole project is overseen by students. Campus planting beds were prepped, and facilities worked with [project supervisors] ahead of time to explain the projects and had someone on site for help, but TBD students supervised anywhere from eight to 30 students per project site. Student volunteers plan, organize and facilitate TBD every year. Members of the TBD Executive Committee start planning the initiative in January. Students help raise funds from sponsors, sign up volunteers and get the word out.

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A brief description of the staff and/or other financial support the institution provides to the program (All other programs):
Campus planting beds were prepared, and facilities worked with [project supervisors] ahead of time to explain the projects and had someone on site for help, but TBD students supervised anywhere from eight to 30 students per project site. Facilities also provided three tractor trailers of pine straw, which comprised the bulk of the projects. http://www.whistle.gatech.edu/archives/10/apr/26/tbd.shtml

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The website URL for all other programs:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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