Day: February 24, 2020

How to Develop Strategies to Create College Campus Sustainability

Renewable electricity. Fair trade. Racism. Gender discrimination. Composting.
As more colleges and universities are increasing their commitment to sustainability, higher industry professionals are looking to develop and implement innovative practices on campus.
In June, UVM will offer the Campus Sustainability Leadership Professional Certificate, a five-day program where participants can find strategies for achieving sustainability goals on campus.

Campus Sustainability at UVM

UVM, which ranked number three in the 2018 Top 50 Green School survey by the Princeton Review, is a national leader in campus sustainability.
After expanding its recycling efforts in the early 2000s, UVM introduced composting to the campus in 2009 and banned the sale of plastic water bottles in 2013. Two years later, the University introduced a sustainability course requirement for all undergraduates.
The University has also taken steps in recent years to address social issues. UVM created an Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the University offers gender inclusive restrooms and housing. UVM gives students the opportunity to select their own identity and choose a pronoun for themselves.
Tatiana Abatemarco, PhD, teaches in the UVM Environmental Studies program and is a lead faculty member in the Campus Sustainability certificate program. She says this year’s program will go beyond the environmental focus of sustainability to also highlight social sustainability.
“Sustainability encompasses economic, environmental, and social issues,” Abatemarco says.“But the social piece has been downplayed in the sustainable community, and the University is trying to tackle that. Racism, classicism, gender discrimination are topics we’re going to build on this year.”

Creating College Campus Sustainability

Participants in the program will spend time on the UVM campus and also explore other locations during field trips to Champlain College, a small private college, as well as Shelburne Farms, a working farm and leader in sustainable education.
“Our program offers a compact experience and brings participants to a campus that has been working on these issues for decades,” Abatemarco says. “The program creates a lot of networking opportunities. Students network with each other and have exposure to people in the physical plant, as well as to educators and people from outside UVM. At the end of the week, people leave with big tool box, including many connections.”
Thomas Kovacs, a professor of meteorology at Eastern Michigan University, attended the Campus Sustainability Leadership Professional Certificate in 2018. He found the networking aspect to be one of the most rewarding parts of the program.
“Networking with other students and getting exposure to others to learn how they got started and how they received funding was very valuable,” says Kovacs, chair of the President’s Commission on Sustainability at Eastern Michigan University.
In the UVM program, participants will:
  • Develop a plan to address a specific sustainability issue on campus using Design Thinking principles
  • Explore funding options for clean energy projects on campus and socially responsible investing in higher education
  • Learn about specific design and planning issues for sustainable building practices
  • Exchange ideas with other sustainability professionals from across the country
  • Discuss partnership opportunities and leveraging community organizations
  • Develop skills as a systems thinker and learn new approaches for applying systems thinking to problems
  • Participate in site visits, lectures and panel discussions
Abatemarco says UVM is an ideal place to offer such a program as the University has set a positive example using sustainable practices. For example, 100 percent of undergraduates are required to take courses in sustainability, 100 percent certified renewable electricity is purchased for campus, and 13 campus buildings have attained LEED certification.
“My hope is that participants in the program will hone in on a specific goal to take back to their individual campus,” she says. “Most of all, I want them to answer the question, ‘What fits in with my line of work and what am I excited about?’”
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How to Look Like a Successful Entrepreneur

When you are trying to get a new business off the ground, it is not enough to just think that you are going to succeed. You need to feel like you are going to succeed, and in order to do this, you need to put yourself into a special mindset, and have the appearance of a successful entrepreneur, even if you are struggling. The more successful you look to others, the better your chances will be of actually succeeding, because people are going to naturally gravitate to you. Here are some tips to help you look like the most successful entrepreneur in the world.
  1. Love what You Do – If you don’t love what you are doing, chances are that your business is not going to be a successful one. You need to really want to be doing this. Many people don’t realize just how much work really goes into being an entrepreneur, and the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who are happy to be going to work every day and not dreading it because they hate what they are doing.
  2. Take it Seriously – When you are an entrepreneur, there is only one person who is completely responsible for your business at the end of the day, and that is you. So, you need to take your business very seriously. Sure, you can have fun and enjoy what you do, but you also need to really believe in what you are doing in order to be able to make others really believe in you as an entrepreneur.
  3. Look Good – “While not everyone is going to be movie star gorgeous, you can still strive to always look your best, which includes taking care of your teeth so you have a great looking smile,” says Dr. Ella Dekhtyar from Broadway Family Dental. Always dress the part, and flash a winning smile at everyone you meet. When you look great and appear to be confident, this is going to attract people to you and your business. If you look dumpy and rarely smile, people are going to check out your competition instead.
  4. Ask for Help – It is true that no man is an island, and no man stands alone. Everyone needs help at one time or another, especially when it comes to starting a new business. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. It doesn’t make you look incompetent or like a failure. It shows you as someone who really cares about their business, and wants to make it as great as they possibly can. It also shows that you are willing to take and use advice, and that you have an open mind.
  5. Fake It – You are not going to be a success in everything, and there are going to be failures. But, no one has to know about those failures. Even if you are still in the struggling new stages of your business, don’t let it show. Fake it, and no one is going to know the difference. In fact, the more you fake it, the more your personal attitude is going to change to fit what you are trying to convey to the rest of the world.
  6. Remember Your Customers – A business is only as good as its customer base. If you are not respecting the customer, they are not going to respect you, and they will not see you as someone who they want to do business with. Everything you do for your business, including policies, payment options, hours of operation, warranties, etc. must focus around the customer. Without customers, there is no business, period, and you aren’t going to be seen as a successful entrepreneur.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzOJDJZHoBttdHAjJsnN9w?sub_confirmation=1