Beyond Hydroflasks and canvas totes, there are other ways to engage with sustainability efforts as a resident on campus.
Eco-Reps support programming to keep students engaged in sustainability in the residence hall where they live, creating a culture of sustainability and helping other students connect with resources.
According to the Sustainability Office assistant manager Lety Cavazos, the Eco-Reps program was created in 2012 as a multi-department effort to work alongside students to help them take sustainable practices with them long after graduation.
“Once we’ve built this culture, it will follow students once they move out from the residence halls, throughout their time at OSU and beyond,” Cavazos said.
Eco-Reps are tasked with promoting and incorporating a culture of sustainability in their residence halls. Eco-Rep duties include educating residents on sustainable practices and resources and assisting with marketing and outreach for Oregon State University sustainability programs.
Only residence halls that receive student applications will have an Eco-Rep assigned. Eco-Reps have a weekly meeting, but each Eco-Rep has the flexibility to perform assigned tasks whenever their schedule allows. There is a mix of individual and group tasks with other Eco-Reps.
“Eco-Reps will also help with planning and marketing campus-wide sustainability programs, like Beyond Earth Day and the Kilowatt Crackdown,” Cavazos said.
Beyond Earth Day is a week-long celebration of the planet and the Kilowatt Crackdown is an annual energy-saving competition for the residence halls.
Eco-Reps are also responsible for marketing and outreach. According to Cavazos, this includes event planning, distributing fliers and posters, face-to-face interactions with residents and posting on bulletin boards and social media.
Eco-Reps also assist University Housing and Dining Services in educating residents. For example, they teach residents about the importance of properly returning the reusable takeout food containers used in the Eco2Go program, according to Cavazos.
According to Cavazos, the experience and skill set that former Eco-Reps gained through the program have allowed them to obtain and develop refined leadership skills in communication and time management.
“The experience of working a sustainability-related job has also allowed Eco-Reps to apply for scholarships and grants associated with sustainability work,” Cavazos said.
According to the Eco-Reps website, “Any student that lives in the dorms and is comfortable around new people, and approaching groups of people to create interactions is encouraged to apply.”
Students can subscribe to the Sustainability Office newsletter to stay informed about campus sustainability efforts.
More information about the Eco-Rep application can be found on the online OSU job posting page. The application closes Oct. 4.
Students can also subscribe to the Sustainability Office newsletter to stay informed about campus sustainability efforts.