Student Organizations
UWSP offers a variety of extra-curricular opportunities
for students. Many of these options revolve around natural
resources, the environment, and what we can do to protect
the earth and keep it green. Here's more information about
these “green” student organizations and their
accomplishments.
Environmental Student Organizations
*Earth
Week Committee
– Earth Week Committee's
mission is to organize and implement activities,
events and demonstrations during the week of
April 22 for the benefit of students, staff,
faculty and the public with the hope of
increasing awareness of sustainable ideas and
practices. For information on becoming a
member,
please email Earth Week Committee, ewc@uwsp.edu.
*Environmental
Council
– The Environmental Council’s mission is to create and
develop ecological awareness and an environmental concern
throughout campus and the surrounding community
. For
information on becoming a member,
please email Environmental Council, envcncl@uwsp.edu.
*Environmental
Education and Naturalists Association (EENA) –
The Environmental Education and Naturalists Association’s
mission is to promote awareness and understanding of the
natural world and its function, promote skills and
professionalism in environmental education and
interpretation, and promote environmental action. EENA hosts
the Earth Day and Eco-Fair activities on campus each year.
For information on becoming a member,
please email EENA, eena-nai@uwsp.edu.
*Izaak
Walton League
– The Izaak Walton League’s mission is to assist in
preserving and improving our natural resources
and promote student interest with practical
experience in resource management techniques. For
information on becoming a member, please
email the Izaak Walton League, iwla@uwsp.edu.
*Society of Ecological Restoration
(SER) – The Society of Ecological
Restoration’s mission is to develop an ecological awareness
and assist in the recovery and management of ecological
integrity by learning the ecological processes of natural
ecosystems through awareness, ecological presentations, and
hands-on experiences. For information on becoming a member,
please email SER, ecorest@uwsp.edu.
*Soil and Water Conservation
Society of America
– The Soil and Water Conservation Society of America’s
mission is to promote the development and advancement of the
conservation of natural resources including soil, water,
forestry and wildlife beneficial to mankind. For information
on becoming a member, please email the
Soil and Water Conservation Society of America,
swcs@uwsp.edu.
*Students
for Sustainable Communities (SSC) – The
Students for Sustainable Communities’ mission is to promote
education and understanding of planning and plan
implementation with regard to land use, environmental,
economic, social, political and legal criteria. SSC also
provides leadership experience, practical exposure to
planning professionals, and involvement within the
university and local community, as well as in the regional
and national planning arena. For information on becoming a
member, please email SSC, ssc@uwsp.edu.
*Sustainable Agriculture in
Communities Society (SACS) – The Sustainable
Agriculture in Communities Society’s mission is to create a
means for UWSP students to experience, explore, share, and
learn about issues relating to sustainable agriculture and
community development.
For information on becoming a member,
please email SACS, sacs@uwsp.edu.
The UWSP campus garden was created in the spring of 2006
by the Sustainable Agriculture in Communities Society
(SACS). The garden, located on Franklin Street across from
the Fire Station, is maintained by SACS members and is
currently in its third growing season. SACS utilizes the
garden to host workshops on various topics such as canning
and composting. The garden is also used as an outdoor
classroom to teach students about organic farming principles
and alternative farming techniques, such as greenhouse
season extension and vermicomposting. The garden’s produce
is for sale and is also used for events such as the SACS
harvest dinner. Vegetables grown include turnips, kale,
swiss chard, onions, peppers, carrots,
and tomatoes.
*Waste
Management Society – The Waste Management
Society’s mission is to provide additional activities in the
field of waste management in order to facilitate unity and
exchange of experiences and information. For more
information, visit their website. For information on
becoming a member, please email the Waste
Management Society, wastemgt@uwsp.edu.
*Wildlife
Society
– The Wildlife Society’s mission is to
provide opportunities for better liaison among members,
chapters, sections, and the society, evaluate and respond to
proposed/enacted societal actions that could affect
wildlife/its habitats, encourage professionalism and high
standards of scholarship, focus aims/objectives to
professional wildlife needs, and encourage communication to
improve understanding of resource management sciences. For
more information, visit their website. For more information
on becoming a member, please email the
Wildlife Society, wildsoc@uwsp.edu.
*E.A.R.T.H
(Knutzen Hall’s Eco-group)
– The purpose of E.A.R.T.H is:
- To promote and facilitate a variety of environmental
programs, both active and passive
- To raise awareness and involve the target audience
on environmental issues and concerns by bringing them
closer to nature
- To enhance interaction and cooperation among hall
residents
- To provide an opportunity for the residents to grow
in leadership abilities
- To serve as an effective liaison between Knutzen
residents, Knutzen Hall Government, the University, and
the community.
*
RHA
The UWSP
Residence Hall Association (RHA) has taken a number of
eco-friendly steps and will continue to go green in the
future. One event that RHA has hosted is
Recyclemania, a competition between the residence halls
to see who can produce the largest amount of recycled
material, in pounds, throughout a 5-week time period. RHA
also provides loft rentals to students in the fall and
purchases 10% renewable NatureWise energy for the residence
halls.
*SGA
SGA (Student Government Association) has always been
highly involved in the environment. UWSP’s SGA is the only
Student Government Association in the UW system to have an
Environment
al and Sustainability
Issues Director and Environment
al
and Sustainability Issues Committee. Th
is
position and committee were direct requests of the
student body. Some of the actions of the director and
committee include sponsoring environmental events and
campaigns, such as
Focus the Nation, a national event focusing on global
warming solutions and “Reducing Food Waste,” which can be
seen in the Debot Dining Center. This campaign aims to
educate students about how much food is wasted in Debot each
day and persuade them to
consume
less food. SGA also has a student-run, student-funded
Sustainability Reserve, the only of its kind in the UW
system, which can be accessed and utilized by any student
organization or individual. For more information on the
Sustainability Reserve and the green projects that the
Reserve has funded in the past,
see the Sustainability Reserve tab of this site.
Other SGA green initiatives include a bike rental program,
online ride board, sponsorship of the U-Pass system and
Campus Cab, and helping the city of Stevens Point to become
an Eco-Municipality. SGA continually writes legislation
regarding
environmental issues and concerns, such as purchasing 100%
post-consumer recycled paper for the campus and policy for
all existing campus buildings to be brought to LEED
standards. Although the legislation doesn’t always take
effect, SGA’s efforts have proven to pay off greatly in the
end
, as SGA has been one of the
driving forces in promoting UWSP’s reputation for
sustainability.
*WISPIRG
WISPIRG, or the Wisconsin Student Public Interest
Research Group, is a statewide organization that works to
effectively address and solve problems within society,
including global warming and environmental awareness. Each
year, WISPIRG runs three different campaigns on each UW
campus, one of them being the Campus Climate Challenge
(CCC). As part of this campaign, WISPIRG has implemented
programs, such as the Pull the Plug Challenge, in the
residence halls. Pull the Plug is a competition to see which
residence hall can save the most energy within a one-week
time period. WISPIRG hosts other environmental awareness
events, such as showings of environmental films like Al
Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” as a part of the CCC
campaign as well. Throughout the school year, you will find
WISPIRG members spreading the environmental message via
tabling, events, flyers, buttons, and other promotional
materials.
