At a glance
Personifying Alfred State’s commitments to civic engagement and protecting the environment, a group of 10 housing assistants did their part to make sustainability a priority among those living in the college’s residence halls.
Personifying Alfred State’s commitments to civic engagement and protecting the environment, a group of 10 housing assistants did their part to make sustainability a priority among those living in the college’s residence halls.
Throughout the past semester, the housing assistants held 16 programs and events and organized roughly 780 hours’ worth of sustainability-related activities, such as Pot a Plant, in which student residents planted bean plants in recycled containers. Residents also took part in recycling drives, increased efforts to conserve water and energy, and viewed videos that raised awareness about the environmental impact of deforestation, wasted resources, and global warming.
The housing assistants who led the environmentally conscious initiative were Mitchell Colvin, interdisciplinary studies, Campbell; Brian Mitchell, surveying and geomatics engineering technology, Homer; Brock Wright, information technology: web development, Black Creek; Charlotte Rosvold, liberal arts and sciences: adolescent education, Spencer; Kimberly Knight, technology management, Rochester; Taylor DeRosa, human services management, Fairport; Samantha Silvestri, architectural technology, Portville; Curtis Swanton, mechanical engineering technology, East Amherst; Yuki Isogawa, marketing, Osaka, Japan; and Dina Brown, interdisciplinary studies, Rochester.
As a result of their efforts, more than 400 residents – roughly 20 percent of the on-campus population – participated in the sustainability-related programs and events. Troy Morehouse, coordinator of College Housing, said this initiative came about when Residential Services and the Center for Civic Engagement recognized the opportunity for staff members to take a greater hand in encouraging sustainability initiatives within the residence halls.
“The primary goal of these programs and activities was to make residential students more aware of sustainability causes and to become involved in these causes within the residence halls,” Morehouse said.
Jonathan Hilsher, director of the Center for Civic Engagement, said this initiative has been a great way to scale up sustainability-related events and education in residence halls.
“Students have shown great leadership in implementing creative approaches to building more awareness and action around stewardship of natural resources,” said Hilsher.
Morehouse noted that, “Because sustainability and civic engagement are important parts of Alfred State’s mission, it was rewarding to see the housing assistants get excited about educating fellow students on the importance of these topics. Also, it was great to see the students learn how making small changes in their own lives can have a great impact on the future of our planet.”