About the Program

The EcoLeader program is a student leadership initiative that focuses on raising positive awareness of environmental issues and encourages sustainable practices at the University. The EcoLeader Program started in fall 2012 and is operated by the Office of Sustainability, under the Division of Facilities & Services. The program's goals are to increase student knowledge on important environmental issues such as conservation, sustainability, recycling, and ecological awareness, in the context of a University setting. The mission of the EcoLeader Program is to promote environmentally responsible behavior, in an effort to raise awareness and reduce our University's carbon footprint. In the fall 2024, the program collaborated with SOMAS to become a for-credit internship program.

Framework

Students will be selected at the beginning of each semester based on their application to earn credit under SUS 488. EcoLeaders will be expected to attend regular team meetings with the Sustainability Coordinator to discuss ideas, projects, and brainstorm other activities. Based on student interest and availability, the EcoLeaders will be divided into different teams to encompass all areas of sustainability across campus. While there are different categories for teams, collaboration/overlap is expected and encouraged. Team responsibilities will vary based on individual commitment availability and members per team. Teams will be broken into the following groups:

Outreach and Event Planning

The outreach and event planning team will be responsible for gauging campus interests, organizing small and large events from EarthStock to tabling, raising campus environmental literacy/education, and promoting the Office of Sustainability. This team is responsible for planning at least one larger event per semester.

Social Media and Marketing

The social media and marketing team will be responsible for content creation. This primarily includes the Office of Sustainability Instagram account. Students may also assist with updating the website and creating ideas for a newsletter. This team will work closely with the outreach and event planning team to help promote their events.

Research and Data Analytics

This position will investigate trends in available campus data to identify where the campus can be more sustainable. For example, students can analyze the energy dashboard, waste management data, and/or research different sustainable initiatives so the University can make more informed decisions. The data collection team will also work closely with the Sustainability Coordinator on various projects and administrative reports such as the AASHE Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report. 

Other Responsibilities

All EcoLeaders will be representatives of the Office of Sustainability. This entails being the office’s “eyes and ears” on campus. EcoLeaders are encouraged to seek out opportunities for SBU to be more environmentally conscious and bring ideas to team meetings and/or to the Sustainability Coordinator. This includes listening to campus feedback/reactions, finding buildings that have excessive energy use (lights staying on when they don’t need to be, mitigating waste, etc.), and creative problem solving for sustainable solutions.