Many members of the University
have heard of the Student Sustainability Council, or the SSC, but how many
actually know what it is? Started two
years ago by Rochester undergraduate Megan Dewitt, the council was originally
created to implement a formal tie between the student body and administration
on issues relating to sustainability on campus. The council consists of heads
of all major green groups on campus, including Grassroots, GreenSpace,
Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), and EcoReps, among others.
The main goal of the organization
is for these groups to come together in an effort to make the changes they wish
to see in the University a reality. “I truly believe that the SSC is helping
bring the campus into a more united front for sustainability,” says Student
Sustainability Coordinator Will Finnie. “There are a lot of different ideas and
initiatives within various student groups and administration, and the SSC helps
bring all of those ideas together in one place in order to collaborate towards
our common goal of going greener.”
While the group has been in
existence since 2009, this past academic year has been a turning point in the
council, with collaboration being emphasized more than ever. While the group
has served mainly as a way for students to liaise with administration in the
past, communication between the green groups has been the main focus for 2012,
while the responsibility of synchronizing with administration has shifted to
the Student Sustainability Coordinator.
While the purpose of the council is
general collaboration between green groups on campus, any student, staff, or
faculty member invested in seeing sustainable change on campus is welcome at
meetings. Meeting times vary, please contact Will Finnie for more information.
Written by: Grace Interlichia UR EcoReps Coordinator, 2011-2012 UR Sustainability Communications & Writing Assistant Todd Theatre Costume Intern, 2011-2012 ginterli@u.rochester.edu
Related articles
- What makes a campus green? (fortheloveofschool.wordpress.com)
- From Yellowjackets to Recyclemaniacs (blogs.rochester.edu)
