Excellence in Sustainability Honors Cord
A mark of dedication
The Student Office of Sustainability's Excellence in Sustainability Honors cord was created to recognize the dedication graduating students have shown toward making our campus a more sustainable place for future Blugolds. Our graduation cords are made from natural, biodegradable hemp cord, ordered by the SOS each semester, ahead of commencement. Our office covers the full cost of the cords, providing accessibility to all students. Graduates will have their work highlighted on our social media accounts throughout December & May as a part of our "sustainable seniors" series.
How do I earn a cord?
To be eligible to wear the Excellence in Sustainability Honors cord, a student must have accumulated a total of 10 points or more over the course of their undergraduate career, based on the criteria listed below.
Where do I sign up?
Students who feel they qualify may submit their request by filling out the qualtrics survey below. Formats such as bullet points are perfectly acceptable. If you do not qualify for a total of 10 points, but feel your contributions to campus sustainability have been substantial, please have a mentor, faculty member, or supervisor write a letter of recommendation detailing your contributions to campus sustainability and email it to be considered along with your completed qualtrics survey.
Criteria
If you only held a position for a semester, you qualify for the points in that category.
There is no maximum on points/points are stackable within each category, and add up over the course of your college career. Fulfilling 1 criteria means you get the points (for example, serving as an SOS intern and conducting research related to sustainability = 10 points. Serving as an active member in a sustainability-centered club = 1 point).
Please direct any questions or comments about our criteria to SOS@uwec.edu.
In this survey there is an opportunity for you to upload a file with any work you want to share with us, as well as a photo of yourself so we can highlight the work you have done on our social media pages.
Please also consider preparing a short answer to this optional question: As a graduating student, you've seen sustainability grow on campus. If you feel comfortable sharing, take a few sentences to express what your favorite campus sustainability feature, project, or recent initiative is!
| Points | Criteria |
| 5 |
- Served as an executive board member of the Student Office of Sustainability - Served as a Housing Sustainability or SEED Intern a. SEED Eco-Representatives Advisor b. SEED Supervisor c. The Just Bag It Fashion Show Intern - Demonstrated a civic commitment to sustainability, For example: a. Wrote legislation regarding sustainability to be passed through the UW-Eau Claire Student Senate or another shared governance entity. b. Volunteering with community organizations like Citizens Climate Lobby, JONAH, etc. c. Worked with campaigns holding sustainability as a pillar. d. Organized a demonstration related to sustainability - Conducted research or facilitated Foster Art Gallery showings that: a. Have the potential to help our society become more sustainable b. Provided insight that could lead to solutions surrounding sustainability issues c. Addressed an environmental and/or public health concern. d. Advanced technology related to sustainability e. Other research or creative avenues that address the environment, equity, or sustainability |
| 3 |
- Served as a voting member and regular event volunteer for the Student Office of Sustainability - Served as an Eco-Rep within your Hall Council or SEED programmer. - Held a position on the board for ENPH club, geography club, or other sustainability or equity-related club - Majored in Environmental Geology, Environmental Geography, ENPH, Liberal Studies with a Sustainability focus, or other Environmentally focused major. - Took part in an intercultural immersion program related to sustainability or the environment (ex. Water Protectors in AIS) - Served as an Energy Auditor for the SCORE Program |
| 2 |
- Served as a regular event volunteer for the Student Office of Sustainability or another sustainability-related organization. - Organized a public, sustainability event (i.e. documentary showing, educational tabling, DIY sustainable crafting, etc.) |
| 1 |
- Served as an active member in a sustainability/environment-related club - Minored in a sustainability-related minor - Taken part in an EAC adventure trip (Limit 1 point per year) - Conducted a sustainability-focused service-learning project or Capstone - Attended a sustainability-related event (i.e. The Earth Claire Festival, a Public Library documentary showing, Ask A Scientist talk, City Council Meeting) Please specify, limit 2 per semester - Invited SCORE energy auditors to audit your home and provide education. - Utilized carpooling to travel to and from the university (at least 3 times/academic yr.) |
| 1-3 |
- Demonstrated personal commitment to sustainability, with plans to continue after college. For example: a. Regularly chose an alternative form of transportation, such as the public bus, instead of driving b. Adopted a low waste lifestyle within your means. c. Rented or utilized a bike or walking as your primary form of transportation d. etc. (Please Elaborate and write down the points you think your contribution is worth based on overall personal commitment, impact to our campus community, and time commitment. We would love to see exciting documentation, visuals, and other creative means to communicate your passion. There will be an opportunity to submit these materials both through the application and when we contact you individually to notify you of acceptance/rejection for this honor.) |
| 1-10 |
- Taken other action to create a more sustainable or equitable society. (Please Elaborate and write down the points you think your contribution is worth based on overall personal commitment, impact to our campus community, and time commitment. We would love to see exciting documentation, visuals, and other creative means to communicate your passion. There will be an opportunity to submit these materials both through the application and when we contact you individually to notify you of acceptance/rejection for this honor.) |