Drake is enthusiastic to introduce our first-ever Sustainability Coordinator Sophia Siegel. Sophia recently graduated from Drake in May with a degree in environmental sustainability and resilience. As the Sustainability Coordinator, her role will be to coordinate and support all projects and initiatives relating to sustainability at Drake. This includes coordinating and promoting activities and actions that incorporate social, environmental, and economic sustainability into existing and future planning and operations. She is looking forward to leading and supporting the University’s deepening commitment to sustainability by collaborating with faculty, staff, and students.
Drake has renewed its membership in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) to further campus efforts toward building a thriving, equitable, and ecologically just world. AASHE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff, and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation. Through membership in AASHE, Drake will receive continued support in advancing its sustainability initiatives throughout the institution and in the community. You can view a list of AASHE’s 900+ members.
AASHE enables higher education institutions to meet their sustainability goals by providing specialized resources, professional development, and a network of peer support and knowledge sharing. We invite and strongly encourage students, faculty, and staff to create an AASHE account. Membership extends to every individual at our institution, so the entire campus community can take advantage of member benefits.
Below are more details about AASHE’s member benefits, services, and programs:
Individual Member Accounts
To access member-only pages on AASHE’s website and take advantage of member benefits, individuals must first create their own account. To create an individual account, go to the register page and complete a user profile using your campus email address. After you receive an email with your password, go to the login page, enter your email address (username) and new password, and you will have access to the entirety of online resources.
If you have any questions about AASHE or our benefits as a member, email sophia.siegel@drake.edu. Again, every individual on our campus can take advantage of these membership benefits from AASHE, so be sure to set up an account and get started today.
AASHE e-Newsletters
We encourage everybody to subscribe to AASHE’s e-Newsletters. AASHE Bulletin is a weekly publication that delivers the latest in campus sustainability news, resources, opportunities, events, and jobs and internships. AASHE Announcements is a monthly publication that highlights news, events and important information about AASHE and its members. STARS Update is a periodic publication designed to keep participants up-to-date on the latest STARS technical developments, publications, deadlines, tips and tools.
Online Resources
AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Hub is an online resource library that provides access to thousands of valuable resources for campus sustainability practitioners, enabling AASHE members to share and learn about all aspects of sustainability in higher education. Resources are organized by sustainability topic (e.g., curriculum, public engagement, energy, investment) and content type (e.g., academic program, case study, conference presentation, photography).
Professional Development
AASHE presents or co-sponsors workshops and webinars throughout the year, as well as an annual conference that serves as the largest stage in North America for higher education sustainability practitioners to take advantage of face-to-face networking in a collaborative environment. These events offer opportunities to connect with our colleagues at regional, national, and international levels to share resources. As members, we receive discounts on registration for all AASHE events. Check this listing for upcoming events.
Product and Service Discounts
AASHE business and nonprofit members offer exclusive product and service discounts for institutional members.
Publicity and Recognition
We can submit news, opportunities, resources, events, and job postings to the AASHE Bulletin (be sure to read the submission guidelines first). The Bulletin informs more than 9,000 subscribers in the campus sustainability community.
Professional Awards
Our campus can submit applications for any of the AASHE Sustainability Awards, in the categories of Campus Sustainability Achievement, Campus Sustainability Research, and Student Sustainability Leadership.
Campus Sustainability Perspectives Blog
AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Perspectives blog features opinions and reports by staff and guests related to campus sustainability. You can read the blog and comment on posts. You can also reach out to marketing@aashe.org if you are interested in being a guest blogger.
AASHE Member Logo
We can post the AASHE Member Logo on our website to emphasize our commitment to sustainability. The logo may also be used on any signage, reports, brochures, and publicity or display materials. Be sure to read the usage guidelines before publishing.
Governance, Councils, Committees
Anyone from our campus is welcome to submit for consideration to serve on AASHE’s Board of Directors, Advisory Council, STARS Steering Committee or STARS Technical Advisors.
— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management