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A Service Learning Course that Engages a Student Workforce to Help Implement Stanford's Sustainability Programs

Jiffy Vermylen, representing Sustainable Stanford, kicked off the afternoon session describing an interactive class at the university entitled, Greening Buildings and Behavior (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Systems 109). This course exemplifies the collaboration of academic and institutional efforts for sustainability.

The climate action plan of Stanford points out a significant wedge for achieving goals of carbon neutrality is through behavioral change. In this engaging service learning class, Cardinal students conduct audits as part of practitioner labs visiting buildings around campus assessing environmental impacts and producing actionable recommendations. Incorporated into the physical audits is observation of behavior, which ties into the climate action plan?s acknowledgment of socially-driven change.

Students interact with both operational staff and academic professors to encounter a range of topics regarding sustainability at Stanford. With such strong interests in the course, internships for the office of sustainability are competitive drawing on much of the work in the Greening Buildings and Behavior class to contend for the positions. The ability of Sustainable Stanford increases with these students? efforts.

Once the classroom?s knowledge is translated to action in the school?s building retrofits, students connect their impact to empowerment. Interns driving this action follow up their year-long appointments to train the next year?s cohort. The cycle continues as more people gain experience, and more tangible results are gained for sustainability at Stanford.

Reports and updates can be found at Sustainable Stanford?s website (http://ssu.stanford.edu/) and Jiffy Vermylen encourages contacting her with any further questions (jiffy.vermylen@stanford.edu).

John Kester
PhD Student, Environmental Dynamics
University of Arkansas
573-286-4482