Rice University’s Office of Sustainability is celebrating Campus Sustainability Month (CSM) this October. Student organizations, campus departments and community partners that advance sustainability on campus and within Houston recently gathered at Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall Oct. 16 to demonstrate the variety of sustainable practices available on campus and to the Rice community.
“Sustainability does not happen in a silo but rather requires deep collaboration to make long-term, impactful changes,” said Kristianna Bowles, associate director in the Office of Sustainability. “The 33 groups that joined us for our third annual Campus Sustainability Day represent a variety of stakeholder groups from student organizations and campus departments to local nonprofits and government entities. Their combined efforts across various areas of sustainability, ranging from renewable energy and transportation to public health and conservation, make our community and planet cleaner and healthier. We are so proud to celebrate and highlight their efforts and make our Rice community aware of new ways they can get involved. After all, you can’t spell ‘sustainability’ without ‘us.’”
Held every October, CSM is an international celebration of sustainability in higher education. Throughout the month, colleges and universities organize events to engage and inspire incoming students and other campus stakeholders to become sustainability change agents.
Participating groups include Rice student organizations (EcoReps, Graduate Student Association Sustainability Committee, inThread, Rice Agua Vida, Rice Bikes, Rice Justice Project, Rice Student Birding Club, Rice Urban Agriculture, Rice Vegan Society, Rice Wildlife Conservation Club, Rice Wind Energy, Student Association Environmental Commission and Sunrise Rice); Rice departments (Arboretum Committee; Center for Career Development; Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences; Environmental Health Safety and Laboratory Operations; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Fondren Library Green Team; Office of Sustainability; Rice Holistic Garden; Rice Hospitality; SAFE Office; and Staff Council) and community entities (Air Alliance Houston, Center for Health and Nature, Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation, ConnectSmart, Harris County Office of Sustainability, Houston-Galveston Area Council, METRO and Moonshot Compost).
The goal of CSM is to raise the visibility of campus sustainability and provide advocates with a platform to deepen engagement around sustainability. It provides opportunities to recruit new leaders and set goals for the rest of the year. It also fits squarely into the goals of the Office of Sustainability and supports the office’s overall mission.
Rice’s sustainability program started in December 2004 and plays an active role in various topics, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, combating climate change, improving water and energy efficiency, supporting new construction in green ways, improving recycling, reducing solid waste disposal, championing the university’s composting program, embedding environmental education in thoughtful ways into the curriculum and using the campus as a living laboratory for learning about sustainability and connecting student project work with opportunities to improve the campus’ environmental performance.
Although October features CSM, sustainability is a year-round priority at Rice, and the office continually showcases its creativity in engaging the community.
For more information about the Office of Sustainability, visit its website.