Saint Joseph's College - ME
EN-3: Student Life

EcoReps: The mission of the EcoReps is to serve as peer educators to raise awareness on sustainability issues ranging from waste reduction and diversion, energy efficiency and conservation, to health and well-being, water conservation, and more. There is an open door for more EcoReps to join throughout the semester.
https://www.sjcme.edu/life-and-community/campus-life/clubs/

Saint Joseph’s College now hosts a Pollinator Garden on its nearly 500-acre campus, offers educational outreach programming, and complies with a number of guidelines. The Pollinator Garden Project team on campus involved dozens of students, faculty members from several different departments, fourth graders from Riverton School in Portland, as well as a grant award from Maine Campus Compact to help fund the project.

Additionally, the College owns and operates a freight farm. This 320 square -foot shipping container is a self-contained hydroponics facility inside the body of a freight truck. Produce harvested from the freight farm is served almost daily in the College’s cafeteria. Students learn about food systems, plant cycles, and hydroponic growing techniques.

https://www.sjcme.edu/pressroom/saint-josephs-pursues-sustainability-becomes-first-bee-campus-usa-in-maine/

https://www.sjcme.edu/highlights/how-hydroponic-freight-farming-is-impacting-sustainability-at-saint-josephs-college-with-farm-to-school-product/

The Green Revolving Fund (GRF) is an investment fund that finances energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction, and other sustainability projects on campus, including waste reduction. The Fund provides capital for special projects conducted by Facilities that reduce environmental impact and can repay the fund with cost-savings within seven years.

The mission of the Green Revolving Fund is to encourage environmentally sound technologies and practices on campus. The fund will further the broader academic mission of the College while helping it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and embody the College’s values. The Green Revolving Fund will function as an independent fiscal entity managed by the Sustainability Task Force. The Fund will grow over time by collecting cost-savings from the projects it funds and reinvesting them in new projects, while offering opportunities for engagement and hands-on learning for the College community.

Green Community Fund
A percentage of savings from the Green Revolving Fund energy efficiency projects at the College are being allocated to the Green Community Fund. The Fund will:

Focus on smaller projects that may have longer payback timeframes, or even no financial payback, but that will foster sustainability awareness among members of the College.
Community and empower them to develop their own solutions.
Consider projects proposed by College community members that promote sustainability in education, campus culture, and behavior.
Consider project ideas from all areas of campus, including academic courses, independent student research, student organizations, and academic departments.
Award money that does not necessarily require repayment.

https://www.sjcme.edu/centers/sustainable-communities/

Many sustainability related events have been hosted by Saint Joseph's College. These events vary from year to year. Twelve years ago we began the academic year with our Fall Sustainability Festival and Eat Local Lunch. This event celebrated sustainability and showcased many local vendors who were involved in energy conservation, clean energy, local food and sustainably produced goods. The event was originally planned and implemented by the campus E-Team, but three years ago it changed to a Spring event (during Earth Week) and the student EcoReps became involved as well.

During Campus Sustainability Month, students plan and implement a variety of sustainability-related actives, from campus cleanups to recycled crafts and virtual tours of local recycling and composting companies.

During Earth Week, one or more lecturers are brought to campus and students organize a spring cleanup and movie night (last year they showed The Lorax). Our highlight last year, which has been pushed off to this year due to COVID, is bringing Frances Moore Lappé to campus for a lecture, local dinner, and book signing.

Each year we also show a variety of current eco films. In 2020 we showed Gather and King Corn. In 2021 we ran a eco-shorts film festival as well as a virtual showing of Seeding Change.

As part of the College's civic action plan, the Community Culture (3C) was created. Built on the philosophy that collaboration between communities can create powerful visions and robust strategies for growth, 3C is a place-based interdisciplinary collaboration of campus and community members supporting civic engagement through creative programs and media, and promoting an environmentally sustainable and “socially just presence on Earth. Projects housed within the Collective include exhibits, performances, participatory events, and creative collaborations.

One of our highlights was an art show that celebrated sustainability, after the College received a gift of several paintings by Maine/NY artist Joseph A. Fiore.

The Saint Joseph's College Outdoor Adventure Club is an active club supervised by a faculty member and student-led. Additionally, the College operates a full-functioning Campus Recreation department that engages students in outdoor adventure and leadership experiences throughout the year.

The campus has a sustainability dorm and resident advisors interested/active in sustainability are hired.