STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION
(“ECO-REPS”) PROGRAMS:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
AASHE Conference|| October 11, 2010
Workshop Agenda
Welcome & Introductions
 Dissertation Findings Overview
 Guided Discussion

Bottle Tree created by Rice University EcoReps
Photo courtesy of Rice U EcoRep Program
U of Vermont Eco-Reps Program
# of EcoReps
38
Year Started
2004
Compensation $8.25 per hour, average of 4 hours per week
Management
Graduate Fellow is Program Coordinator; Campus
Divided into four sections with student Campus
Coordinator
Institution
Public, 10,371 undergraduates, 1,516 graduate
students
Find More
www.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/
Rice University EcoReps
# of EcoReps
11
Year Started
2006
Compensation $8 per hour, average of 2-3 hours per week funded
per EcoRep
Management
Director of Sustainability. Student "lead" Eco-Rep
serves as primary meeting organizer, trains new EcoReps, and primary liaison with Director of
Sustainability
Institution
Private, 3,279 undergraduates, 2,277 graduate
students, each undergraduate assigned to a
residential college
Barnard EcoReps
# of EcoReps
9-10
Year Started
2007
Compensation $375/semester stipend
Management
Non-hierarchical student leadership. Supported by
an official adviser in the Residential Life & Housing
department, with unofficial advisers in the
Environmental Science Department, The Office of
Capital Management, and Wellwoman (health peereducation program)
Institution
private, 2,360 undergraduates
Find More
barnardecoreps.wordpress.com/
UMass Amherst Eco-Rep Program
# of EcoReps
65
Year Started
2008
Compensation 2-4 credits, depending on position in program
Management
Student-facilitated with guidance from Sustainability
Coordinator
Institution
public, 20,000 undergraduates
Find More
www.umass.edu/ecorep/
Brandeis University Eco-Reps
# of EcoReps
9-12
Year Started
2008
Compensation $9 base an hour for 3 hours a week
Management
Campus Sustainability Coordinator in Facilities
supervises program. Student "Captain" works 5 hours
to help coach new students and provide program
support
Institution
private, 3,500 undergraduates
Find More
www.brandeis.edu/campussustainability/getinvolved
/ecoreps.html
University of Pennsylvania Eco-Reps
# of EcoReps
110
Year Started
2009
Compensation Volunteer Leadership Program
Management
Coordinated by full-time sustainability staff and two
student coordinators
Institution
private, ~10,000
Find More
www.upenn.edu/sustainability/eco-reps.html
Dickinson College Eco-Reps
# of EcoReps
22
Year Started
2009
Compensation Volunteer / $20 per program funding
Management
Center for Sustainability Education oversees paid
EcoReps Student Supervisor who directs program
Institution
Private liberal arts college, 2,600 undergraduates
Elon University Eco-Reps
# of EcoReps
7
Year Started
2009
Compensation $250/semester stipend
Management
Sustainability Coordinator with paid Eco-Reps
Student Coordinator who leads the program
Institution
Private, 5,000 undergraduates
Learn More
www.elon.edu/e-web/bft/sustainability/specoreps.xhtml
2010 Dissertation Highlights
Peer To Peer Sustainability Outreach Programs:
The Interface Of Education And Behavior Change
 Examination
of Eco-Rep Program Characteristics
 Program
coordinator survey
 Case studies of administrative structure from four
campuses
 University
of Vermont Eco-Reps Program
Evaluation
Waste Sort @ UVM
Full document available at
www.uvm.edu/~ecoreps/about/downloads/Erickson_Disseration_March2010.pdf
Program Sustainability Indicators
Comparison Framework
adapted from (Savaya, et al 2008)
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Project Design &
Implementation
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Program theory
Demonstratable
effectiveness
Program
flexibility
Human resources
Financial
resources
Program
evaluation

Organizational
Setting

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Organizational
stability &
flexibility
Program
champions
Managerial
support &
flexibility
Integration in the
organization

Factors in
Broader
Community
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Community
support
Political
legitimation
Socioeconomic
context
Evaluation of UVM Program

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Program
Characteristics and
Demographics
Campus Utilities
Analysis
Residential Student
Survey
Stakeholder Interviews
and Focus Groups
Eco-Rep Feedback

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Educational
Impact
Ecological and
Financial Impact
Cultural Impact
Areas of
Improvement
Elements of a Successful Program

Program Design
 Stated
guiding theory
 Access to necessary financial & physical resources

Program Implementation
 Training
for students and coordinators
 Clearly defined expectations & accountability
 Appropriate internal & external communication
channels
 Collaboration across the campus
 Methods for feedback & evaluation
Guided Discussion
1. How can we broaden our
audience and collaborate
across campus?
Resources:
www.collegiateclimatecollab.com
2. What skills or resources
do student peer educators
need and how can we
provide them?
3. How can we best use
student facilitation within
programs?
4. What tools and practices,
such as social marketing
and social media, do
students need to know
about?
Resources: http://sites.google.com/site/campussustainmedia/resources
5. How can our program
goals and objectives evolve
with institutional/societal
needs?
6. How can cross-institutional
Eco-Reps collaboration
benefit and strengthen
programs?
Contact Us
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Sarah Brylinsky, Sustainability Education Coordinator, Dickinson College
brylinss@dickinson.edu
Janna Cohen-Rosenthal, Sustainability Coordinator, Brandeis University
jannacr@brandeis.edu
Elaine R. Durr, Sustainability Coordinator, Elon University
edurr@elon.edu
Christina Erickson, Sustainability Director, Champlain College
cerickson@champlain.edu
Claire Fram, Eco-Rep, Barnard College
barnardecoreps@gmail.com
Julian Goresko, Sustainability Student Outreach Associate, U of Penn
goresko@upenn.edu
Richard R. Johnson, Director of Sustainability, Rice University
rrj@rice.edu
Josh Stoffel, Sustainability Coordinator, U of Massachusetts, Amherst
jstoffel@admin.umass.edu