Strategies for Supporting Student Sustainability Grant Projects

Strategies for Supporting Student Sustainability Grant Projects Nicole Leung Grants Coordinator The Green Initiative Fund, UC Berkeley

AASHE 2010 Conference, Denver CO

Framing the Issue

How do you advise students on making their grant projects successful while also being realistic about what they can accomplish in a limited time frame?

Berkeley Campus Culture • ~35,000 students • Over 30 sustainability student groups • Many institutional barriers

Student Sustainability Forum, Fall 2009 TGIF Grantee 2009 - $18,250

• 33 projects granted money since 2008 (over $700,000) • Ongoing Challenges – Realistic expectations – Time and workload

BicyCal Mobile Bike Repair Days TGIF Grantee 2009 - $12,000

The campus as a learning laboratory

Establish Realistic Expectations • Figure out how to start the conversation early • Help students navigate the campus • Continue to follow up and revise expectations Photo: Students help build the Strawberry Creek Native Plant Nursery TGIF Grantee 2008 - $12,865

Encourage students as change agents

The UC Berkeley Dashboard interactive display, Wurster Hall TGIF Grantee 2008 - $76,750

Berkeley Energy Resources Collective (BERC) Energy Symposium TGIF Grantee 2010 - $5,000

Bridge the Administrative Gap • Facilitate communication between project teams and staff • Leverage committee membership to inform this process Campus and student groups tabling together, Fall 2009

Continuity Leadership development

Nicole Leung nleung1@andrew.cmu.edu 281.702.7133

UC Berkeley TGIF http://tgif.berkeley.edu tgif_info@berkeley.edu 510.643.2992