I am a graduate student at Duke University and a current board member of AASHE.  As an undergraduate at UC San Diego, I was an intern for the Green Campus Program, and the program was co-administered by the Alliance to Save Energy and UC San Diego Facilities Management.  While a part of this internship program (2007-2009), other interns and I, as well as several engineering students, worked on the planning, implementation, documentation, and follow-up aspects of getting our Campus Services Complex LEED-certified.  The practice of involving students in LEED projects continues at UC San Diego, and has expanded both in terms of the number of students involved in these projects and the number of LEED projects on campus.

My supervisor and I presented about the experience of student-staff collaboration on LEED at the 2009 UC/CSU/CCC Sustainability Conference and a PPT of that presentation is available here (starts at slide 46).  I can give you a brief assessment of the experience from a student perspective, and take a shot at the pros and cons of this approach from an administrative perspective.  Personally, I gained a lot of practical experience with LEED that allowed me to earn my LEED AP and as well as invaluable knowledge about the structure and workings of universities.  From an administrator's perspective, we (students) provided low-cost support to facilities staff in terms of engaging campus stakeholders about institutional practices and collecting documentation for LEED certification.  The primary downside to this approach is that students are more transient than staff, so ensuring that knowledge gained from graduating students is transferred to incoming students is critical.  This links to a recent story about the project with some comments from an administrator on the role of students.

If you have more specific questions about this approach at UC San Diego, please feel free to contact me (erika.kociolek@duke.edu) and I can do my best to respond and/or direct you to staff and students currently working on these projects at UC San Diego.

Hope this helps!

Erika

In addition to driving down costs, engaging students in the LEED documentation process can be a fantastic learning opportunity – both as an academic experience and for future jobs training. Students can participate in green building efforts through a variety of programs, including internships, course work, and volunteer opportunities. Please contact Jaime Van Mourik at the U.S. Green Building Council for more information, including specifics about some of the critical tasks students can lead or participate in to promote green buildings on their campuses.

Jaime Van Mourik
Manager, Higher Education Sector
U.S. Green Building Council
jvanmourik@usgbc.org