University of Houston - Downtown
PRE-2: Points of Distinction

SUSTAIN is a USDA opportunity to Support Undergraduate Sustainable Technology and Agricultural Needs. This is a valuable opportunity to engage in an experiential learning program which focuses on creating solutions to current issues in food production or sustainable urban systems. The program will include the integration of environmental science, societal concerns and technology. All majors are encouraged to apply as successful sustainability initiatives require input from business, education, psychology, engineering, biology and many other fields. The SUSTAIN program includes involvement in courses on sustainability as part of the program. The program also involves a paid summer internship for 6-8 weeks at a local agency, non-profit or company that is of interest to each particular student. Students will be expected to be engaged in the program on Fridays and have 6-8 weeks of the summer free for the internship. Students will also present findings at a meeting in which travel is covered if necessary.

Eco-Reps is a group of students working in collaboration with the Center for Urban Agriculture & Sustainability. These students promote sustainable behavior on campus as well as implement green initiatives. Eco-Reps reach out to their fellow students, faculty, and staff in order to collaborate on projects, green initiatives, and raise awareness about sustainability. Eco-Reps are exposed to sustainable ideas and initiatives on a weekly basis where they then spread that information to our campus community. Eco-Reps are selected through an application process and are paid a small stipend for engaging in their initiatives. Not only do Eco-Reps gain important knowledge and skills about sustainability, UHD is the better for what they bring to our campus.

UHD’s Center for Urban Agriculture and Sustainability (CUAS) has the vision of providing Houston citizens with the knowledge and resources to build sustainable neighborhoods throughout the city. CUAS is committed to developing sustainable solutions and raising student awareness in order to create stable urban ecosystems, reduce carbon emissions and increase urban food production. The Sustainability Initiative was created so that UHD students can carry out their own projects in sustainability or urban agriculture.


Proposal Focus

The focus of the proposal can be any project that will promote and or build sustainable practices at UHD or the greater Houston community. Specific areas of interest will be projects that address hunger, food waste and urban food production or more generally making UHD and the Houston community more sustainable. Projects are welcome from UHD students in all colleges of the university.