The ASUA Sustainability Program is an official coalition of student leaders whose mission is to:
-Transform the University of Arizona’s campus into a learning laboratory of sustainable technologies through proactive student involvement, education and outreach,
-Demonstrate how higher education’s ideas can be turned into real world solutions,
-Ensure President Shelton’s accountability to the President’s Climate Commitment.
The ASUA Sustainability Program's vision is to make the University of Arizona’s water, energy and material usage more ecologically sustainable and to provide students with the practical knowledge and skills needed to successfully carry out green projects on campus as well as in a real-life setting for years to come.
Learn more about the program here.
In the spring of 2005, a student club called Participating Agents in Resource Allocation for Sustainable Living (PARASOL) formed to address sustainability issues on campus. Its mission is twofold: to address water use on the UA campus, and to facilitate cooperation among student groups, faculty, staff and the greater community. PARASOL's goal is to work with UA officials and decision-makers to increase the sustainability of campus operations. Through the hard work of its student volunteers, PARASOL has successfully implemented two on-campus rainwater harvesting demonstrations and secured over $20,000 in funding. The demonstrations can be found at the Aerospace and Mechancial Engineering Building, 1130 N. Mountain Avenue, and the Meinel Optical Sciences Building, 1630 E. University Blvd. PARASOL's third rainwater harvesting demonstration, at the UA Visitors Center, 811 N. Euclid Avenue, is under construction and will include UA's first cisterns and a 4 kW photovoltaic system to increase the building's energy efficiency.
For more information contact Richard Rushforth at rushfort@email.arizona.edu or Angela Seidler at angie@email.arizona.edu.
Residence Life is dedicated to preserving the environment as we facilitate a daily recycling program in each of twenty three residence halls. We provide valuable education to all residents, enabling students to become more ecologically sensitive, responsible individuals. We also coordinate a massive effort at hall move-in and closing to capture as much recycling and reusable items as possible. At hall closing, we gather and donate about 10,000 pounds of clothing and 4,000 pounds of non-perishable food items for local charities.
In addition to recycling, Directors of Sustainability, or "ECO-REPS," volunteer from each hall to assist in the functioning of the Sustainability and Recycling Program. Their mission is to promote sustainable lifestyles, model sustainable living, and point out environmental injustices and take appropriate action. . They attend weekly meetings to increase their understanding of sustainable issues, participate in community service, assist with coordination of Earth Hour and Earth Day activities, and help run the nationwide and hall-wide recycling competition Recycle Mania. Directors of Sustainability work with the Coordinator of Sustainability Education, and as they develop their skills, they pass on knowledge to others in their halls and to the community at large.
To become involved with the ECO-REPS or for general questions about the program, please e-mail Jill Burchell at recycling@life.arizona.edu.
The SWES Club, a student organization in the Dept. of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, aims to promote interest in the environment by students, faculty and professionals, and to increase communication among these groups. We build awareness and education of the environment and related issues through outdoor activities, educational tours, guest speakers, volunteer efforts, and social events.
Learn more about the SWES Club here.
The Arizona Student Recycling Association is an officially recognized University of Arizona club founded in 2001 to help voice student concerns about a lack of recycling in the area around the university. If you think it's strange that you can't recycle your Starbuck's cup on University Blvd or your water bottles at your apartment complex, you're not alone. Members of ASRA believe that a large portion of UA students, faculty, and staff agree that recycling should be offered in these student-oriented areas.
ASRA aims to bring students together through petitions, meetings and awareness events to voice these concerns and begin a dialogue between local businesses and the campus community. These businesses benefit substantially from their connections to the UA community, and we thus aim to work with them in order to develop a more well-rounded waste management policy that incorporate the concerns of all interested stakeholders.
© 2008 Arizona Board of Regents
