Sustainability at UST
Get Involved
Interested in getting involved with the sustainability movement on campus? Check out the links below:
Riding the bus reduces your carbon footprint, saves money, and allows use of your commuting time to read, relax, and enjoy the scenery
The Green Team exists to "challenge St. Thomas to be a more ecologically sound campus and to raise environmental awareness within our community, both on and off campus."The group regularly organizes educational activities, which have included camp outs and yearly field trips to the Will Steger compound in northern Minnesota and the Anathoth Community Farm, a Luck, Wisconsin, commune focused on maintaining a negative carbon footprint.
The Green Team welcomes new teammates. If you are interested in joining, contact Taylor Zumbusch or Megan Sheridan.Undergraduate Student Government: Sustainability Committee
The USG Student Sustainability Committee tackles sustainability issues as part of student government. The committee has worked with the UST Food Service to provide reusable drinking containers, available at a discount, at all campus dining facilities. It is working with Student Orientation and Campus and Residence Life to educate incoming students and resident assistants on eco-consciousness. It lobbies to reduce UST's carbon footprint and suggest future actions.
For more information about the Student Sustainability Committee, contact Tony Caruso or Bridget Kapler.
BEAST is Bicycle Enthusiasts at St. Thomas, promotes bike culture on the UST campus and in the broader local community by: creating a community bike space, advocating for bikers, supporting commuting by bike, providing maintenance, and safety education. The group also seeks to connect with other bike organizations beyond campus.
This fall, BEAST initiated the UST bike share program for the university community. The rising costs of gas and public transportation have made transportation unaffordable for many people. The bike share program provides an affordable and sustainable solution to the limited choices of transportation that are currently available. The bike share program allows anyone who needs access to a bike to be able to check out a bike with a bike lock free of charge. To check out a bike, go to the Wellness Center and ask for details.
To get involved with BEAST, contact Joe Dietel or Jeremy Venable .
Engineers for a Sustainable World
The UST chapter of this national organization was founded last spring by seniors Andrew DePompolo, Steven Lay and Andre Trawick. Dr. Camille George is the founding adviser. The group's recent projects include investigating composting and bio diesel possibilities at UST, educating the campus on the benefits of LEED certification and creating signs on garbage cans in Owens Science Hall and O'Shaughnessy Science Hall as reminders to recycle. Outside of St. Thomas, the group participated in the Tanzania Water Project, installing two solar water pasteurizers near two schools in northwest Tanzania.
For more information about ESW, email eswust@gmail.com.
ELS is the organization of law students at UST interested in environmental law and protection. The club is open to all UST Law School students, faculty and staff. Among their activities are an annual river clean-up and the purchase of SO2 pollution credits with fund raising proceeds.
To join ELS, contact Michael Wietecki.
The Recycling Team are student workers who collect campus recycling, sort, inventory, and deliver recycling commodities to area vendors and processors. These students are employed under the work-study program and work flexible hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
For more information about joining the Recycling Team, contact Bob Douglas
