The 2011 Students’ Guide to Sustainable Living at Stanford includes current updates from students and the Office of Sustainability, incorporating input from sustainability professionals, student groups, faculty departments, and staff organizations. Endorsed by the Freshman Dean’s Office (Undergraduate Advisory & Research) and sent electronically to each incoming student, this guide will be presented during the orientation events this fall.
Students are a driving force behind improving campus sustainability and promoting change. Please click each topic below to see more ways students can join the sustainability efforts on campus.
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get in on the action
get in on the action
Help make sustainability happen on campus or in the world through one of many student groups. Organize events, get dirty at the Community Farm, work on a solar car, pursue engineering and environmental law interests and much more.
Champion sustainability as a Green Living Coordinator for your dorm or house. Encourage your fellow residents to reduce their water and energy usage through creative and fun ways and help your dorm win the Annual Conservation Cup. Learn more at the Green Living Council website.
Make sustainability a habit. Small daily decisions can add up to create big change! There are plenty of on-campus resources to discover easy ways to reduce your environmental impact. Just a few are listed below:
- Planning an Event? Check out the new Greening Events at Stanford booklet (2010) that helps groups to plan and execute a more environmentally sustainable event. Sections provide education on food choices and catering, zero waste, communication, transportation, and post-event considerations specific to Stanford. A master checklist provides a comprehensive resource for all event organizers. While the guide includes recommendations for improving the sustainability of campus events, it does not represent university requirements nor is there a certification for events. Click here to download the complete 2010 Greening Events at Stanford booklet. For questions regarding the guide, contact Fahmida Ahmed.
- Visit the Parking and Transportation Services (PT&S) website to learn more about alternative transportation around campus, including information on the Marguerite, Stanford's free public bus system, as well as Zimride, Stanford's carpooling network. PT&S also publishes a useful pamphlet on ways to get around Stanford without a car. Click here to learn more about Stanford's alternative transportation options.
- For presentations and group discussions, you can also download the"Living Green on The Farm" (2008) info sheet for tips on simple steps you can take to make your lifestyle more sustainable. Also, check out the the Sustainable Choices card. Created in 2007 by a group of Earth Systems students, this pocket card provides simple tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Visit the Sustainable Choices website to learn more about small changes that can impact our environment.
take a class (or three)
take a class (or three)
Stanford offers a host of sustainability courses and programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels (check out this in-depth list of sustainability-focused and sustainability-related classes). A sampling of these opportunities is provided below. For more information on environmental programs, visit Stanford’s Environmental Portal.
CEE/ES 109: Greening Buildings & Behavior
is a sustainability-focused service learning course offered each winter quarter. Co-sponsored by the Office of Sustainability and the Woods Institute for the Environment, the course supports the Building Level Sustainability Program (BLSP), an individual, action-based resource conservation program implemented at the building level. CEE/ES 109 features an overview of operations-based sustainability via presentations from faculty and staff experts on energy, water, buildings, waste, and food systems, as well as hands-on, practical training to enable students to become sustainability coordinators for their dorms or departments. The final class project requires students to complete building-level audits and create recommendations for behavior-based program implementation within a strategically selected building. For more information, please consult the following:
- 2012 CEE/ES 109 syllabus
- 2011 CEE/ES 109 syllabus and final projects
- 2010 CEE/ES 109 syllabus and final projects
In addition, class participants have the opportunity to capitalize on the final project momentum and join the Office of Sustainability as interns to help transform their proposals into action.
I-Earth (Introduction to the Earth)
is a collection of undergraduate classes designed to provide an introduction to the natural world. I-Earth classes are a great way to explore the intersection of human and environmental systems for undergrads of all majors. Learn more.
E-IPER, the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources,
is a PhD program aimed at bringing together different disciplines to solve environmental problems and training a new generation of environmental leaders.Learn more.
Earth Systems
provides undergraduates with the knowledge and skills to address environmental issues of many different forms. The program awards both B.S. and M.S. degrees and has been a model for other schools. Learn more.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
focuses on developing solutions for real-world sustainability challenges through training in building design, water and air quality. The CEE umbrella also includes an Atmosphere/Energy major, which focuses on renewable energy technologies. Learn more.
The School of Earth Sciences
has majors in geological and environmental sciences, geophysics, and energy resources engineering, among others. Learn more.
Hopkins Marine Station,
located in Monterey Bay, offers marine biology classes during winter and spring quarters for both undergraduate and graduate students. HMS also hosts Stanford at Sea and Holistic Biology, 16-unit field classes for undergraduates that each entail approximately 5 weeks at sea and are taught on alternate years. Learn more.
The Bing Overseas Studies Program
provides opportunities for students to spend a quarter abroad at Stanford programs in different countries around the globe. A number of the different programs have environmental classes and opportunities for environmental research or service-learning projects. Learn more.
Overseas Seminars
are three-week classes taught at the end of summer each year at different locations around the globe. Topics change annually, and previous environmental seminars include, "Turkey at the Crossroads of Energy, Sustainability, and Geography," "The Evolution of Darwin," and "Energy and Development in the Brazilian Amazon." Learn more.
Alternative Spring Break
trips expose students to new ideas through hands-on learning experiences. Past environmental topics include “Energy and Development in Appalachia,” and “Food, Water and Energy.” In addition to participating in an ASB trip, you can create and lead your own. Learn more.
The Jasper Ridge Docent Program
teaches students about local ecology and field techniques at Stanford’s own Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, while providing training for students to act as tour guides and educators for community members who visit the preserve. Learn more.
Stanford’s Outdoor Education Program
teaches wilderness and backpacking skills through a one-unit class each quarter. They also train leaders for SPOT, also known as Stanford Pre-Orientation Trips, which lead incoming freshmen on week-long backpacking trips. Learn more.
Sustainability and Related Internships
Sustainability and Related Internships
Take your interest in the environment to the next level with a summer or school-year internship. Stanford has a plethora of resources for both on and off-campus opportunities.
Internships with the Office of Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability employs 2 to 3 part-time interns every quarter. The positions are currently full. For new internship announcements, you can check here periodically, check in with a representative from Students for A Sustainable Stanford, or email Office of Sustainability staff.
Internships with PSSI/Stanford Recycling
PSSI/Stanford Recycling employs interns to help with its mission of a Zero Waste Stanford. Positions offered throughout the year. Contact PSSI/Stanford Recycling for current openings. Learn more.
Internships with Stanford Dining's Sustainable Food Program
Stanford Dining employs 2 Sustainability Interns, up to 5 Student Gardeners, and 2 Compost Coordinators throughout the academic year. Positions regularly open during the year. Check Stanford Dining's website for current openings.
The Goldman Honors Program
enables select seniors to pursue interdisciplinary research and analyze problems in small-group seminars. Many students have won awards and published their theses in peer-reviewed publications. Learn more.
The Stanford Office of Science Outreach
provides information on a number of on-campus research internships, including research at SLAC and in biomedical fields. Learn more.
Undergraduate Academic Life
offers a number of small and large grants for pursuing research or independent study topics. Learn more.
Multidisciplinary Centers and Institutes at Stanford
are a great place to look for environmental internships. Learn more.
Stanford's Career Development Center
has listings of jobs and internships, as well as a network of alumni in different fields who are available for contact. Learn more.
Many Department and Majors
have their own grant programs for internships and research. Most have suggested projects as well as opportunities for students to propose their own research. Check the Stanford academic departments webpage for your major for more information.